mistermikev

hehe, my bandsaw skills are not quite skills yet. I've setup my bandsaw according to the many suggestions, and it does run pretty great for a lot of things... but I can't resaw worth a shyte. also, it only has about 8" clearance. so that's out. so... if you were to steam something like this... how would you get steam in there? what do you use for steam? just a rag on the edge? yes the top is super thin... and cedar is very brittle. I tried a little heat + paintscraper last night... on the downside... I ended up with a split right off the bat... on the up side - man it smelled awesome. like a sauna. thank you both for chiming in. I very much appreciate it. at this point I figure it's practice. if I can get decent chunks off I might use for a pickguard or something but wasn't overly concerned about it in the first place. I got enough of a wedge in there to see the upper bout and it looks like it's got enough left that I should be able to cut this into a std tele shape which is great. tonight I'll probably take another wack at it and worste case scenario it will smell good!

so... was looking at this and comparing to one of my teles. the body shape is slightly larger (maybe 1/2"). This is good news because I think I could cut it down to a tele shape which I'd prefer... and more... if I could somehow remove the top w/o damaging it... I could use it on a future build. which brings me to my next question... how to remove it w/o damage. I think it is yellow glue so I'm guessing I would want to heat it with an iron and push a paint scraper in? Looks like he didn't do a great glue job on it so it's got some dry spots... I guess start there. what would you do?

don't just practice... make a template. it will be good practive and guarantee a good result. I would just drill two 3/8" or 1/2" holes in mdf and then connect them using a straight edge. this will make a pretty solid template. you will have to remove your studs... put the stud back in and use a claw hammer to grab it (assuming it's not in there too tight.(def don't push against the top tho!)

some good looking mahog there. don't dispair, if you need to redo - nothing a jigsaw and router won't fix! I don't know how you did your joint but I've had good luck using the front and back on a router to get a good joint. just gotta make sure it's perfectly flat and secured when you run... and only taking off 1/32 or less. anywho, welcome to the forum, you will find this place a fantastic resource for several different perspectives on any given question. lots a knowledge and even better, lots of very nice folks. Look fwd to seeing your progress!

great illumination of the point. kind of what I was trying to convey above about throwing the router but much better stated. In my case... it def ruined a $250 router but no one was hurt. It is difficult to override that natural urge to grab something that falls... and I think the only way you can combat that is by thinking about it a lot, so thanks for the contribution. on that note... I've read a story about a guy loosing 3 fingers via a palm router. those IMO are very dangerous. hanging on to something like that with one hand is looking for trouble in my opinion. You think they are small and cute but that little palm router might as well be a 1.75hp if it hits your bone. not even going to slow it down. I'll admit another of my stupid accidents... had to file off about 1/16 from a solid surface square. it was only about 1/8" to begin with. I took it to a wheel sander... once I got my 1/16 off and was almost done the wheel pulled it between the rest and itself and shot it back out perfectly vertical into the ceiling. no one hurt... but man it was loud. if that had hit me in the face I'm certain I would be dead. stupid stupid stupid. was too lazy to just sand it off or tape it to a bigger piece. just thought I'd do it the easy way. that's usually when you get into trouble! the pizza guy visual.. cracken me up. pretty sure I've done that exact thing in the home oven!

I think you might be able to get close... just depends. on most of those saddles they are built arched so you are really only taking it off the edges for the first 1-2mm. all in all if the combo of all should be enough to get you there and if not you can always do what AD suggested and recess it. I'd only do that as a last resort but higher on the list than removing the neck or fretboard.

looks really great btw!

it may if it's out of whack... but an 1/8" is unlikely. hold down the first fret, and the fret where the neck meets the body... check halfway between... should have just enough space to fit a fender thin pick- almost stratight. if too much then tighten, if too little then loosen but IMO never more than a quarter turn in 8hrs. Once that is perfect all you can do is lower the bridge and nut afa you can before you get buzz. if it doesn't go down far enough at the bridge you could file off some of the bridge where it meets the round nut... or make deeper grooves in your saddles. At that point, on a set neck, that's all you can do other than steaming off the neck and redoing the joint/angle or perhaps resetting your studs. EDIT: or maybe installing jumbo frets you could make up about 1/32"

my uncle was a chef. he always said a dull tool is more dangerous than a sharp one. that has stuck w me. hand tools are something we often forget how dangerous they are... perhaps don't respect them enough. good point. I worked in a cab shop when younger and I can't tell you how many old timers would just have to show you their hands to send a message. I don't use earplugs enough. then again my marshal is more likely going to ruin my hearing... or my shotgun! it's a good reminder! mods - I probably shouldn't have posted this in this forum... probably should have gone under a dif catagory so sorry for that!

personally I don't like router tables. i know any tool can be used safely or not safely and there are times when that IS the tool to use (putting cove on 3/4x3/4 stock) but I prefer not to use. that said... I've had a 1" x 1.25" bit come out of a 1.75hp router while I was holding it... not fun. if that happens - throw your router away from you and run for the power! you won't be able to hold on to it anyway and you don't want it anywhere near you! Even when you do everything right something can go wrong... so it's good to think about a plan for cutting power in advance. mine isn't that great... just everything plugs into a powerstrip that is nearby and has a simple off. ok so horror stories please!

over at talk bass. Gentleman was running something through a jointer and slipped off the wood... lost 2/3 of his pinkie. (no push stick) this hit me like a ton of lead. I go through stages of comfortability with tools...when I haven't worked for a bit I'm probably a lot more safe as I'm hyper-aware. That said you can be doing everything right and have a collet break on your router, or saw bite on a knot. Just wanted to relay... as stories like this are invaluable in terms of reminding folks to think about it. I certainly benefited (or feel like i have) and hope to pass that on.

thank you for sharing your build/methods/info with us.

roger that. seems like a good plan. the other issue is inlay and binding... not sure what i'll do there. i've got some good idea tho and for that I thank you!

i think you know what it is.. hehe.

i spose like anything else you have to find the way that works for you. seems like spray first would be best... how did you prevent overspray in the fretslots?

ok u went too far... jk.

well if you are gonna push the limit... your gonna need a change of clothes! hilarious. ok, now I know I can let the real me out... expect much more fart humor going fwd!

i like that idea. have always liked that carvin and frankly any carvin from the 80's/90's. Unfortunately the pics I saw of this body prior to top showed about a 5/8" wall at the edge... meaning I couldn't cut it down much w/o having to reconstruct an edge. I have been toying with the idea in the back of my head to do a piezo bridge tele with a cedar/spruce top and herringbone binding. I've seen schematics for the preamp from old ovations... with a little tweak and a splitter/blend circuit it could be cool to mix with passive magnetics. I don't know if this is the body for that or not... but it's going to happen at some point! Probably on a bass first tho. good call!

I would agree. I love p90s and personally love them underwound. folks always look for the overwound but the beauty IMO is the bigger coil area making it fatter and the underwind making it brighter. then again I've like overwound too... can't hardly go wrong.

no worries... sm here... bathroom humor is my forte. I am apparently out of practice tho... 44 going on 4 here so.

ahhhh the shart. got it. had no idea. I'm so out of touch.

um... I have to admit: to me it just means to finish something... what does that mean over there? hint please!

thanks for the reply. Perhaps it was a case of follow through. The body joint seems pretty decent. I agree... a good body blank with a lot of work done for $40... seems like a pretty good deal to me. maybe do a radius top and add some quilt... some binding... could be a pretty nice guitar. a fun project anyway... have some nice flamed maple for a bolt neck that would pair well... just need to snag the right fretboard.

yes, he said: he didn't like the top and was going to do something else. come to think of it... and going off the images he had on cl that I only saw yesterday... there might not be anything there in the upper bout for a strap button. That would be an easy fix if/when I chop the top off. also, the top is real thin and there are a few minor blemishes... perhaps he scratched it? I don't know why he wouldn't just rout the top off and go with something else. could just be one of those 'knee jerk' reactions to sell? thank you for your response! yeah, the top is def too thin. it's an acoustic top. seems a waste to cut it off but it def doesn't do the back justice. I think you are saying make the top of the back a top (if that makes sense) and I thought of that... be a shame to waste the thickness but it'd make a nice top I think... would have to see it. I'm thinking I might do a radius on it and add a quilt top. I'm not crazy about the shape of the upper bout. might try to reshape it a bit.

so... guy listed this on craigslist and I snagged it today. top is 1/8" cedar, body is solid quilted maple. $40. Figured there must be something wrong w it?? It's cut semi hollow and I'm not crazy about the cedar top... probably route it off and go quilt. Def a beauty piece of body tho and kind of an interesting take on a tele. 3 lbs 10 oz. anywho what say you? score? not score? meh? would you have bought it? I think I'll get $40 worth of fun out of it anyway! so... guy li