Rockhorst

Finally found the time (and conditions) to do some work on this. Someone suggested practicing on a piece of yellow poplar, as it's cheaper but similar to alder. Quite liking the wood I have to say. I rough cut the body with a jig saw, sanded to within 2 mm of the template and made a successful pass around the body. Flipped it around and also did the other side. Sanded the sides of the guitar to get smooth curves (the template was a bit segmented). So far so good. I proceeded with a 1/2" roundover on the back. I was using some cut off pieces for router support, but they were working against me a bit, so I foolishly decided to work without them. Went ok, except for the horns. Really should have supported the router base better in those spots, as this is a bit of a pity: I'm hoping to be able to blend this in by hand, any suggestions on that? Also will take some time to contemplate on this issue before I attempt routing a binding channel on the front. This kind of a mistake would be a real problem there.

+1

I'm thinking it's dust left in my shirt. As soon as I changed the shirt the cough disappeared. So I think I have to get into the habit of changing into a set of fresh clothes after even minor bits of work.

I would like some advice on health/safety. So after my first routing experience, I made the mistake of taking my dust mask off after the work was done, but before clean up. Stupid in hindsight, as dust gets stirred up during clean up. I had a bit of a cough for a week or so after that, and it subsided. Today I used sanding drums with 120 grit paper to get close to the template line on a piece of yellow poplar. I've build a sanding table for my drill press to which I can attach the vacuum cleaner. It takes away a lot of the dust. Also I have a fan running with a hepa filter near by and I worked outside on my balcony. Afterwards I left the area for an hour before I came back for clean up so air could be refreshed. I took a stroll outside to the supermarket. I wear a tight fitting halve face mask (Moldex 7002) with P3 filters. And still, after working...the cough comes back. It's like a dry sort of cough and it feels like there's something floating around in my windpipe (difficult to describe). P100 filters just came in through the mail, but I doubt the difference between P3 (99.95%) and P100 (99.97%) is going to make a big difference....but that could be ignorance speaking. Suggestions for better protection?

Hey Steve! The internet is a small place indeed. Glad you like the plan. I hope to post some progress over the weekend, been doing a little work (an hour here and and there) and am going for my next router attempt soon.

I'm not entirely sure, but if I read things correctly, the 'standard' bushings aren't compatible with the Triton. They have their own set. I'll (re)consider it...right now, working on a mini-air purifier with some hepa filters and a bathroom fan. I read up on dust, the things you come across would almost be enough to shelve the project (just like googling 'router accident').

Looking at that it makes a lot of sense. I'm a router noob, what type of bit? [incidentally, just watched O'Brien's truss rod video, starting to make a lot more sense]

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of that jig, would you?

Spent some time the past couple of days investigating methods to keep the dust levels down a bit. I haven't got a workshop, so everything is done in a spare room in the house. Bought plastics sheets to cover stuff up, made a table for the drill press with a chamber underneath that connects to a vacuum cleaner, got some cheap painters work overalls etc. Also made an O'Brien router bit and did some tests with that . I didn't have a lot of tools before I started this project, only stuff used in pedal building (drill press, soldering iron)...so all of this is a bit of an investment. However, I'm not one to go into projects like this half arsed. I also realized after last weekend that I must use more protetive gear (already have gloves, goggles, gas/dust mask), because I've got a little cough from the little bit of work I did...I've got hay fever and eczema, so I'm probably quite prone to becoming over sensitized. So I took some time to take some common sense measures. Also, I think I want to step away from the body for a bit and research neck building. I've got a blank that is just over 7/8" thick and 4" wide that would be a nice test piece. I don't know if it's stable enough for a final neck, but it'd be ideal for practice. I really like the Ibanez-style scarf joint, where you get the parabolic shape where the two pieces meet. I find that very attractive, so that's what I'd like to try. Got a few questions I hope people can help me with. The procedure I think should look like this: 1. Cut blank at 10 degree angle for scarf joint 2. True up pieces and create glue surface. Is going to have to be sandpaper on a sturdy flat surface I'm afraid. No power tools. 3. Route truss rod channel. Can anyone recommend a good type router bit for this? 4. Taper neck from heel to nut (router with guide bearing?) 5. Add neck contour using faceting with shinto rasp. 6. Shape headstock Is this the proper order to follow? Also, here's a picture of the single action truss rod I've got... Anybody got a good tutorial on installing this thing? I've tried to read up, but am still a bit mystified. Is this for a straight channel (hope so) or curve, and where does it 'grip'? Is that only the little bushing the end where the nut is? Seems like not a lot of surface area? Pointers more than appreciate (in fact, necessary before I proceed ).

Looked into the bushings, but have decided to go a different route for now...I decided to have the template lasered on 9mm MDF, that's a lot cheaper than acrylic and should give me a bit more of a margin. Also invested into some sanding drums for my drill press, so I can get closer to the template before routing. Work will continue next week(end?).

I have a template bit with a bearing. Could you post a pic of what you're talking about? I can have the templates cut directly into MDF as well, actually a lot cheaper as the material is cheaper. Routing from the master into MDF might get me into the same trouble as it did now, although there of course is no grain to screw things up. Anyway, a pic of the bushing you're talking about would be appreciated (did not come with router, but then I know what to get).

Time for some lessons learned...if anyone has anything to add please do. I'm going to meditate on this for a few days and then get back to it. Here's a picture of the butchered template: I think I should add that really all the power tools I have at my disposal are the router and a jig saw. No room for band saws and such. I tried to cut close to the outline with the jig saw, but next time I'll try to file/rasp even closer. Routing counter clockwise sometimes seems very logical, at other times it feels very odd. I once accidentally moved the router clockwise and I think that caused one of the snags on the left. Clueless on how the snag in the upper right happened. Routing around the horns is a bit tricky. I think it would be a good idea to have a bit of extra wood next to the body blank for the router base to ride on, so it doesn't accidentally tilt or tip. Also, I noticed connecting a vacuum cleaner doesn't do much. Visibility is also another concern. I can't really see where the bit is let alone where it's going. I've read that taking the plastic guards off the Triton might help with that. Lastly, the safety switch I think is a good idea, so the router can't be switched on accidentally. However, turning it off is a bit of a pain.

The router was well behaved, cut through the template like butter I do take safety seriously, also glad I already owned a semi-pro gas/dust mask, this stuff is messy! I don't and won't have the supplies and tools to do solid colors, but I will try to rescue the alder body. I might be able to match one of the off cuts to make a near invisible seam. I also don't have a jointer or a plane. I did see a method using a fence and sanding paper though. Any other suggestions? I already rough cut the mahogany blank. That stuff puts up quite a bit more fight than alder, it's a lot harder!

Yeah, good news: the router works Bad news: routers don't take prisoners...made a slight depth adjustment after the initial cut and didn't notice it was now too shallow. Bit into the wood and template. Sorry for wasting that nice piece Having fun though!

Well, I ordered alder, but it does look more like ash figuring, I agree. It's quite tightly pored though. I'm fine with both for now. The ash slab is 4.25 kg and the mahogany is 6 kg by the way. The density of the alder/ash blank 450 kg/m3, more consistent with alder than ash. Anyway, both would work fine for me

Funny, it's about the cheapest 1/2" router you can find over here!

Bought a lot of tools, including a router. I went with the Triton since it fitted the budget and I've heard good (and bad) things about it. I've got no real experience with routers, so I guess it will be fine. Sorry for the crappy quality phone pics. Ordered some wood, unseen but I'm quite pleased with what I received. There's a 1 piece mahogany body and a 2 piece alder body. I decided the alder will be used for this build. Building starts tomorrow!

Got a trial version of Illustrator running so I added the offset myself. This is the result: The neck is slightly wider than the pocket, which is fine. It's (just under) 1 mm oversized from it's designed width, so that should be fine once sanded. Eager to start, wood comes in next week and then there's a two week holiday following.

Forgot to take the cut width itself into account, so need to add an offset to the templates, which can't be done in Photoshop. Getting some help from KnightroExpress on that. Also got a 30 day Illustrator trial to attempt it myself...Found a few glitches in the way Photoshop handled the paths also. Guess it's not the ideal tool for the job (but hey).

I understand the call for an original headstock design. I'll definitely keep looking for something satisfactory. But for now, I just want to get building. It's a first build and I'm not even sure if it will see completion. Truly great designs are few and far apart. Waiting for a satisfactory headstock design would, at the moment, distract too much from the main goal: learning new skills. I'd like to get the templates made and might as well throw in the two headstock options I have right now. A template for a different headstock could easily be made further along the road if I come up with something... And it's going to be a bolt on, so nothing is set/glued in stone.

Fiddled around some more with the paths. I made the heel at the body a little beefier and redid the humbucker template to better match my router bit. Still torn on which headstock to choose. I tried a few designs but keep coming back to either Mayones shape or traditional Strat shape. I think the former would look good with a matching headstock while the latter would be better with just wood color. I guess it's hard to break free from those traditions Should be off to the laser people tomorrow.

Stunning result, especially for a first build!

Not really a new member, but I've been away a long time. Also, I've long toyed with the idea of building a guitar, but never dared to really start from scratch. I honed my skills building guitar pedals and designing PCBs over the past 5 years, build a partscaster and a Jazz Bass from unfinished parts. So I guess the next thing is to finally take the plunge. It might go south, but at least it will be a learning experience. So, instead of buying another guitar, this is going to have to satisfy my GAS for 2016. The plan: build a guitar inspired on a Mayones Regius with bolt-on construction and conventional arm rest and belly cut, Ibanez RG style, instead of Mayones radiusing.. Maple neck, ebony fretboard, alder or mahogany body. No fancy tops for now. Ebony veneer on the headstock and a Wudtone finish. I would like to add a single 1 mm strip of binding to the front of the body, but am unsure how to do that with an armrest carved out. The past week I've been designing the body using Photoshop's path tool, working mainly from a scaled photo of a Regius. I quite like the original 3x3 headstock, but a 6 in line headstock could also work nicely. Right now, I've got a modified ESP headstock on there, but I might even go for traditional strat. Not sure yet. I hope to finalize the design in the next few days (possible including a few headstock altneratives) and have it laser cut as a template. Actual wood working is planned to start at the end of april. The design so far is attached. Any and all comments and suggestions welcome of course!

It's been a while, but time for an update: After 2 months clamped, I released the neck. Still not straight (just slightly better than before). Also, a friend of mine made some real nice washers for the the truss rod, but because of the locking nut, there's not enough room for them (sticking out of the cavity, so the nut can't sit flush). Major bummer. I did put on some strings, and it seems to take tension quite a bit better though. Contemplating my next step (one of the options being selling as many parts as possible, minimizing financial loss ). If anyone has suggestions left, please share.

It's a ding. I've tried the steam method before (on other projects), never really succesful. But I'll give it a go!