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Post by dnic on Nov 19, 2020 19:38:33 GMT -6
Never a bad thing to be as safe as possible. I now use a bit with the bearing at the end of the router. So the template is on top of the piece and the bearing is up. So even if my fingers were to touch the top it wouldn't cut me. Still I don't get close.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2020 15:48:50 GMT -6
Hey thanks for pinning my build!
OK, I had a good, bad thing happen. I took the clamps off the neck blank. I thought everything was good. I glanced at it and thought everything was good to go. But after profiling the neck it was way off center. Nothing lined up right. So, I had no choice but to take the fret board off, and re-line everything up. On doing so I seen that I had made some mistakes in measuring. I hate it when that happens. Yes I checked it out a few times I thought It was alright. This is what happens to me with my dyslexic stuff kicks in. I see things in my head as right, but my markings are off. Well, anyway, One of the measurements I had off was how wide the fret board was. Don't ask me were I came up with such a wide fret board, but I did. That was the good thing. That told me if I get the measurements right this time things should work out. So to get the fret board off I used an iron and cloth, and let the iron set on high, sit on the neck to melt the glue. I'll tell you what Titebond is some tough stuff! I use a thin metal ruler I have to help get the fret boars off. It's long enough so I stand the neck on end and push down and rock the ruler. Makes if lot easier to remove the fret board. I also leave the ruler under the fret board while heating things up. This also help aid in the removal.
Sorry, I did not get any pictures of this. I was a little up set and it too me all after noon to get it all done.
So, today, I removed the clamps once again. This time everything is spot on!!!
Here are some picture after reglue up.
Here I have measured out for the heal of the neck. I also made sure it is squared up! Please note my switch I wired up for my router table. That works out great!
I went ahead and drew out the lines for where the pocket will be onto the body.
before I start the carve on a neck I like to make some marks to remind me of where I going in the carve. I like to start out at 3/4" to start my carve. You can always take off wood but it's not so easy to put it back.
The copper tubing will be the fret marker in lays. The copper wire will become the side dot markers.
OK, I think I am ready to start the carve of the neck. I hope to get to that tomorrow. It will be what I call ruffed in. I wont to a finish carve until the neck is glued into the body. That won't happen until I can get another bridge for it. Yep still have not gotten my money back from the last one. Way it looks I may not get it back.
It's been a long while since I carved a neck. I hope it will go smooth. I could not find one the files I like to use nor can I find a spoke shave in town. I may have to buy me one for the future. This will be fun. A lot of work but fun. I know it may take me a day or two to get it to where I want it to be before gluing into the body.
EB
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Post by dnic on Nov 20, 2020 19:42:31 GMT -6
Sorry Eddie, stuff happens, right? Anyway nice save it will be good to get to carving. I just finally did some shaping on one of my necks. To many projects.
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Post by antares on Nov 21, 2020 2:55:52 GMT -6
Hey Eddie I can sympathise with you there. Last night I put the finishing touch to a Perspex assembly holding a glass-enveloped vacuum variable capacitor (more volts Igor!) and as I tightened up the second but last nut the glass imploded. New those beasties are around 1300 bucks. You press on with your build Eddie, it's all we can do Brother. I'm thankful that I don't have to cope with Dyslexia Eddie. I know a fair number of folks that are dyslexic. Keep on with the guitar Mate.
e&oe ...
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Post by dnic on Nov 21, 2020 9:55:58 GMT -6
OK Steve, what the heck are you building? pictures please
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2020 10:48:00 GMT -6
Yep stuff does happen. But it sure gets frustrating! I get what I call a brain lock. I see things in my head as it shod be but once I have done something I see it as wrong. Not fun! Like typing out words. It takes me a long time to type out words and if I get that brain lock, no mater what I do I cannot spell anything right. The letters are all there but not in the right places. Numbers are even worse. But, I have had to deal with it all my life. It does not mean I can't do things, I have to do them different than most people. I think at times this is way I see things in my head as finished. I can look at anything, take it a part in my head and put it back together again and it happens fast. Also once I learn something, I'll remember it for the rest of my life. I can recall a lot of things I learned in school, where my wife can't and she was a straight A student.
I always think that people think in reverse, but it's me that thinks in reverse. LOL!
But yes I am glad I was able to save the neck. I was ready to rebuild it if need be. Today I hope to get to carving. I wish I had the bridge for it, so I could set the neck into the body. Not glue it in but to get that far.
I also need to make templates for the pickup routs. Lot and lots to do.
EB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2020 15:53:34 GMT -6
I got started on the neck carve today! I am no were near where I want it, but it's getting there.
I started out by cutting the thickness of the peg head.
I used the drill press sander and my table top sander to get thing looking good.
To get started on the carve of the neck, I start off by using a rasp and filling in the contour of the neck. I also do this at the heal.
Here is the heal. Now since this is going to be a set neck, I won't do much with the heal until the neck is mounted into the body. Once in the body I'll do a lot more carving and blend the nick into the body.
since I don't have a spoke shave, I used my pocket knife to help get things started. It worked out super good! Once I carved off the edges of the blank I used the file you see in the picture to take of more wood and to help in the shaping.
starting to shape up!
Here is the neck as far as I could get it today.
This all I could do today. I hope I can get the neck to what I want tomorrow. I think it's coming right along. I do have a bug hole in it. I figure I'll address that at a later time. Also have a not hole in it. That will be it's beauty mark. HA! But at least it is starting to look and feel like a neck.
Something I learned over all the necks I have made is; If you like a thin felling neck you need to take off more wood off the sides of the neck. Less wood the thinner it will feel. If you like that "C" shape take off less wood and use your hand with a lot of sand paper. I find that works out best for me. If you want a "D" shaped neck stay off the back of the neck when sanding. If you want a "V" shape then carve the side with no roundness to it and stop the carve before you get the top of the neck. But the best neck I have ever done are the once I sand to feel. I like my necks to feel good in my hand. A lot of times they come out being like a C and D shape put together.
An other thing I did on one guitar was to carve a concave up by the heal where the palm of you hand hits the neck. That neck Is so comfortable to play. I let people play that guitar and the first this they say is how good the neck feels. Then I show them why.
So many cool things one can do in building a custom guitar. It would take me a lot of life times to build all the custom guitars in my head. A lot of things I think up, or at least I think that no one has eave done it. But most of time if I look long enough I find that someone has already done it... LOL!
Much like this build. There a lot of builders making guitars that look super close to this one. OH Well...
EB
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Post by antares on Nov 22, 2020 3:18:38 GMT -6
The neck carve seems to grab most builders Eddie. Nice work. I'm building a "small transmitting loop" for shortwave Dane. The American military originated the loop antenna concept during the Vietnam conflict. I won't get into that project on Eddie's thread (nor even on Guitar Attack Forum), but at five watts input power it exhibits say 1 to 4 kilovolts dependent on frequency, and a circulating current of at least 8 amps. Nasty! That's why it needs a vacuum capacitor. I've already bought a replacement Russian one. Move along now- nothing more about that on here!
e&oe ...
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Post by dnic on Nov 22, 2020 14:48:19 GMT -6
Very cool Eddie! I like the carving process a lot.
Steve, I understood some of those words.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2020 16:16:55 GMT -6
Did some more carving today.
Here are some pictures of where it's now. I think I am going to leave it were I have for now. I will do the radius on the fret board sometime this week.
Well, like I said, I will doe the radius on the fret board next. I may even get the inlays in, sometime next week. Plus I want the neck to rest for a while, to see if it's going to do anything. I lost two necks over the years do to the wood bowing. One of them I had already set (glued into) the body. So now I like to let them set after removing so much wood. The neck still needs to come down some more. But I think it will be alright to finish it up after it's mounted in the body.
Getting ready to make the templates I need for this build. So, here is the body template with the neck pocket and pickup routes. I got the pickup drawings out of my book for building guitars. I have used them before and they work out fine! I'll probable do that tomorrow. Drilling and cutting to make the template that is... LOL!
EB
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Post by dnic on Nov 23, 2020 8:32:27 GMT -6
very good Eddie. I was thinking that neck looked like a fatty but then you said it had to come down some more. but the shape looks good.
So you even got rid of your templates? Bummer!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 12:06:17 GMT -6
very good Eddie. I was thinking that neck looked like a fatty but then you said it had to come down some more. but the shape looks good. So you even got rid of your templates? Bummer! Yes I sold everything off to a guy that is into building guitars. He made me an offer on the templates and the remaining wood I had and all my guitar parts. So, I sold him everything I had left. It was at a time I was not feeling good at all. I didn't think at the time that I would be feeling as good as I do now. I really felt like I was dying.
So, now I a, looking forward to better days. I hope at some point we can have a place so I can have me a full wood shop again. But time will tell on that.
EB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 12:10:03 GMT -6
Yes on the neck looking a little chunky. I learned the had way not to take a set neck all the way down until it is mounted on the body. I like to blend the neck and body together and not leave any lines like a bolt on neck. I like it to be smooth like a neck though. So, it helps to leave some wood there to carve on.
EB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 15:10:39 GMT -6
Got the radius done today. Low on energy today. So I'm calling it a early day.
12" radius. Came out great!
It is spot on all and up and down the neck!
Here is a pile of stuff I used to get the fret board to this level.
Nice and flat!
Again all up and down the fret board. It is flat. No high or low spots.
Took me about 2 hours of sanding to get it to this point. I resawed the slots. Remember I had one slot that I over cut and needed to fix it? Here is how I fixed the problem. While sanding I let the slot get full of wood dust. I then use thin set CA glue with the excelerator. I then sanded some more to get the repair level. Then I set up my saw and recut the slot. Look like the rest of the fret board and it's a good tight slot of the fret wire.
So, I am done for today. Need to take a brake from it.
EB
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Post by dnic on Nov 23, 2020 19:10:57 GMT -6
Right on Eddie. Nice looking fretboard!
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