KnightroExpress

Yep, you've got it: trim the tangs. 

That board is going to go on a lightly extended scale 6 string with some semi-aggressive pickups,  I'm hoping it brings some growl and bite to the table.

11 hours ago, psikoT said:

That timber pile is motivating... you lucky dog!

Thanks! I've been slowly collecting cool pieces for years now, it feels good to finally be able to use them.

5 hours ago, ScottR said:

Reminds me of a Dalmation I once had.

SR

Cool! How was the tone on that dog?

5 hours ago, ScottR said:

What for? It took me this long to realize that was a "W". Is it not cooperating?

SR

His pics weren't cooperating yesterday, I think that's the thing he was giving up on.

Welcome! Everything there looks great, I look forward to seeing more from you 

I know, dammit! I'll get back to work 

Small update today: Truss rod has been installed and fretboard is currently adhered and curing. 

More interestingly (from a photographic standpoint, at least), I cut a binding channel for the face of the V. 

I also spent some time organizing my wood pile and loaded up a rack.

Also, did a bit of resaw work on some figured tigerwood and my favorite piece of pale moon ebony.

The splattery effect is just too cool, I love that little slice of lumber. 

I appreciate the confidence! Hopefully, it's well placed....

I've got a few gnarly projects in the pipeline, just waiting a few weeks to get them organized so I can properly introduce them 

I actually semi-copied your slotting box setup. Mine is bolted down to an MDF base, and I even glued a magnet on for wrench retention. I've just got to add the toggle clamps and I'll be good to go!

I actually just saw the followup piece on the extension base, and I'm thinking about redoing my base to be more efficient like yours. I'll post pics when it's done.

Well, as long as they're not on the bland side of cheap...

Yeah, that's seriously beautiful stuff there, Carl. 

I've heard good things about Irongear, so it'll be nice to hear them in a methodical test, as I know you'll do. 

I agree with you on pickup makers, it's hard to find something truly bad. I'm not worried about the Mojos disappointing in any way, really. 

I have one of their strat pickups in a parts guitar I assembled several years ago, I think it sounds very nice. I haven't tried their humbuckers yet, but every sound clip/video (I know, you can only judge so much from those) sounds like exactly what I'm shooting for here. I'll definitely let you guys know what I think when we get to that point.

I got a box! Mojotone Hot Classics with A4 mags and chrome covers. Their packaging is some of the most entertaining I've gotten.

I also trimmed up a wenge heel lam that was cut from the same board as the fretboard, it'll be a nice little detail in the heel carve.

Just waiting on the truss rod so I can get on with some more substantial work. 

No worries, it's all part of the learning process! There are several options out there for you, it's just down to trying things and seeing what works. Here's a couple off the top of my head: 

The G&W fret slotting box is pretty much a direct replacement for the $tewMac box at a lower price, and it works very well. Shipping takes a bit if you're in the States, but it's completely worth the wait. It'll accept the majority of commercially available fret scale templates without a problem, which is really nice. 

If you're making your own jig (the upside-down razor blade trick, right?), you could just order a pre-slotted board from LMII or somewhere similar and use that to make a copy in Richlite. That could then serve as your master template and be serviceable for a long time. 

I'm sure other members will have more (and better) advice, so stay tuned! Oh, and welcome to the club 

So I'm taking this one in a bit of a new direction; I was struck by inspiration and have to roll with it. I don't want to show anything yet, but I think it's going to turn out pretty damn cool. 

Today was a chill day. I slotted a QS wenge board and took care of a few little renovation-related tasks at Knightro HQ.

Carl, that G&W miter box is pretty great. Thanks for putting it out there, I'm more than happy with it. Now I just need to replace my decrepit old $tewMac saw....

Thanks Carl! I agree, this isn't the place for something too showy. The coco I have is a good color with pretty bland grain, but it's gone and warped like nobody's business so I have to sort that out before use.

Pao Ferro is on my short list as well and I have a nice billet of the stuff, I just don't know if I want to cut into it yet.

Actually! One of my local lumberyards had a piece that might be perfect. I hope it's still there, I'm going to go get it tomorrow.

^ Yeah, something like that

Today I made a bit of a mess, picked out some knobs, and found a cool guitar on my floor. 

I'm still deciding on a fretboard for this one... thinking cocobolo or something with a similar red tone to it. What do you guys think? 

Haha the V's are gonna be regular sixes, nothing too outlandish (admittedly, I am drawing up 7 and 8 string variants). I totally dig your style too, I think we have a similar appreciation for retro-futuristic design. 

I'm trying to go full-time, we'll see how it goes. I'm also a full-time student, so there's a few days of the week that I can't be in the shop. More than anything, I just needed a space to call my own after years of borrowing workshop or garage corners. 

Nicely done article! My internal spelling debate may or may not have been preceded by a fairly gnarly imperial IPA (or two...)

It feels good to be making a mess in my own space! As I work, I'm already figuring out a few improvements to be made... namely, storage and more bench space. Everything is sort of piled on my workbench, as we're still doing renovation work on the internal areas. 

That is awesome. 

Yeah, V stuff!

I'm doing this as a batch of two. The woods are identical (same boards and all), but the bodies will have different grain orientations: one is standard vertical/along the centerline for the grain, the other has the grain following the outer angle of the 'wings' to make a V pattern along the center. I'm also doing different pickups for each...one vintage-flavored set, one modern. 

I had to summon some knowledge from high school geometry and make some clamping fixtures to deal with these odd-shaped blanks. 

Got one of the necks scarfed (scarved?) up. 

Blank two- vertical

This hasn't been routed yet, just shaped on the bandsaw and edge sander. 

Yeah, pickguard! The other one will be black. 

Next episode: the V vs a big honkin' router bit. 

Thank you! It's going to be really fun, I can already feel it.

Man, things get weird when I can't check my thread all day. Seems like I'm stuck with you guys though 

I did things today! Trimmed the 7's fretboard:

And started two new ones after picking up some nicely ribboned sapele:

Looking good!

To be honest, the lasers aren't very handy. They need to be realigned every time your workpiece height changes and move with vibration after a brief time anyway. I'm not THAT obsessed with lasers.....ok maybe a little

Haha yeah... it's in my title 

Seriously though, I'm really glad to be part of a community that can productively discuss the merits of various adhesives.