scorpionscar

After a few months of hard work and dedication I couldn't resist the temptation of this familiar pic of the four hardrockers. At expence of ensambling bodies and necks, filling the grain, the guitars are ready for paint in the following weeks. I've took some pics of the advances. Hope you like:

Scorpionscar

I've built this simple jig for the correct alignment of the neck and body in aluminium. Very useful jig and easy to build. Some pics:

Scorpionscar

Today I've been shaping the neck of the strato relic. Spokeshave, rusp, sand paper and a lot of work. By the way, had problems with the spokeshave, some piece of advise about this tool? some pics of the process/results:

Scorpionscar

On 4/4/2018 at 1:26 PM, Andyjr1515 said:

Love those fretboards. Top class!

Thank you so much Andyjr1515, I love doing that inlaying work, I really enjoy!

1 hour ago, psikoT said:

The saw gets stuck in the slots because it's not perfectly perpendicular during the whole process. It happens to me too, so you're not alone. What I do is, as soon I notice it gets stuck, I try to find the right angle, moving the blade left-right and continue without forcing the saw. If you force the saw, you might bend the blade and therefore increase the problem.

This is similar to handling a tricky key in a door, you have to find the right position before open it. 

I've tested that issue with a jig I bulid for that purpose (testing the perpendicularity, and after the slot I insert a cutter blade and test with a squad, and is perfect. The saw runs perfectly over the bearings, and with mapple or rosewood for example. But you're right, itps possible in ebony that for a tenth of a milimiter the problem occurs. Certainly is a torture...

About your anterior question, no problem doing the slots with the freboard tappering, but if I had to choose, is better to do with the fretboard untappered. Maybe part of the problem could be caused for using the fretboard radioused, allways radious first and then slot, for the same reason, I radious with the router, and afraid of slotting first and the router bits tears the slots...

1 hour ago, pan_kara said:

Interesting, I don't remember having such problems when cutting the fret slots in ebony, I did two boards last time with an old (non-japanese) fret saw. And I always cut slots before the taper and before radiusing, but I agree about the tear-out problem. I've been trying different methods for cutting the fingerboard taper, first I was using shooting boards and going very slowly, but now I converged to a spiral router bit and staight-line jig. I have a 3 or 4 flute down-cut spiral and that when used carefully practically eliminates tear-out.

That said my radiusing technique definitely needs improvement, on the other hand I still haven't figured out a reason to use a fret-bender. I just cut the frets from the spool and press them into place, letting the press and the fingerboard bend them to the correct radius. 

Yes, is possible to cut the frets and then curve them with the drill press, I've done this way too, but the bender is easy to do, cheap and usefull. Fret press is a very helpful tool too. I've just bought one and can't understand how could live without it. Expecially important with ebony, I think ebony is my enemy hahaha...

My diary advances:

Today I've been freting the Flying-V and installing the side dot markers. The fret work was very delicated cause the frets slippered expecially due to inlays. In some cases I had to lube with bee wax, because the frets tended to go out the slot and produce tear outs. Fortunatelly had nothing to lament, but was a delicated and tense work all the time. 

For the side dot markers built a metacrilate template and is really quick and easy to do. Fix the template with double side tape and it takes no more than 20 minutes and the result is perfect. Some pics:

Scorpionscar

Today I've been working on frets. For this once the fret slots are done, I use the japanesse saw with a metacrilate stop block with the measurement of the tang with about five tenths of a milimiter. After that I install the frets firs put them into position with the help of the hammer and them with the press (an incredible must have tool).

For cutting the frets I use a tongs that I adapted with the emery, when the frets are cut I use a fret beveler file with 35º. I really enjoy freting work. Some pics of the process:

Scorpionscar

On 28/3/2018 at 8:51 PM, psikoT said:

Is there any reason why you didn't make the fret slots yet?... I find really difficult to make the slots once the fretboard its radiused and tappered, so once again you got me expectant. Can't wait to see how you manage this challenge. 

Fretless guitar hahaha, I'm joking. No, basically I decided to do this way to experiment. Ebony is very hard but very fragile on the other hand, Some years ago working with an ebony fingerboard, I slotted it first and when shaping with the router, a little tear out was produced just at the end of one of the slots, Spite of this caution, this time with no slots done, another tear out occurred (fortunatelly is almost invisible, two or three tenths of a milimiter) no really a problem at all. I designed and built a jig for slotting that allows to locate the fingerboard with the final shape done, perfectly centered in the simetrical line of the template, The slots are perfectly perpendicular to this line with no problems. I fixed two clamps that force both the fingerboard and template in place.

About the radious, always do it before slotting, because made another jig with two rails that allows to radious a fingerboard in five minutes. If have to radious with a radious block and sand paper it takes an eternity, and the problem increases with the inlays (imposible to inlay first and then use the jig with rails for the router).

Another important problem I mentioned some mounths ago, is that ebony is hard as a rock and japanesse saw tends to bend inside the slot, and is very very difficult to slot the fingerboard properly. Since the fingerboard is tappered to its final shape, there is less width of ebony (expecially  in the 12 first frets, them tend to increase the width), I think this fact helps the sawblade to do the work with less effort, but is only a thought. When I finally try this technique (not sure if tomorrow due to easter) but when try to do it I'll evaluate if is better or worst to tapper it first and tell you my impressions.

Up date of the post:

I was sawing the slats today. The fingerboard was perfectly in place thanks to wedges and double stick tape. No differences in comparisson with doing the job before tappering. The real problem is with ebony, instead of having lubricated in each slot with bee wax, I`m frustrated casuse the saw beds into the slot and is impossible to do the job. I'm thinking about another method casue miter box and japanesse saw doesn't work in ebony. It tooks me hours when the normal thing is to do it in half an hour. Any ideas?

Scorpionscar

Today I've been preparing the fretboard of the Flying-V in order for gluing. I used a jig I built because due to the long tenon is no possible to route after gluing using the neck shape as a template. Some pics:

Hoy he estado trabajando en el diapasón de la Flying-V para prepararla para encolar. He pegado el diapasón al mástil con cinta de doble cara y me he asegurado de que quedara bien posicionado justo por la línea de simetría. Una vez marcado lo he cortado con la sierra de banda y con ayuda de un útil que me he fabricado es muy sencillo sujetarlo por la línea y pasarlo por la fresadora de forma segura y efectiva. 

Scorpionscar

Today I've been installed the side dot markers. For this I've made a metacrilate template with the most used scales and drilled the holes in the corresponient place. The inserts are ABS plastic cilinders of 1,58 mm diameter and the drill bit is 1.60 mm cause if I do them with the same diameter, is alos imposible to inserte them into the hole. I fix the template to the guitar neck with double side stick and drill the holes with the drill press. After that I get ride of the tape and use CA, it's easy. The trick is that I cut the inserts after glued with an electronics forceps but this smash the end of the cilinder, to correct this, I made a drill in a piece of wood with the bit of 1.6 mm in several passes in order to increase some tenths. I introduce the cilinder and cut the end with a chisel. The cut is perfectly stright and the insert is ready for the next drill hole. Some pics:

Scorpionscar

10 hours ago, ScottR said:

Gorgeous work and beautiful photography!

SR

Thank you so much ScottR I'm glado you like it. I'm doing both the guitars and photography with all the illusion of the world. I really love guitarbuilding!!!

Scorpionscar

On 21/3/2018 at 2:51 PM, scorpionscar said:

You are right psikoT, is difficult to sand both and avoid the maple out of being dirty, but being carefully I think the problem can be solved, although not easy...I'll tell you about this issue. Thanks for the comment psikoT.

Fortunately the ebony absorved the resin and there was no issues of dirty black ebony dust, but efectively it could have been a serious problem. Some pics of a sesion I took in the woods of my little town. Hope you like:

Scorpionscar

4 hours ago, psikoT said:

Those stars are really cool, but I'm afraid that mixing ebony with maple is not a good idea. Hope I'm wrong.

Looking forward to the result.

You are right psikoT, is difficult to sand both and avoid the maple out of being dirty, but being carefully I think the problem can be solved, although not easy...I'll tell you about this issue. Thanks for the comment psikoT.

3 hours ago, pan_kara said:

thumbs up for the video! awesome work with the inlays!

Thank you very much pan_kara, I'm glad you like it.

Scorpionscar

I've been glueing the Strato stars. For this work I've used an eposy resin 60/40. For more acuracy I weighted the two components. It was a difficult work because the nacar was inlayed in the ebony frame, so I had to glue both first wie CA. In some cases the star+frame didn't fit right in the cavity, so, I had to fix with a diamond file and with a screw driver that I turned into a little chisel. Is not easy to test if the star fits correctly because then is difficult or almost imposible to extrat frome the cavity, for that reason you must to be very careful.

There is some stars where there is a little slack between the ebony and the cavity, for fixing this I cut a chip from a maple piece with the chisel and then cut at the desired size and insert in the gap with  the help of a  tip-end grippers. The result of this technique is very good. Some pics of the process:

Scorpionscar

1 hour ago, curtisa said:

Yep. The forum supports embedding Youtube videos into posts.

Thank you Curtisa, I tried before pasting the https, but didn't work. I'm going to try now.

This is a video inlaying the ebony Flying-V fingerboard.

Scorpionscar

Is it possible to put a youtube video?

Scorpionscar

5 hours ago, Norris said:

Did you make the ebony frames for the stars yourself? Some seriously meticulous work going on there. Well done 

No Norris, the ebony frames were done by laser cut, and even using a laser it was no easy cause from 12th fret to 21th the frame is 0.8mm, impossible to make by hand. The rest routings are done by hand with a Dremel and a base I made for it.

Scorpionscar

Cavities of the inlays done. Stars for strat style with Floyd Rose and the ebony with the inscription "ROCK YOUR LIFE" for the Flying-v. Happy weekend:

Scorpionscar

Today I've been fixing the MOP stars with the correspondient ebony frame. I'v routed the cavities for the inlays. For this I've used a dremel and a base I built for it. Is a similar model like Stew Mac one, and works perfectly. I used a plastic tube of 8 mm diameter connected to the vacuum cleaner. What type of glue do you think is suitable for the inlays, epoxy A&B, superglue...I like expoxy but is to rapid and have to mix the two components for each inlay and is very time-consuming, the adventage is that it allows to mix fretboard dust and make a paste with the same colour. some pics of the process:

Scorpionscar

7 hours ago, ScottR said:

Wow! That is seriously awesome!

SR

Thank you ScottR, I'm glad you like it. To be honest is the first time I'v used wenge in a guitar and have to say that is a surprising wood that the more I advance the neck, the more I like it, easy to carve with the spokeshave and the grain is really really gorgeous. The combination with the bubinga is very beautiful. I'm really enjoying this building!

Scorpionscar

This looks like the rear of the neck. Beauty and stability. I love this neck. Happy weekend:

Scorpionscar

2 hours ago, psikoT said:

Side dots need to be drilled just 2-3 mm, more than that is totally useless. I always use a hand drill ("berbiquí" in spanish) to be more precise and avoid complications.

Nice work, as always! 

Yes, you are right GOTM, about 3 mm is right. I did a 5 mm metacrilate template with the drill holes of the markers done. I fix it to the fingerboard with double side tape. This is usesfull casuse is no necessary any measuremente. The jig usually works great, but this time, the beat was forced and broke down...

Thank you so much for your words. They encourge me for continuing working as well as I can.

Sorpionscar

Today I've been installing the frets, jumbo type. I did it with the help of a hammer. This is a delicate work due to sometimes when you install one tip and then hammer the opposite, it tends to get out and is easy to provocate crisps in the ébony. I installed the side dot markers but had a terrible problem. The bit broke down and got trapped inside the ebony. It was impossible to extract it and thought of filling the gap with a mixture of epoxy and ebony dust but didn't like the idea of redo the new drill because it will be off center. What I did was to insert the drill bit upside down in the drill press in order to use it as a press to introduce the broken one inside the ebony, and I did it. the broken piece entered the ebony about one milimiter. this allowed me to glue the plastic marker. The result was perfect luckely.

After that, I carved the neck with the help of gouges, rasps and spoke shave, my favourte. Then I sanded with a Delda sander by Bosch, which is very useful for this kind of works. Some pics of the process/results:

Scorpionscar

Today I've been working on a jig for a broken neck reparation. It has nothing to do with the project I'm documenting but I thought it is interesting and could be useful for others. I looked for on the Internet, bud to be honest didn't find too much ideas about building a jig for this purpose. First off all I goin to route 3 mortises with the router bit and a bit of 6 mm diameter. As you can see the jig allows the movement forwards-backwards. Where the base of the router is screwed to the MDF I made channels so as to allow the router to be moved left-right. When the mortises are done, I will glue the splines (in this case made of wengue) with titebond. After that I'll thickness the back sie of the headstock in order to glue a backstrap overhead for a better reinforcement and for an aesthetic issue. I hope it can be useful for you. Happy weekend.

Scorpionscar

5 minutes ago, ScottR said:

Now that's a spindle sander! Very nice! I love it.

SR

Is not exactly a spindle sander cause it has no movement upwards-downwards but it works really good. I adappted a glutter piece with a reduction and allows me to connect the vacuum.

Scorpionscar

23 hours ago, ScottR said:

I usually highlight the quote and hit the delete key on my keyboard whenever I want to get rid of it. Will that work for you?

SR

I'm going to try now and see what happens, strange problem...

22 hours ago, Pariahrob said:

Happens to me too but only on my phone. On my Mac it’s fine. 

Lovely cover by the way. Nice photography too! I’d love to see your special Nile sander. 

I' going to put some pics of the machine. Is easy to do, but tedious. It works, really really good and save much time. Is one of the best machines in my workshop, moreover I have special affect cause is a creation of mine. Happy weekend:

Scorpionscar

On 27/1/2018 at 6:10 PM, ScottR said:

But now the same...