Learning how to build an electric guitar
 

The garage is now sufficiently equipped to be used as a workshop. Today, I built some shelves into the back of the workbench. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0ad6acf14f.jpg

I've been gathering supplies and tools. I got 2 - 5 foot poplar boards cut 1.75" thick. I will be able to make 3 guitars from them.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0463ec83ab.jpg
The boards are very well cut to start, but if I'm going to join them, they have to be perfect.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a146159b78.jpg

I had to plane and sand the two edges so that they were both totally flat. I got it close with a hand plane, but couldn't make the thin line of light between them disappear. So I employed a trick I learned watching the guy from Crimson Guitars.

I have an 18" leveling beam that I bought to level frets. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9153dee8e3.jpg

It came with 3 fine strips of sandpaper. I needed to use a coarse grit, so I cut my 80 grit paper into two 3/4" strips. I put masking tape on the back. Another piece of masking tape on the leveling beam. Now, super glue on one side and accelerator on the other.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a675905d9e.jpg

I put the two pieces together and hold them for 30 seconds. Now the paper sticks to the beam and is very resistant to lateral movement. It pops right off of you pull up on it, but to hold something down while you apply side to side force, it holds fast. Here's the beam with the 80 grit attached :

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...be0440e611.jpg

This might be hard to see, but I've drawn a squiggly line with a pencil on the edge of the board. When I sand I'll be able to see low spots.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f533a5eedc.jpg

After a bit of sanding, I can see where those spots are

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...73aaa55174.jpg

I need to keep sanding until they start to come off.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9cbb6a6a75.jpg

Once they're gone on both boards, it should fit together.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2fd211b3fb.jpg
You see the seam? Me neither.

I need better clamps. There will be a short wait while I buy them.

To be continued....

Here's the super glue trick demonstrated in great detail. Skip to about 5 minutes if you're short on time.

That's a most excellent lesson. :thumb::thumb:

I set this up to hold work flat against the bench top.
Drilled 2 holes and inserted threaded inserts. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...acea5a4b5e.jpg

This little weird looking guy bolts in when I need it and goes away when I don't. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ae183256cf.jpg

It locks down wood up to about 5/8" deep.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5c436c6b87.jpg

I've called those things dogs, but damn if I know what they're supposed to be called.

Could be. Dogs are usually pegs that you drop into holes to secure things against lateral force, so, maybe that's how the name came about. They do resemble Odie.
http://goo.gl/images/bZaHg9

Toggle Clamp, but Odie works for me. :lol:

Hey. Good clamps are pretty expensive.

This is $140 worth in 4 clamps. And I got them at Lowe's.... Irwin makes decent stuff in my experience. But not crazy expensive.

I'm going to have to make a handful of guitars so I can cost average these investments in tools. Otherwise, at the end of this little project, I'm going to have a $2500 guitar that plays like a $25 guitar.

I should go back and make a ledger of all guitar related expenses. Yeah, I'll do that. Anyway, this is a very exciting picture of clamped wood :
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...14320184ed.jpg
I actually really like the big ones. They have those chunky block ends which are perfect for this application. They even have stops at the end of the bars that double as feet when laid out like I have them.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...41e1963254.jpg


I've got a bit of a low corner, which may be a huge problem, or may not make any difference at all. Seems to me that the latter is more probable.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...33e63e7c48.jpg

Just one corner? Seems you'd have two low corners if the joint wasn't square with the face. Is that piece not flat as in warped?

I think they're pretty flat. Might be just a bit of detritus under the piece on the right. When I lay the straight edge across the far end, there's no gap. No gap in the middle. Just a bit of fall away in the front left quadrant. I'll be sanding and possibly carving the top anyway, so I think it won't matter.

I have this lace wood for the neck... I think I said sepele earlier, but it's lace wood. I have 2 boards like this.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9c3983a39c.jpg


I may glue the remaining 10" under it so I can have the head stock angle better than this:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...03b363a641.jpg

The red

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7876deec19.jpg

Hmm, no. That would be weak. The lesser angle from one board would be smarter.

Those are nice looking clamps.

This is a fun thread.

Are your balls getting bigger yet?

I've got one large ball, but it doesn't have a flat spot, so no good as a paper weight. Thinking of making a work top that tilts in any direction.

Like this

Daler-Rowney Artsphere Wooden Easel with Detachable Drawing Board, 16.5 x 11.8 inch Work Surface (802000023),Brown https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049UZ7YG..._s2f9BbGY86P5Z

This is dumb. Just buy a guitar.

If I was building my own guitar...

...my balls done be swoll.

I'd have a shirt:

"Building M'own Guitar.

Nutz Swoll."

You have my permission to use that phrase as the name of your guitar company: Swoll Nutz Guitarz

The idea is good but it would have to be stronger that Daler-Rowney, because you're not drawing/writing.painting on it, you'd be doing more forceful work.
Plus you don't want it to fall over when you lay on it after 36 straight hours in the garage studio. :haha:

I did. That's what put my feet on this path.


wyunchoo zip it, neckbeard

Zackly. that's why I didn't just buy that one. I have a 3" wooden ball and some threaded clamp knobs.... Just have to grok the design and what not. I could mount the 2 medium bawls to boards, and use a clamping post like above, or maybe encapsulate the balls so they can spin and rotate a few degrees, then join them ....I dunno.. this is the part where my brain gets mushy about it....

Locking a ball in a way strong enough so you can put any pressure on the top two feet from center is difficult. It really doesn't need have to be infinitely adjustable, just a set-up with two double acting hinges so it can tip toward both sides and both ends. That way you can get most any combination you need. The trick is figuring out how to lock it.

If I can figure out a way to carve spoon shapes into the ends of these vertical pieces, I think this might work:


Attachment 65610

Maybe I'll buy some cheap wooden spoons and drill holes and cut grooves into the verticals.... Then glue them up.... Or even make it height adjustable. I'll have to smoke some pot and give it a good think.

They stuck together
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...20f086f61f.jpg

I clamped it down and started sanding. Immediately the clamp is in the way.

Duh. Super glue and masking tape trick again.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fd2981b9af.jpg
First, I went over it all with the orbital sander and 80 grit.

And then the breaker popped. Darkness. So, I felt around for the battery powered light that's magnetically attached to my tool box, grabbed my head lamp, and made off to brave the basement. Gulp. It's scary down there. I have to crouch to traverse the entire floor, as the panel is in the opposite corner from the stairs.

As I flipped the 20A breaker, I thought.... 'did I turn that sander off before I set it down??'

Nope. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a7496f0b51.jpg

Can you make out that white oval? No harm done, a bit of butchers wax will set that right. Anyway, I sanded. It's not exciting. Kind of zen.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0b57c1f8e5.jpg

It's flat. Joint is tight.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1dc935bca6.jpg
This is the widest gap:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...da71e1d93d.jpg

That's pretty close up.

I'm excited.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...310855ee47.jpg


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...44cf3e2e7d.jpg

I guess the next thing is drilling out the cavities with a forstner bit and a router.

Scary part dead ahead.


We'll do that tomorrow. It's 2. Best done sober and alert. And routers are especially loud. Maybe I'll do a little video of that part so you can hear it. I'm off tomorrow and Thanksgiving day. I'll be out at mom's most of Thursday, but apart from one early morning errand, I'm the boss of me tomorrow.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...02f66974e3.jpg

I see you've got the heater on, must be a mite chilly out there. Of course it's a lot less noticeable when you're having fun.
The glue up looks great. Another way to keep clamps out of the way it use the Irwin laying on it's side to hold the block up against a temporary dog.

Things are getting real!

Practice run with the router. First step, trace out the cavity. Then drill as much material as you can away with a forstner bit.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0b2cd40e39.jpg

Set the depth of the router blade. I went about 2/3 as deep as I need the pocket. This is pine, though, so when I do the real thing, I'll probably do it in quarters. 20 mm is appx the final depth I'll want.

Here's the little vid I promised :



Then I drilled one spot to the 20mm, set the router depth accordingly, and started there. Taking it slowly, I got it to this :

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d7034b8f9e.jpg

I'll finish the edges with a chisel or gouge on the real thing.

Your router has a built in light?

Pretty cool, right?

The router light is a godsend. That an interesting Forstner bit, haven't seen one like that.

Might just be the angle of the photo. It's a normal one, just small. Looks like it has paddle blades in the pic, but it's a cylinder

I only got a couple hours in the garage over the holiday weekend, what with going up to mom's twice and being pretty busy at work Friday and Saturday. I neglected to take pics of the beginning of the neck creation, but you didn't miss much. This is a 1.5" thick lace wood board that I've had for over a year. I sanded both sides. One so I could glue the board down, one so I could trace the template and get clean lines.

Then I cut out the head stock shape, leaving a 16th or so for sanding. Then I superglue masking taped it down to the bench. I'm just going to say glued from now on when I use that technique. Assume I did it that way unless I specify else wise.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...47162430f8.jpg


I also used my new electric hand plane to take the headstock down to about 5/8" at the end, on an angle from the neck. Then I went across with the plane to lower the neck side a bit further.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b7f40a240f.jpg

I did that between weds morning and this morning. Tonight I cleaned it up a bit.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ded3388145.jpg

This is a spoke shave. It's set up like a plane, but it's for carving, not flattening.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4b86e89579.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0e2bf17bb5.jpg

I did some more video for you, so you could see what I did.





Carver planer thinger = spoke shave... The name escaped me as I spoke



Turn your speakers down for this last one:

Looks nice.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6cff6bfc4e.jpg

I think the next step is the truss rod trench.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6e6699104e.jpg

I know what a truss rod does. It arches the neck against bends that come from changes in weather or humidity. But I never really understood how. Now that I have a couple, and can play with them, I see. There are actually 2 rods. One end of both rods are welded together or inserted into a static block. The other ends is where the adjustment happens. The rod with the collar is threaded through another block. When you tighten it, the rod arches one way, and when you loosen, it goes the other way. See here:

Flat, no adjustment :
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7e8b6e06d9.jpg

Tightened :
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3ca558329d.jpg

The other way :

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...98b80c7834.jpg

I'll cut a groove into the neck, and lay this down inside. I'll drill an access hole into that slope I created above so I can get to the adjustment nut.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...bcf9eaa70b.jpg

Then I'll glue the fret board onto the neck. That's a whole bother can of worms. I've befriended that luthier that is fixing my strat neck, and I'll most likely enlist his help for cutting the fret slots.

Looks like you've got the right tools, and know where you're going, so it's just a matter of time.
Your great-grandchildren will be able to click on utube and shown their friends great-grandpa building the guitar they're playing. :thumb:

Truss rod. Weird. Do all guitars have those?

My cheap-ass Applause acoustic has an adjustable neck.

So, probably.


ETA:

~Wiki article Truss Rod

Not all truss rods are adjustable.

most do. some older ones don't, and Classical Guitars usually don't. You can make a guitar that plays without it, but if the neck bends, you're not going to like playing it.

Build it strong...

He's such a poser, that's probably his nail polish

I know everyone is busy (especially lumberjim! Great thread!), but this post reminded me of something . . .

If you need a great time waster, check out this thread from a board I briefly posted at a few years ago (we need our own thread like this!). You may (or may not) have to log in to see it . . . sorry!):

It Broke!


I show up briefly as Steam Heat (starting with post 1112). Enjoy! :crazy:

Asked for a log in.

Didn't.

Re: Dave Grohl's guitar...

I've bled from the fingers of my fretting hand, but, f you're bleeding from the fingers of your picking hand...might be doing it wrong.

IMHO, Grohl does everything wrong.

you play guitar, Digr? How did I not know that?

:lol2:, Oh, no. No. Nooooo.

I used to play AT the guitar.

Back to Dave Grohl for a sec...

He did one of the more awesome covers I've ever heard.

It was some kind of White House performance in praise of Paul McCartney. Barry and Michelle were there, front row center, with Macca. Grohl comes out, and with the house event band, does Band On the Run, like, ten feet in front Sir Paul his own self.

And rocked it.

That's the second gayest song ever. Built this city, being number one.

How does one rock that song? I shudder to think.

:lol2:

Neither of those is nearly as gay as Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, btw.

I do believe that Band On The Run belongs in that thread of songs with non-sense lyrics you started, though.

Nonsense, Band on the Run is a great song, even John Lennon loved it.

I love it. We did it in Shabbey Road when we had a lady singer who could reach Paul's range.

If you do any traveling here's a Pro Tip...

Paraphrasing, during a concert:

~Ray Wylie Hubbard

I cut the truss rod groove today. I had to slow down and think it through, and then I needed to go procure a few things to make a jig I can reuse. Took me 3 days of ruminating and 2 1/2 hours of grubbing around Lowe's to get to where I felt ready.
Thing was, I had the neck traced out on the blank, and went ahead and cut out the head stock cuz I wanted to do that last stuff I did ^^, but I didn't think to align the center line. I could have used the edge of the blank as a guide for the router. It wasn't far off, so I think I could have faked it if I had decided to re draw it parallel to the edge, but I figured that if I made a jig, I could probably use it for future projects.

So I made a jig. I got 2 of these :

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BORA-2-25-in-Clamp/50092628

And a bunch of hardware I didn't use... For this job at least...

The rail clamps onto a board, and then there are tracks that accept a bolt. This is a 1/4" #20 x 2.5"
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1405f75d81.jpg

I bought a board made of some kind of light plastic because I wanted it to be slippery and straight. $22 for a 5/4 x 4x8. Cut that into 2 3' rails and attached these brackets. I set it on the neck because I knew that was flat and taped them. Cut out the screw holes and mounted them.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...59e628ea16.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Sf...Q=w640-h480-no
Now I have a fence that I can adjust side to side, as long as it's a straight line I want to cut. Did this twice, so I can run the router between them and be sure it won't jump or bounce out of the path I want. I had initially set it up on 2x4s, but with the router riding the aluminum clamp, and the 2x4 being higher than the neck, the bit wouldn't have reached deep enough. So I cut two pieces of 3/4" ply wood that I had left over from building the bench. Once I did that, i had a different issue. The knob on the router was bumping the rear fence. So I ripped an inch off the top of that.....





https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Sf...Q=w640-h480-no


on 2x4s:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NY...Q=w480-h640-no


I checked the level-ness of the neck, and the 2 rails using the bubble level app on my phone, so I know it's extra precise.



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U5...A=w363-h745-no

I glued the plywood down to the bench along side the neck so that it was all flat, tight and immobile.



so, now that I have the router aligned, and the rails mounted on the 3/4" plywood I just need it to stop at the right place so I don't cut through the end of the neck.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qt...A=w640-h480-no


the router base is a 6" diameter. the bit is a 1/4" bit. so, the edge of the bit is 2 7/8" from the edge of the router
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HH...w=w480-h640-no




the end of the groove is 7/16" from the end of the neck,


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5W...A=w640-h480-no

so math, and I set the router where I want it stopped. Then I put 2 bolts in the other groove on the clamp tracks:


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qJ...w=w480-h640-no


same thing on the other end, and now I have stops that keep the length of the groove exact.

ready to rout!


i trimmed this, but the first thing I did was set the bit to just barely touching the wood, and dragged it back and forth to confirm that it scribed a line right on my drawn line. It did. so then, a couple light passes and check again.





don't make fun of my get up. it's safety first... actually I should start wearing the dust mask more...

the router leaves a rounded end, so I went back in with a razor chisel and a scraper to square the ends


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4-...g=w640-h480-no


so, now the channel ends are square


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oD...g=w480-h640-no




the business end of the truss rod is 1/16th wider and deeper, so I nudged the fence on that end a bit, and moved the stops to that 2" section, and finished that cut very carefully. I had to spend a bit more time with a chisel and exacto to get it perfect


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1Q...A=w480-h640-no

.... but perfect it is.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_T...Q=w480-h640-no




https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZL...A=w640-h480-no


Attachment 65722


So that's done. Next thing is gluing on the fret board. Which means the next thing is planing that down to 1/4" and sanding or planing a radius onto the surface.

a radius is how curved the face of the fret board is. If your fretboard is totally flat, you have a hell of a time playing chords. Most Fender Stratocasters have a relatively tight radius. 9-10". what they mean by radius is this:


If you imagine a big circle...20" diameter would be a 10" radius.... and imagine the 2 1/4 inch guitar neck's surface fitting perfectly inside one section, crosswise. you can visualize the curve on that surface.


so this is the neck seen from one end:


Attachment 65723


Some necks have a compound radius. That is, the radius at the top, near the nut might be 10 and the radius at the 12th fret is a 16... so vaguely cone shaped.... the flatter lower part makes shredding easier. I may or may not attempt that. probably not on this build. So, I'll be doing some more cogitating.