Learning how to build an electric guitar

[lumberjim]

The Kahler does look sexier... Might just be because the hip shot photo was crap, but the former has a tidy and precise look to it.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

Fret slotting jig arrived today

I practiced on a piece of hard wood flooring that I planed down. I've decided not to use it though. It's just too fucking hard. It's Ipe. Brazilian walnut. So dense it doesn't float. I calculated 74lbs per ft cu. After I wore my shoulder out sawing the slots, I found out it doesn't glue for shit. Good practice though.

I put a visible dent in my jointer blades when I wasn't thinking and ran some Ipe across the jointer. Now my 6" jointer is a 5-1/4" jointer until I get my blades resharpened.

You can glue Ipe, you need to wipe it down with acetone really well and then glue as soon as the acetone evaporates.

Ipe, Lignum Vitae, Natalie, Cocobolo, Coralwood, Ebony, Eucalyptus Mahogany (New South Wales), Gaboon, Greenheart (British Guiana), Grenadilla (Mpingo), Ironwood (black), Satinwood (Ceylon), and Water gum are all woods that don't float.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I like blue...

[lumberjim]

I fucken love that.

Gawd.
'cept... Shoodadid Gold inlay dots! And that back cover could be gold too.

[lumberjim]

I ruined one of my Birdseye maple fret boards yesterday. I spent probably 2 hours Tuesday night slotting it, then when I radiused it, using my newly made and tested jig... I must have set the router bit too low... And the nut end must have been an 1/8" higher than the heel.... The nut end was less than 1/8" thick at the edge.

Might have been salvageable at that point, but I tried to trim it and cut it parallel using the width at the nut. Not a large loss of money, the board was like $15....but again... Time.

So I remade the rocker board part of the jig with newly acquired 3/4" pvc 'plywood'. The holes are now perfectly aligned and centered. (no aluminum edge strips this time... The bit walked a little even with the drill press, when I made those)

This time I used a drill guide that I made to center the bit and keep it perpendicular to the edge, so the drill went in just right. Didn't test it yet, but I did verify that the top of the rocker is exactly 1/4" below the bit alignment line on both ends. So, as long as I set that depth properly. It should give perfect results. I'll try it on a test piece tonight.

[glatt]

I've been following this guy on instagram. He makes stuff out of old wood pallets and junk, but recently has been getting into electric guitar building out of recycled materials. He's got a cnc router, so I think he just pushes a button after figuring out the design. This is acrylic or plexiglass or something.

[lumberjim]

There is some art involved. The cnc is just a tool. You can purchase plans, but you still have to make all the decisions about what you want the cnc to do, and set it up. You basically, map a path for the bit to follow, set your start point and hit go, but dialing in a path that is efficient and ordered properly come into play. I've helped Pete set up a batch of truss rod plugs. I used the super glue trick to place the boards exactly where they needed to be for it to work right.



You can hear a baseball game on the background if you're wondering who's voice that is.

Phil's won 3-2

[lumberjim]

The new rocker board:



With these radii on both sides :



The finger boards I have prepped:


Left to right, that's cocobola, bocote, Birdseye maple(ruined) and bubinga. The bocote is crazy. It's got a group of phantoms on it :


I went with the bubinga this time because if this one fails....

But it didn't.



I did 10.5 to 14" compound radius. It is slightly thinner at the nut end, but if I'm careful I think it will work. Took a good bit of planing, scraping and sanding to clean up the router lines


I saved a bit of the sawdust for use filling in inlay and such

[lumberjim]

With a little more love and some oil, it's gorgeous

[Griff]

Pretty work brother.

[Undertoad]

There's one of the most awesome benefits of building your own... true beauty, the cheapo mfrs are not interested in that kind of detail

[lumberjim]

Amanda really liked it too...


She's gonna kill me


I just... It was ninjas! They came in.... Like 7 of them.... They took my phone..... Then there was this cloud of white smoke.... And when I woke up, they had posted that pic.

[Griff]

There is something very likeable about this gal.

[lumberjim]

We were in our cups late last night, and she was photo bombing while I was trying to take the picture above.... That'll learn her

[xoxoxoBruce]

So it looks like the 10.5 to 14 is about as much difference as you can go without making it thicker.

Originally Posted by lumberjim;

She's gonna kill me

Look at the bright side, she won't object to you spending lots of time in the garage... lots and lots and lots.

Maybe you could make an electric version of this double.