mistermikev

interesting.  not a violin guy but def will enjoy seeing this  built.  I imagine building another instrument (other than guitar/bass) probably would involve some valuable and translatable lessons.  do you play?

nicely done.  you really turned it from trash to class.

once again I'm out of likes... so I just wanted to say... I like this!  thanks for sharing.

18 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

That f-hole looks like it must have been a pita to bind, looks great though. It'll sound mean with a neck p90 too

thank you AD!  yes, total pain.  one strip spontaneously combusted... literal flame coming off of it from the heat gun at med setting!  was tricky because I had to get the binding really soft to do those circles at the end... probably within a few degrees of starting on fire!  thought about trying to build a channel to bend the binding then apply but I don't plan on using the same f hole over and over so... I just winged it.  thanks again for the reply.

47 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

Absolutely no expert on this but I was watching some youtube vids from PJEggle and others that do aged finishes, they mentioned freezing for 24 hours before getting them warm again. 

I've read that too... but I've also seen vids of guys using a blow dryer for 5 mins followed by canned air for 3 seconds and all sorts of checking immediately.  I will take that and try an overnight stay in the freezer just to see.  thanks for the reply.

============update 1/19/20===============

note to self... next time separate the builds into a post each... pretty hard to follow 3 disparate builds!

finished and bount my les flawes headstock.  got a couple little spots at the points that will require some attention but pretty solid.

got the top on for the tuxedo... the f hole is fully bound, top trimmed, binding channel cut just after this.  working on adding the body binding now.  On the radius for the top, I left a flat spot for the tele style trem king... was concerned I'd have little gaps as it transitioned from flat to radius (I broke them lightly) - but it turned out good.  have 1 little spot where I didn't get glue squeeze out because I was a little too conservative with glue but pretty minor.  took my pickguard and heat bent it over the body no problem.  routed out the neck pocket (little overhang on the pickguard) and the p90 slot for it.

so sitting watching paint dry on the broadchaser I'm building.  cannot get the laquer to check.

i've finished it first with two coats of mohawk white, then 4 coats of mohawk blond, then 4 or 5 coats of watco lacquer clear.  generally 3hrs - 24hrs between coats.  the last coat I put on med thick all others were med thin.  been about 10 days since my last coat. 

I absolutely cannot get this thing to check.  I have read on tdpri and a few others that watco is supposed to check easily and even within a few days.  I waited and have tried the freezer + hair dryer, hair dryer + canned air upside down, left it outside in the sun then hit it with the freezer... the closest to check I got was w hair dryer and heat gun but there were really only micro checks that went away while I watched.  pretty dry climate here in az. 

so... here is the label... lots of stuff listed and nitro is last so... does this mean a lot of plasticizers?  will this check if I let it dry longer?  Is it ever going to check or am i going to have to go the razor blade route?

thanks in advance for any/all thoughts.

just another push pull based booster... based on the brian may treble boost with a variable filter... basically wanted to put a rangemaster in a guitar but not comfy with the potential issues of adding a ge transistor so... just a 2n5087.  oops, pot is supposed to be 10k

8 hours ago, JayT said:

Back at it...more issues! Yay. So the blank came out OK I think...but the little bandsaw I have wasn't working. Blade was twisting and burning wood so I switched to the jigsaw.

Even the jigsaw blade has problems...wouldn't stay square...kept bowing away from the line on the bottom side. Am I pushing it too fast? I dunno maybe cheap blade. Anyway came usable I think, will know more when I flush cut/route it.

 

The blade bending was made worse when I decided to cut 1/2 way the come at it from the reverse side. I should've foreseen that I suppose. Live and learn.

I might have to do some unplanned contouring or something rather than have 90 degree sides/flat top & bottom. Time will tell......

I love the jigsaw and used it for my first 2 builds... in fact I had that exact jigsaw for 10+ years and only recently replaced it when the part that holds the blade sheered off.  I usually left about 1/8" to the line... but it cut very straight for me and one thing that was key was the adjustment of the wheel.  basically I had the wheel fully back.  I believe this is what biz is referring to.  worked a lot better like that.  as also mentioned... the blades are key.  still looking at your photos I think that is about as straight as your going to get cutting thick stock with a jigsaw and no relief cuts.  I usually would just drill a few holes here and there to reset the blade.

that said... nothing some creativity can't traverse.  looking good so far.

well, something like this... man you wanna take care.  The guitar is finished in gloss?  even more care.  if it's jammed and you catch the edge of that gloss coming out - you'll be sorry.  Post some pictures... there are lots here who can help but I think I can speak for them all in saying that pics would help us/me/them help you best!

funny, I go look for keisel pickup route pics and first one... notice the little chips in the finish right where the pickups are. 

I would suggest you A) just leave them and enjoy or B ) prepare for needing a finish touch up to your gloss.  You could put some wax on the edge right there to try and help... maybe see if you can take all the screws/springs out and see if you can bend the little tab a bit... but then you have to get them back in w/o issue too.

hope that helps.

1 hour ago, ScottR said:

And that's another fine mess you've gotten us into Awlie....

And a fine awl it is too.

Might this be considered a non guitar build, Andrew?

SR

dang it awl... I swear I did not intend to start this hootenanny.  I feel awlful.  Just another brick in the wawl I spose.

9 minutes ago, curtisa said:

'Awl take two, thanks'

'Is that awl you've got?'

'He's as wise as an awl'

'We could awl play a game of darts, but I've just turned them in to something else'

y'awl are just being silly now.

some beauty stuff there.

nice work.  tis a pretty handle. 

I'm assuming you built this so that when you now use it on a guitar build you can rightfully say "I gave it my awl".

for the record... the angela's purple is what I would call 'royal purple'.  Pretty dark out of the bottle.  angela's is great stuff... the teal on my avatar gtr is angela's.  the blue on my sweet spot was a mix of angelas and other.  I predict you'll be happy w it if you are looking for a more 'purpley' color (hehe).

55 minutes ago, mattharris75 said:

 

Glueless necks joints are definitely a thing in the acoustic guitar world (Taylor Guitars for example). There are a ton of different neck joints on acoustics, from bolt on, to M&T bolt on, to spanish heel, to dovetail, and on and on. Less of a thing in the mandolin world, but they are out there. But this guy is sort of a hybrid between guitar and mandolin, and my initial idea was to make it glueless. It's just that my lack of skill necessitated changes... 

I'm told there are some solid body builders who do it too but I know not who.  I don't necc buy into the whole 'glue is bad for tone' thing but I have to admit... the craftsmanship intrigues me.  Also, thats a really handsome join there... so nice work on that level too.

not seeing any lack of skill from where I'm sitting.

1 hour ago, MiloszM said:

In the upcomming days the deer omen will give You the power to face challenges with a calm mind.
On the other side the dragon will give you fortitude, courage, and strength.
These signs guide you towards the path of light
so.. what wiki chinese dragon also states: do not limit yourself to just what is written.

Thank you my friends for your kind words. I will do my best to keep you entertained.

 

"I will do my best to keep you entertained." nailed it!

gawd I could use a calm mind right now... thanks for that!

4 hours ago, mattharris75 said:

Thanks guys!

So, here is my frankenstein of a neck joint...

The neck heel isn't the full depth of the body, and the original plan was to just cut a spacer to take up that space in the mortise between the neck heel and the back plate, and then attach an externally visible heel. You can see that part here, with the small chunk of walnut in the mortise, and then the macassar ebony heel (which is actually a sandwich of mac ebony/cherry/mac ebony, which I'll have a better pic of at some point I'm sure). 

Initially this was just supposed to be a bolt on mortise and tenon, but you can see that only one bolt is in place, which is due to a screw up in aligning the second bolt insert. I'm not quite sure how I made the mistake, but there it is. So, I used the single screw to tighten the neck to the body, which it did nicely, then drilled 1.25" deep 3/8" holes which I then glued oak dowels into. It's not pretty, and it's not to plan, but it's going to be plenty strong!

 

when I saw this, I thought this was going to be a 'glueless' neck joint and that the bolt was a truss rod (not a lot of experience, and even less mandolin experience).  Having read your post I'm up to speed and think it's super cool but can't help but wonder about glueless necks now.  I'll shut up now... way outta my league.  thank you for sharing.

3 hours ago, MiKro said:

Make a router table. it is easier to control the part than the router. Also watch the grain in relation to feed direction, sometimes a climb cut is called for others it is a conventional cut. The amount of side depth so to speak should only be about 1/3rd of the diameter or less  of the bit for something like this. Also RPM to diameter and # flutes will affect this. Even though you are not using a CNC, researching some basic info that gives you Speed/Feed/ IPM will get you close.

MK

right on, thank you for the advice.  def the grain/feed direction, climb/convention cut, and most importantly RPM/Diameter relationship is something I could stand to keep in mind more.  I write my cut direction on my body tempates to help... probably should get in the habit of writing it on every template I make.

according to some charts I've seen anything under 1" is OK up to 24k rpm.  seems like after that it drops 2k for every 1/2" diameter increase.  Don't have too many bits bigger than 1" but will keep that in mind for a few. 

14 hours ago, MiloszM said:

I changed the idea a bit

when I look at that top pic... I keep seeing some sort of trotting deer, and this last one... a dragon taking flight.  it's like looking at the clouds.  Your designs are pretty crazy in a good way.

15 hours ago, willliam_q said:

Sorted the pickup cavity although I’m not overly enamoured with the results.  it’s not terribly obvious, I have matched the flame, unless looking for it but I’m hoping a dark stain will hide it a bit more.

belly carve done as well.  I can’t see anything but if I concentrate hard I can feel the tiniest of divots in one or two places so will need a tiny bit of refining.  It seems to follow the growth rings/grain so not sure if there’s anything to worry abou

can't hardly even make it out.  probably disappear pretty good with finish on.  nice recovery.

13 hours ago, curtisa said:

I'd personally reverse your order of assembly - shape headstock, attach cap, trim edges.

You could have the headstock shaped, glue the cap to it cut a mm or two oversize, and then use the headstock itself as the template. The cap timber would then be largely reinforced by the substrate it was permanently attached to, and the tiny amount of overhang left to remove would further minimise the risk of a piece disappearing into thin air. 

The most fragile component undergoing the most destructive operation needs the most support. Shaping the cap first is pretty risky, as you've discovered. Doing it last, however, once it's got something to 'hang on to' will give you a better chance at success.

Looking at it another way from your cabinet workshop experience, you wouldn't pre-trim a Laminex/Formica sheet before you glued it down to a bench top. You'd glue it first then run the laminate flush trimmer around all the edges to get rid of the overhang.

thanks curtisa... that is all good advice and def accurate but the issue here is getting a binding channel in there.  the faceplate needs to be 1.5mm smaller and there was no good way i could figure to get a bit into the little 'hooks' that would have a bearing on it.   in retrospect I 'spose I could have glued it up and used my 1.5mm smaller template to cut the rebate.

I ended up cutting the rest last night, taking off only a light 1/16 each pass and it went pretty well except one of the horns had a tiny little piece fly off.  fortunately I found the piece and am getting really good at gluing on the smallest of pieces!  I probably should have used tape to reinforce those horns a bit.  will finish that little horn with a diamond needle file when it drys and I should be ok.  Really would be made a trivial task by a small cnc setup and that is more and more on my list.

thanks again for the reply!

1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said:

These would be ideal for headstock shaping if they came a bit smaller, like 1/2" radius. Makes me think it's got to be possible to make something like that with the smallest bobbin/attachement for spindle sander. 

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Sanding/Robo-Sander_Flush_Trim_Sander.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2020-01-gp&pref_currency=P&shipcalc=UK&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_DwBRAfEiwA3vwZYkSFsUtU9kMWIbR5Eng0AJ057c5WHc-Ds_y5lZUdDm2VO9N--Lr6BBoCP54QAvD_BwE

have often thought about snagging those for other jobs... but for this one... a 1/4" bit won't even fit between the horn... so it'd have to be 3/16... then again if I had a 3/36" dremel stone bit and put a stack of 1/4" washers on top of it... might be able to cut a binding channel.  Probably wouldn't have the greatest edge on the bottom tho. 

but then what motivation would I ever have for sweeping the garage floor? (finding chunks of wood that went flying across the room... looking like a crack addict all on my knees searching the floor - wouldn't want to miss out on that now would we!)

noice... s/b a very cool build - looking fwd to following.  thanks for sharing.