Denis

Hey TC Kid, I am as big a rookie as you - My Build and if there is just ONE thing I would do differently, it would be doing a full size drawing before I started to do anything else. It may be my first, it has been a learning curve (and a good one at that) but it would have been so much easier if I had taken the time to do even more planning than I did before I started. Keep having fun Denis

Thanks Hector and Jon, I hate this roller coaster ride that is my first learning curve!! I went out this afternoon to sand the veneer off with 60 grit in the orbital sander, and whadya know....... There's enough thickness in the veneer for the worst of the furrows to go. I switched VERY quickly to 240, and went a lot more gently. It isn't perfect by any means, but then I knew that the first one wasn't going to be. So, just for today, I have decided that I am just going to get on and finish it, warts and all. If nothing else, it will be a record of my learning, and if I look at it long enough while I am making the next, I may remember the learning I have had so I don't repeat the process on the second. I have ordered some water based finish and black plastic binding from LMI today. Until that arrives, I am just going to try to get everything mounted and checked out so the only snags that can surprise me should be in the finishing. (famous last words) I have also taken the precaution of making up a couple of pieces of Maple with the veneer on so I can test the routing for the binding and try out the finish before I ruin the beast itself. When I look at some of the other projects on here and how beautiful they are, I wonder if I am particularly stupid or they are particularly bright. Is it an age thing? I have just turned 58. Did anyone else go thru this switchback process? BTW just to cheer me up, I have bought one of these from ebay. Something silly to be going on with Denis (breathing again, but only just)

Jon, Thanks for that, but it's worse than you think. This was veneering the entire front of the body. In my mind, my best hope is sanding it all off, and starting again from scratch. Denis

Long time, no post!! Well, I am licking my wounds. I had a great day a couple of weeks ago. I got all the drilling done. I got the neck to fit. Even got the string thru hole drilled reasonably well. I was on such a roll that I thought I'd try doing the veneer. I was using the tutorial here Tutorial and followed it as closely as possible. Ended up with a 50 lb bag of sand and two ginormous bags of compost on top of it, and........... It wrinkled apallingly (almost as bad as my spelling) Decided that it might work itself out, so left it for a week, and it did get much flatter, but still not enough. I have had a small attempt at sanding it, but I am only taking the top off the high spots, so I would end up with the veneer just being left in the low, with the rest being a nice coat of Titebond II. I have tried ironing it, but the glue doesn't seem to eant to move at all, and I have it as hot as I dare. So, unless you gurus can work your magic, I think I am down to sanding it flat and trying the iron on adhesive film type glue, as at least the veneer won't get wet to wrinkle. Any ideas PLEASE !! Denis (sob, sob)

All I can say is that I did it on my Harmony Rocket. The holes in the "new" replacement neck looked as it the neck had ripped off the old body without unscrewing it, so I drilled them out with an 8mm bit and plugged the holes with 8mm dowels. I used Titebond II, which I am a great fan of for wood to wood joints. I only redrilled pilot holes, and the screws are holding very firmly. Fuzz - thanks for that step by step - it's about what I had in mind, but you have put it into a much easier to follow path that I will attempt in the next 48 hours or so. Currently my time is taken up helping my godson complete a school project which is really taxing my head. I am having to use just about every tool and jig that I own to complete it. I've told him that when he gets an A for it, I want a copy of the certificate! I am finding it really tiring working on someone else's project - very different responsibility. It's good for me to slow down and think everything thru in advance, and I am hoping to take this into the rest of my woodworking. Denis

The shape and the wood work great together. That's gonna be a wicked machine. Can I ask what I am sure is a really6 dumb question - what is a TOM bridge? Thanks Denis

Thanks Guys, Good ideas both of them. I think I am for plugging and redrilling - I have done this already on my Harmony Rocket when I got a new (still 45 year old) neck from ebay, so I know what's involved. As I don't have to decide for a few days, I guess I'll wait and see what other good ideas I get. Thanks Again Denis

Both those finishes look great to me. What's on your first build? I love it. Denis

Personally, I love the idea - to the extent that I am seriously thinking about it for my second build. I know it's all a matter of taste, but I think the lower horn - on the 6 sting side just looks like it has wilted a bit. But if you and your friend like it, IMHO that's all that matters. I'll be really interested to watch it progress. Thanks for sharing it so far. Denis

Dunno, Hector. I do agree with you about sanding the burn marks out - I may be sounding like the sales rep for them (which I am not), but if I hadn't used the Carroll sanding drums, I would have been sorely tempted to have left my first (and only so far) like Geo left his. I cannot believe the ease and speed at which I got a supersmooth edge, and got rid of all the burn. I have a bad breakout too, in the side rather than the top, and decided to leave it superglued back in place as a reminder to use the router more gently next time - but will my newly found enthusiasm let me? Denis

I know just how you feel - I think this is the 5th time I have sanded the bloodstains off of my maple body. Maybe I should just have gone for bloodwood to start with?!??! Denis

Hi, I am getting to the point where I am going to attach the neck - I am posting my progress so far Here - My First Build I have a copy Strat neck which is predrilled for the 4 attachment screws, whick I plan on using with a neck plate. How do I make the holes in the body line up with the holes that exist in the neck? I can see that careful measurement may be the answer, but is there an easy way? Thanks Denis

Well, done a lot of work, but seems like there's a lot still to do. As I said last time, I spent a good couple of hours planning where the knobs were going to go, and then took the risk and drilled the holes. Then I started to route the control cavity. I'm sorry that I didn't take in process photos, but here's the front view with the holes in place. Front View with Holes Drilled Once I had sussed using template guides in the router, the cavity was actually quite easy, apart from on the nerves. I used 1/2" bits of increasing depth all with a top mounted bearing to get the depth. I actually used one of the smalled sized templates that I had produced to do this, and then put the same size template over the top to get the lip for the cover. Control Cavity Routed And the plate fits !!!!!! Thank the Lord for that!! I have done a lot more sanding - down to 240 on the edges with the Caroll drums - they are a top quality piece of kit. If people don't know about them, this is the link Carroll Drums I also got the back to a really great finish with just a 240 grit on my orbital sander. feels really sexy - the finish, not the sander - Even I am not that sad! Finally, I started to wire the loom up. I used the placement of the holes I had in the guitar to drill a piece of MDF which I then raised on battens; fitted all the pots and the switch, and started soldering. I see the benefit of this as having much better access to the parts. Plus I know that they are all in the right place relative to each other, and I am not risking damage to the guitar itself. Here it is so far:- Wiring Frame Obviously, I will need to install it before adding the pickups and the bridge wire, but it felt a lot easier to do it this way. Feeling quite a happy bunny at the moment. Especially as I have done a major clear out of my workshop, so I have bench space, and am not relying on fine weather to use the Workmate outside. Denis

Phil, Thanks for that - much better than "nice" IMHO - JUst one thing - don't quite understand where the pin comes in, but that's maybe because I don't own a template. Thanks Denis

What bridge? I have a feeling you are answering the wrong post. I am just using a tele type hardtail with string thru, but I didn't even mention it yet. Denis

Not a lot done over the weekend. I had lawns to mow and vegetables to plant. I did have one breakthrough though. After making a mess of the template for routing the control panel, I finally had a brainwave and remembered that about 5 years ago I had biught some template collare for my big Makita router which I had never see the point of using. So did some math, and realised that if used the 1 inch and 1/2 inch templates with a 1/4 inch bit, I could make an intermediate template from which I could make a real template that MUST be right. Tried it late yesterday, and it worked sooooo well, I felt like a kid at Christmas. Went on from there to map out where the controls are going to go, and felt remotivated generally. More pictures soon. Denis

Well. A mixed day today. I got the Caroll sanding drums - highly recommended. They are in a totally different league to the cheaper clones. So I carried on edge sanding the maple, and changed my mind AGAIN about the edges. The glue line is still there, but 180 grit has made it smooth enough to live with - a mate said it was a bit of character - so currently I am just going to bind the top edge. It also means that I can shape the bass side of the waist at the back, and provide some space for my well developed gut. Why can't I make a decision and stick to it? I think it's because I am still at that stage where I know so little about the process that I have very experience to call on, and the decisions are therefore more random than I would like. At least these posts give me a way of documenting all that so I can trace the learning that I am doing. I also had a go at making the template for the control cover (sourced from Stewmac). I thought I had done a good job on it, and copied it onto another 2 layers of MDF. Tried using it on an offcut, and it's just too off to use. So, a two hour lesson learned. The even better positive is that my wife is now talking about the "next build", so I have sown the seeds well and they have started to germinate. Denis

Thanks Hector So if my aged eyes can stop looking at that wonderful wood for long enough to stop and think - the end graft is at the bottom of the guitar, opposite end to the neck? Is that Zebrano? With the purfling it looks sooooooooo good Denis

Hector, Thanks for the encouragement. I have absolutely no idea of whether I will like it or not, it just seems to be the best way out of a sh1t problem, although maybe in hindsight I will realise that I set myself too many constraints. BTW - what's an end graft? Sounds surgical and painful. It that where you add binding up the side of the body at the neck, joining the top and bottom bindings? Denis

Stephan, I am a newbie too. My humbuckers measure 22mm deep - I made my pockets 25 to be safe. The controls pocket depends on what you want to put in there. I am routing the back of mine, and the key measurement for me is the thickness of wood left, as this needs to be less that the length of the screw section of the pot and switch shafts. Does this help? Denis

Hi Will, This sounds like an awful lot of effort. Won't the pickguard cover the pickup routing? In which case, just leave the swimming pool! Denis

Thanks Hector and supernova, I do understand what both of you are saying. The problem is that I do agree with both of you. Let me do the easy one first. There is no pickguard. I have 4 stupendous bookmarked veneers of birdseye maple, and I don't want anything to cover that up; I can't really buy a slab top - the budget is already over extended. The issue that I have is the chunk missing from the small horn which I glued back on. I have tried to photograph it, but it doesn't show. The glue line is a really obvious blemish, and I just don't want it there. At the moment, I know that I don't have the skill to route it out and put in a patch, so I am down to covering it, as I think that putting an opaque stain on the maple will kill it visually. So, I am trying to make the best out of a mess. I hear hector's doubts about the MDF feel to it, and Supernova's about the 3 faces, but I cannot see any other way out on this beast. I can only hope that a simple black binding will tie it together. BTW all the hardware is black. Please don't think I am not listening - I truly am, but if I am going to lose the glue line, this seems the only way forward. I would love it not to be so!! Thanks again Denis

Well, I had a really good day today, and made a design change. I had bought a drum sander from Axminster - the 65mm one here:- Drum Sander Set up a sanding table under my DIY drill press and switched on. I was really surprised at the (relative) speed of getting an edge finish that undid some of the routing mistakes I posted on last time. After about 90 minutes I had the basic shape really smooth and then tried to change the loading of abrasive so that I could get a smoother finish - that was then I learned that I shouldn't have skimped and should have bought a Carroll drum. The "mechanism" for attaching the paper just wasn't up to the job. I am sure that it was a rogue, as I have never had cause to complain at any Axminster kit before, but they are going to swap it for a smaller Carroll that will also enable me to get into the inside of the horns where the larger drum couldn't reach. I took advantage of the time and knocked together a slightly better sanding table, and used forstner bits to make holes where the drums can fit so that I can get the whole edge done in one pass. The design change I think I have made - until I decide to unmake it(!!) is not to either round over the top and bottom, nor relieve the waist at the back. I am going to veneer the top and edges and bind the top and bottom, leaving the maple back showing. My logic is that I will never be happy with the chunk of wood that I had to superglue back - there's a distinct glue line that I will never be happy with, and if I veneer the edges with more birds eye maple then no one can see it. I was also quite apprehensive about rounding over the top after it had been veneered. I was reasonably sure that I would end up with a ragged edge to the veneer. All in all, I am looking at this project as a way of learning lessons. If I get a playable instrument that doesn't look too bad, then I can take that learning into the next one, and be happy that I have achieved something. I'll take more pictures when I get the Carroll drum set up. Denis

Thanks Wickerwolf, I forgot to say that the body as is now weighs 4 and a half pounds, which is a LOT less than I feared. I think I am glad that I bought enough maple to make 2 more, as I am learning soooo much from my efforts thus far. Denis

Hi, I have been lurking for a while now, gathering information and hints and tips. I am in my late 50's, been playing since the 60's and have some woodworking skills. Decided last year that I wanted to try to build a solid body, and then let my heart rather than my head rule. I wanted humbuckers because I never had a guitar with them, and wondered what they were like. I wanted maple as a body, because I love it, and then found some beautiful birds eye veneer on ebay which I had to have! No logic or planning there, then. I have had a Strat for ages, and like the shape and feel, plus it was easy to copy the body shape, so I read a lot and got started. I got the hard maple from a local timber yard. After planing it was about 5.5" wide, so I jointed three pieces together and voila:- Jointed Top I made an MDF template ( double thickness 6mm) for the neck pocket and the pickups. I used MS Visio to do the layouts - I know there are probably better bits of software, but I know Visio well. I then printed the diagram off, and glued it to one sheet of the MDF, and routed it with a further template. That's why this picture shows white marks on the MDF. Neck and PUP template I then used a 1/2 " top guided router cutter to attack the body. Very pleased, and relieved that it went OK. I was scared to death of attacking the beautiful hunk of maple. Neck Pocket and PUPs routed Then, today, I used a 3/4" top bearing cutter to hog out the body shape. What a pig to do. I was not prepared for the grain of this very thick slab of very hard maple to catch the router and kick back. One small chunk of the lower bout went flying and was rescued and superglued back, and a couple of bad dings also scared me to death. It looked a real mess when I had finished, but 10 minutes with my trusty belt sander got it back to a smoothish profile. At Last I can breathe!! So, next up is sanding for real. I plan to do the top and bottom starting with an orbital sander down to at least 240, and the edges with a drum sander to start. I did chicken out and bought an all maple neck from ebay. Please let me have some feedback - this is a lonely business right now. I will try to keep posting on a regular basis. Thanks for looking Denis