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charisjapan

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Everything posted by charisjapan

  1. charisjapan
    Nah, just a shallow cut to get the angle to the pegs. Will probably be at least 2X that depth, then tweak, then reshape and polish outside and slots. This is my first 6-string brass nut, but love the one on the Chinaberry bass. I kinda like to let it get tarnished, except keep the top shiny. We'll see how the Padauk color changes, and whether I will pamper this guitar ... or allow it to "slow-relic."
  2. charisjapan
    Was pondering how to thickness the neck before carving. The Limba 6 will be a soft-V profile, and the other (to be announced) Padauk will be a C profile. I don't have a bandsaw, and rasping it down is tedious ... and potentially uneven. I had some other work to do on a gift to my daughter, so used the router table with a 12mm radius roundover bit, then a dishing bit to give me a 25mm neck thickness as a starting point for the carves. Next, marked centerlines and a pair of reference lines, just to get me in the ballpark. We'll see how this works out! And notice the brace? Got tendinitis ... top of my right thumb is numb, and any extension is REALLY painful. Was prescribed Loxoprophen Sodium, and 3 days later seems to be getting better. Life goes on ... but after 60 there are (ahem) issues.
  3. charisjapan
    Hehe! I love that lavender tape. I actually had EVO in my shopping cart, but decided it would be too much gold, and clash with the chrome/black theme of the Filter'Tron and Hipshot parts. I agree that shiny brass is eye-catching, so maybe better by itself.
  4. charisjapan
    Got a few things done.
  5. charisjapan
    Thanks @Mr Natural! Got a bit more done today ... this is where I finally feel like something's getting done! Taped up the fretboard, and used a drill press caul and Titebond. After pressing in each fret, I nipped the ends off and gave a few taps with a wood mallet on top of the marble slab. The caul did a fine job, but it seems the mallet got everything seated a bit better ... psychological? Today got as far as beveling the fret edges, and will level, crown and polish next.
  6. charisjapan
    I am impressed with the Stew-Mac Fret Tang tool! It cuts VERY nicely, but ... OUCH!!! I have some issues with my hands (getting old), and using this tool was tortuous. Surely they could do something about those slippery, hard, excruciatingly difficult to use handles, huh?! Well, those straight, hard handles DID make it easy to attach a solution. Mind you, this is still a work in progress ... I will slim the grips down a bit more, and finish them with oil or something. But I really wanted to finish the fretboard for my Limba6, so invested a couple hours (well-spent time!) to make these. Oh, and they stand up! ... Which made it a breeze to finish prepping the rest of the frets!
  7. charisjapan
    Now that is a pretty guitar!! (where do you hide the strap pins?)
  8. charisjapan
    Grandson born a week early, had to get Mrs.CJ off to Hawaii in a rush, then handle a bunch of home stuff in the aftermath. Third grandkid, so not quite a frenzy, but crazy enough to put guitars to the background. (btw, mom, kid, and grandma [and grampa] all good and happy ) Had a bit of time today to bring a few things upstairs (don't tell Mrs.CJ) and play. Fretboard is a nice 12" radius, Nut is ready to slot, and now I get to use my StewMac Fret DeTanger tool for the first time. (Gotta admit, it works great, but the handle is horrendous! Really, S-M guys, you gotta do something about this! It's not a cheap tool, and I'm sure you sell a good number of them ... at least a rubber grip with a little something to keep your hand from sliding up.) I had no idea how to measure the tang width, but this seems to work. Only 20 more !
  9. charisjapan
    Started on the brass nut ... 6mm down to 4.5mm. Sigh. Next, getting the height into the general territory and shape. Is there any rule about through-string holes being 90 degrees? I was playing around with alternatives ...
  10. charisjapan
    Finally pressed in those fret markers, and rough-radiused the fretboard. I will spend some more time to confirm it's straight and smooth, and probably take it down another 0.3mm (or thereabouts). Waiting on frets and brass nut. Pics make a multiscale look "off." As far as I can tell, everything measures correct.
  11. charisjapan
    More sawing and sanding, and routing ....
  12. charisjapan
    Decided to try a different clamping method for the multiscale ...
  13. charisjapan
    You can see th repair in the latest test snowcap. When I recut the headstock shelf to 90 degrees and clean up the lines, I hope the repair is less noticeable.
  14. charisjapan
    Haha! I didn't really say, but all the tools I used are in that pile of sawdust in the pictures. I first made the Padauk side freehand with a 10mm bit in the trimmer router. Cleaned up with Stickit on a dowel. Then penciled that shape onto another piece of MDF and cut that with the trimmer until just before the line disappeared. Then ... they didn't match at all! So, using a long 10mm round file, a card scraper, and the Stickit-wrapped dowel I went back and forth between the two for about an hour until they looked reasonably close. Super glued both sides for a bit of longevity, and they got out of whack again, so spent another hour to get them matched AND super glued. 10mm is the smallest top-bearing 25mm long trimmer bit, so the line is based on three 5mm radius circles. (Not sure if I should admit it, but I've no clue what an offset inlay bushing set is!) If I'm going to make more of these, I will definitely hire someone to make me a nice acrylic set with guide pins!
  15. charisjapan
    Scott, it just finally dawned on me what you meant! (must be concussion from jumping off the ladder! ) This neck is (was) the "alternative" neck, and is now the official multiscale neck. After cutting through the other neck, it was relegated to secondary. You can see the repair still, depending on the light ... That neck will go on my next build as a "singlescale" (24.75").
  16. charisjapan
    Finally got some time for fun, so next on the agenda is Mt. Fuji. As you may recall, I got two necks from that blank, so decided to try out my new templates on the second Padauk neck first. That guitar will probably have the same body shape with a different wood, and won't be a multiscale. Man, this template took some doing! It's not perfect, but the results weren't awful. I made a couple blocks from the Limba body cutoffs. Using clamps and "low adhesive" double-sided tape, made the "snowcap" line on two blocks. The matching template was taped/clamped to the Padauk neck. Titebond and "clamped" with elastic packing film. A few hours later, I cut off the backside, flattened, then taped/clamped the "whole" headstock template on and used the trimmer to get the final shape. An hour or so with various grits on a sanding block, then some sanding pads, and my second Mt. Fuji headstock! The Limba grain is not quite straight (rectified on second block), but happy puppy. Multiscale neck is next! (as you can tell, it's time for a new follower bit!)
  17. charisjapan
    Neck bolted on ... seems pretty solid.
  18. charisjapan
    No, I didn't know that from personal experience until now! Was frettin' up a storm (pun intended ). I'm doing okay, but finding out that I landed on both feet, and both are a bit beat up. I kind of expected that, but now that I'm moving around, I can tell you I don't want to jump off a ladder again! But this evening we had a pretty bad storm pass through, and have a leak. Which means I have to extend my ladder to full 34' extension (11 meters!) and check out the gutters. At least, I hope it's just the gutters!
  19. charisjapan
    Set up the template and started routing. Man! Limba is smooth stuff. I do imagine that it will ding easily, but this is not a collector's piece ... except for me. I plan on ccollecting dings!! Still have to use a 3mm radius chisel on the back corners of the pocket, but it looks right. The fit is not tight like the tenon in a set-neck, just enough that it drops right in, and should be snug after Odie's Oil on both neck and pocket. I may have to go down another 0.5mm ... or not. I'll find out after I drill the bolt holes and set the bridge.
  20. charisjapan
    Hogged out some of the pocket before routing. Am I the only one that just loves the look, feel and (even) the smell of fresh cuttings/shavings?
  21. charisjapan
    Put together a template for routing the neck pocket, and to give me a visualization of bridge location. Will first rout the pocket and drill the bolt holes, intonate with E and e strings, then finalize the bridge location and string-through holes. Bit by bit ...
  22. charisjapan
    Goodbye, crutches and cane! The doctor said, "Congratulations," as I walked into his office. No micro-fracture, but a small sliver fracture and a couple torn ligaments. In other words, a bad sprain, which means I have to "take it easy" for another month. This phrase is kinda relative, IMO, but will not jump off ladders for a while. It is so nice to wear a PAIR of shoes! Mrs. CJ is happy ( ) that the diagnosis included the word "fracture" (only a few millimeters), as that means my supplementary insurance covers everything. While taking it easy, I had some shop time to trim the fretboard to size, finish the heel, and mess around with the headstock step. It's bit deeper than ideal, but after thinning and radiusing the fretboard, break angle should be enough to forego any kind of string tee. As shown, I used some 3M Stickit wrapped around a 12mm dowel to shape the step ... and will probably use a 15mm dowel for final shaping. A bit more tidying up to do after I make the "snowcap," then on to the neck carve! As you can see, the Padauk/Wenge binding turned out to be 1mm/1.5mm ... can't wait to see what it looks like with frets and fret markers.
  23. charisjapan
    I did mention this was a bolt-on, right? I've really got to think about workflow ... ! I just realized I need to have the neck heel finished before I can rout the neck pocket, and I need the neck pocket finished in order to locate the bolt holes ... I don't really have a template for any of those. A bit embarrassed about not thinking this through until now, but less embarrassed than I'd be had I glued the fretboard on! This guitar was originally supposed to be a test mule of sorts, but I have become attached to it ( ), and want to make it nice. My Odie's Oil arrived! ... in Hawaii . Now I have to wait until early October before I can go there and bring it back. But it's okay, as at this rate, I won't be ready to finish anything until then! Added two more locator pins, so under markers 3, 9, 12, and 21 ... this puppy ain't shifting anywhere! Chopped the heel end next will add a 3mm radius ... don't want it too sharp. Tomorrow I get MRI results ... hoping to get a thumbs up and back to work and hobby.
  24. charisjapan
    Hey Prostheta, Indeed, it's worth taking care of an injury . AND, you have to be careful about "collateral" injury ... hurting one ankle makes you walk weird on the other ankle, which HAS to be fixed! I hurt my left ankle riding my motorcycle, ignored it for a year, then took about a year of doctor visits and physical therapy to get the limp out of hips, knees and ankles. You bet I'm gonna do it right this time!! But ... Kick Boxing?! You be careful of knuckles, toes, and just about everywhere you used to hit someone else ... sez the guy that is now paying for shoto-kan karate some 40 years back, as well as 35 years of construction work. Folks say that being old is not fun, but getting there sure was!! My personal bane is wet winter days and just before a typhoon hits in the summer ... my body is more accurate than the National Weather Service!
  25. charisjapan
    A little progress on the fretboard, drilled the "dot" holes, and locator pin holes under 3rd and 21st fret markers. Gotta say, Wenge sure can make even a nice bit wander! I think they're lined up and centered reasonably well. Was doing a lot of other standing work today, so this was about my limit.
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