mistermikev

wow... looking great!

4 hours ago, ShatnersBassoon said:

 

The bass. Your u2 style guitar design looks cool in a retro kind of way, Will be following with great interest!

Thank you sir.  You are too kind!

2 hours ago, ShatnersBassoon said:

Looks marvellous that. Super classy!

do you mean the bass or my next build (u2 style)?  either way thank you for saying so!

bracket is a good idea.  afa post - thing about me... I gotta lotta ideas I stole that I wanna try - who knows what build they will end up on but will do if/when!

nice contribution... good idea.  I could see plexiglass working well as a bracket... could use the volume pot as the mount for it.  Might have to steal that idea at some point!

I concur... amaz-balls.

25 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

It's only good if it helps!

true dat!

Just now, Prostheta said:

Agreed! My eye was drawn to that also.

hehe... I would react to this post but I've run out of reactions... so in short - looks good!

Roger that... oddly enough at first I was trying to sand down the high spots... and in the end I found that full length strokes worked better.  Also trying to lighten up my pressure - both things you have advised.  so thank you for the good advice!

1 hour ago, Prostheta said:

You'd be surprised at some of the obvious things you miss that suddenly improve your technique. Concentrating on where you apply pressure, whether you're bending the beam or the workpiece, uneven contact, you know.

A router jig will do it, I guess that I was pointing out that it doesn't need to be overengineered (hard for me to say this, I know) in order to be effective.

right as rain as usual.  I suppose in the end - even if I use a jig/router - I will have to sand it to get the tool marks out so... no way of escaping!  Have to get better at sanding to a dimension for sure.  I think the thing that has been holding me back there, is I was using a 3m sanding block... only 4-5" long.  I've recently picked up a harbor freight auto-body sanding block.  it's about 14" long and has a nice big handle... for $7!  working pretty good so far because this morning I sanded my neck blank and it looked pretty straight.  We'll see what happens after a few days of 'adjustment'!

2 hours ago, Prostheta said:

It should be if the body is straight down its length. That said, there are an infinite number of ways to screw up simple procedures. Ask me how I know this.

hehe... my whole thought process on that is "yeah, YOU might be able to keep it straight but me - unlikely!"  I find it difficult to get a perfectly straight flat neck blank!   goes something like: sand, sand, sand... still a crack of light... sand, sand, sand... dang it it still hasn't moved... sand, sand, sand... and on and on like that!

more importantly... I feel like it is the same technology - to radius a body or a fretboard.  If I can learn how to make it work for one - the other will be a piece of cake... maybe.  Also if I can make a radius that flips I'll be able to make better fb sanding blocks.  Seems like a lot of benefit from one skill/jig.

2 hours ago, Norris said:

Congratulations! Well deserved

thank you sir!

1 hour ago, Prostheta said:

Thanks, I've been a little indisposed and unable to spend a lot of good time online recently.

I agree that the experience of being able to design and make a jig is invaluable. Throwing tools at a problem rarely solves it, since the understanding of how a solution is reached ends up side-stepped.

A body doesn't need to be perfect from a geometric point of view compared to a fingerboard. I'd be tempted to elect for planing facets roughly, and just using some sort of flexible plastic bent into the radius required with strengthening to keep it in the shape. Then use 80 grit sandpaper on the inside surface to get the body into the right radius. To me that seems easier than going to the lengths of making a rail and sled type system.

thanks as always for the advice. doing it by hand... I'm not sure it would be accurate enough to glue a top on to afterwards.  and the top in mind is too thin to carve the radius into.  I don't know... will have to think on this some more but i appreciate the feedback.

UPDATE: *-==========08/12/18==========-*

made a little more progress this weekend...

1 outta 2 ain't bad: toggle cavity control plate worked swiimmingly - that dewalt saw is awesome... used a bigger saw for the other cavity but failed as the blade was too thick... so I'll have to pickup some 1/8" mahog for that.

revealed some nice grain planing down my neck blank...

thank you gentlemen! (sorry didn't catch these responses right away)

8 hours ago, Prostheta said:

It's very difficult to bend in a useful curve against the grain where the wood is weakest. Fender did a similar thing for pre-radiusing fingerboards in the (70s?) where the top and lower portions of the wood and the corresponding face of the neck were milled to specific radii, allowing for "veneer" fingerboards. I might be a little hazy on that one, however I don't believe that they bent the boards and actually milled them.

I love G&W's jig. It's durable and will last through many many router fitting/removals and the stuff that wears out plywood jigs. All I needed for it was a baseboard with a midsection matching the cutout in the jig base. Very happy with it. Shame the additional radii are costly investments, but they pay for themselves in the end result even if you don't build in quantities.

good to hear from you prostheta.   that jig is very nice - hardly worth the work to build one but then the experience is worth something. 

I've seen/heard of lam fingerboards before... I think they offer it as an option at musikraft or warmoth.    to be clear... the laminate part is regarding a possible 60" radius on a radiused body using a 3/16ish top.  my thinking is to build something that could do both a 20" fretboard radius, and then be re-used for a radiused guitar top.  for now its just dreaming but I def appreciate the input!

for anyone wondering the same thing (how far can wood bend without steam or releif cuts)... this is an interesting read regarding cold bending...

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/bending_wood_the_wright_way

summary: recommended radius/thickness

2-4" radius - 3/32"

4 - 8" radius - 1/8

8 to 12" radius - 3/16

12"+ radius - 1/4"

2 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

I missed this post.  Do I gather that you are thinking of radiusing the fretboard after gluing it?  And, if so, can I strongly suggest that you don't. 

I'm not sure even how that could be done jig wise if you are planning to use a router ( other than a fairly high spec and large cnc).  You could do it with a hand sanding block but immensely problematic to replicate the kind of router jig principles above.

 Any reason why you couldn't just radius it in a jig then glue it on?

Sorry, kind of jumping back and forth between radius for the fretboard and radius for the body. 

if you mean the comment: "...consider is how to manage the radius but miss the neck/fretboard on a neck thru guitar" -I was talking about radiusing the body and missing the fretboard/neck when I radius the horns. 

afa radius a fretboard attached to the neck... no need to do that here.

share your wisdom?  some questions if I may?  Can anyone tell me approx what would be the maximum you could bend and glue down a 1/4" top without making releif cuts in it, and without steaming?  is this "crazy talk"? 

in the below drawing I'm planning out a 60" radius planing jig.  the drop on either edge would be a hair less than .325 on a typical strat body (pictured in gold'ish below).  so both sides figured in the bend would be a .75"ish change over 12.15" body.

Ultimately I'd like to be able to put a radius on the front/back of a strat body and then glue down a top over it.

any all thoughts would be most appreciated.

57 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Excellent entry.  Very well deserved.

You are too kind and I appreciate.

jeez, that finish just look like a million bucks.  you da masta

1 hour ago, ScottR said:

My experience is that is fairly normal for African Mahogany. But you are going to hollow most of it out right? So all is good.

SR

roger that... avg - good to know.  yes, going to hollow out this one... but have 11 feet total of this mahog so... trying to get an idea how heavy an eventual les paul might be! thanks for the response

Just wanted to say thanks to all, and acknowledge the skill and innovation in the other entries this month that I am humbled by.

so... I've broken ground.  starting off at 6lbs 7oz... that is fairly light for 2" frican mahog, yes?  all for now.

wait... I may have read that wrong (new scale) - that's 6lbs 0.7 oz. 

Edited 1 minute ago by mistermikev

Wow, you do a lot of elaborate jigs.  not anywhere near this level yet so I very much appreciate you sharing all the detailed photos.  rock on.