Barnaby's Hand Tool Tele

[Barnaby]

Right then…this is a tele-style build from scratch. There are two self-imposed rules. The first is that hand tools only shall be used in construction. The only exception is that a spray gun will probably be used to apply lacquer at the end. The second rule is that I shall attempt to complete the guitar in the white in one month - while working six days a week in my real job.

The body will be a solid piece of Japanese pine, known as ‘matsuri’. It will be bound on the top with tortoiseshell, and there might a belly contour to make it lighter and perhaps more comfortable to play. Following TKO’s amazing double cut build, there will probably be some lamination of binding as well.

The neck will be birdseye maple with either a Macassar ebony or rosewood fingerboard, inlaid with 6mm paua abalone dots. The fingerboard will probably not be bound. I will also wind the pickups, make the nut and construct the electronics myself.

The neck blank is pre-cut to the rough outline, which will save me about three or four hours, I would guess. I bought it from a guy in the US who has had it sitting in his workshop for ten years, so it is nice and straight.



It will need some serious work to finish, but a little head start is always nice.

The reason why this guitar will be left in the white is because there is a lot of humidity here in Japan in July. Finishing it then would possibly result in bubbles in the lacquer and other issues. Therefore, I will wait until September or October. I may have another one ready for spraying by that point as well if I am lucky.

This instrument is for a friend. He’s a blues and jazz player for the most part and has always wanted a tele. Over beers one night, he asked me if I’d give it a shot, and…here we go!

[Barnaby]

Here is the wood for the bodies. I cut it up into blanks a month or so ago using a Japanese saw. I wound up with three blanks and a long piece that will be jointed and turned into another body.











I sent my friend photos of all three blanks and this is the one he chose. It has a knot, but I will fill it with epoxy. It will be on the back so that the grain will be visible.

[fletch123]

Hi Barnaby, Nice !

Just a heads up - White can be a pain to spray, any bug or piece of dust landing on the drying body will be visible... Ive been there before, never again..

Unless i misunderstood the term "in the white".. ? Lol

[Thumpalumpacus]

Looking forward to watching this'un grow too, Barn. You should link your other thread for new folk who see you here first.

And I think, Fletch123, when he says "leave it in the white" he means unfinished.

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by fletch123

Hi Barnaby, Nice !

Just a heads up - White can be a pain to spray, any bug or piece of dust landing on the drying body will be visible... Ive been there before, never again..

Unless i misunderstood the term "in the white".. ? Lol

Thanks, man. Looking forward to this build...and...

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

Looking forward to watching this'un grow too, Barn. You should link your other thread for new folk who see you here first.

And I think, Fletch123, when he says "leave it in the white" he means unfinished.

...this is right. By 'in the white', I mean unfinished. Final lacquering will happen later this year. Thus, it'll be a fast build, but a slow payoff.

Unless, of course, the weather is OK. Then, maybe, it'll be finished completely pretty quickly.

Good point on the link - for people who are interested in hand tool builds, the second build thread in my signature might be of some interest. Don't worry. It's a short thread with only a couple of pages of posts.

[msfenderarg]

Subscribed!

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by msfenderarg

Subscribed!

[ptate]

Not too sure, but the sap in that stuff can be a pain to cover....Just watch out man, especially the knots....

Sure it'll look killer in the end....

私を信じて、私は完全にこのスレッドに購読している

(I think..!)

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by ptate

Not too sure, but the sap in that stuff can be a pain to cover....Just watch out man, especially the knots....

Sure it'll look killer in the end....

私を信じて、私は完全にこのスレッドに購読している

(I think..!)

そうですね！

たぶんちょっと奇妙な日本語。。。おもしろいい。。。

I'm thinking of using an epoxy hardener for the pine, and it might make the finishing easier too. Thoughts?

[Barnaby]

On to templates. This one is made of thin MDF, as it really only acts as a reference. I’m not using a router, so am pretty much free to do things however I want.



The body was cut out using a bowsaw. This is much faster than a coping saw. I used a 12 tpi blade. My technique needs practice, but I got the shape cut out relatively neatly in the end. You can see me using the template as a sort of rough safety guide.





Only a little more sanding needed than if I had used a bandsaw!

[ptate]

Looks like you'll beat me with the Jazzer....

Very nice grain...!!

Just leave it as it is, nail some pickups on and screw a neck to it and you've realised Leo's dream....

[Cpt_Gonzo]

Ooooh yes yet another thread involving guitars, funny conversations about Japan and japanese woman with lots of...erm...lots of 'character'?

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by ptate

Looks like you'll beat me with the Jazzer....

Very nice grain...!!

Just leave it as it is, nail some pickups on and screw a neck to it and you've realised Leo's dream....

That would save me a lot of time...

How about a race to the finish? Last builder there has to record a cover of a Kenny G song...

...or maybe just listen to one from start to finish. That's torture enough.

Originally Posted by Cpt_Gonzo

Ooooh yes yet another thread involving guitars, funny conversations about Japan and japanese woman with lots of...erm...lots of 'character'?

Why...of course there will be guitars and conversation, but, as for the last item, I really don't know what you are talking about.

[fatdaddypreacher]

dejavu!...i,m along for the ride

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by fatdaddypreacher

dejavu!...i,m along for the ride

Wouldn't be the same without ya!

[Asdain]

a new barnaby thread... insta-subscribe!

why don't go for a little scultpuring?

[meursault]

flag...

[Freddy G]

Ah Barnaby....had a grin from ear to ear when I saw the thread title!
Best of luck, this will be just as fun to watch as the lester build.
Wait.....tortoise shell? Really? Please say it ain't so

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by Asdain

a new barnaby thread... insta-subscribe!

why don't go for a little scultpuring?

Next time? That looks a little beyond me right now...although I could have fun finding a model here to pose for the sculpture.

Glad you're along for this one too.

Originally Posted by meursault

flag...

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Freddy G

Ah Barnaby....had a grin from ear to ear when I saw the thread title!
Best of luck, this will be just as fun to watch as the lester build.
Wait.....tortoise shell? Really? Please say it ain't so

What? You don't like tortoise on a tele? Not real, of course. I wouldn't ever raise a hand against our testudinidaeic cousins.

[J-Dizzle]

here we go again!

[Bruiser74]

Go Barn Go!
Looking forward to this one.
B

[Freddy G]

Awesome! Yes, I love tortoise bindings and pickguards. It was just term "tortoiseshell" that had me second guessing. I didn't even realize it, but I never really hear the word "shell" anymore when referring to the manmade stuff. I guess it just sent a prickly feeling down my spine when I read that.
Sorry, I should have known better with you!

[jonny]

Yay, I got in on the first page!

Can't wait, Barn, it's gonna be awesome!

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by J-Dizzle

here we go again!

Yeeehah!

Originally Posted by Bruiser74

Go Barn Go!
Looking forward to this one.
B

It'll be big fun, I'm hoping.

Originally Posted by Freddy G

Awesome! Yes, I love tortoise bindings and pickguards. It was just term "tortoiseshell" that had me second guessing. I didn't even realize it, but I never really hear the word "shell" anymore when referring to the manmade stuff. I guess it just sent a prickly feeling down my spine when I read that.
Sorry, I should have known better with you!

Gotcha - don't worry. No animals shall be harmed in the making of this guitar...

...except, possibly, me...

Originally Posted by jonny

Yay, I got in on the first page!

Can't wait, Barn, it's gonna be awesome!

Great to have you here!!!

[joshhohensee]

In for the win! Can't wait to see how this one turns out!

[Ibt999]

I have really enjoyed your builds, subscribed. My wife (who has zero interest in guitars), thought the LP build was amazing when I showed it to her. Great work man, looking forward to watching this unfold.

[ptate]

[BrianM]

Originally Posted by Barnaby

and there might a belly contour to make it lighter and perhaps more comfortable to play.

I hope you change your mind about that. It's gonna be a Tele, not a Strat!

[Barnaby]

Originally Posted by joshhohensee

In for the win! Can't wait to see how this one turns out!

I'm hoping it's more straightforward...but I may make it more difficult somehow.

Originally Posted by Ibt999

I have really enjoyed your builds, subscribed. My wife (who has zero interest in guitars), thought the LP build was amazing when I showed it to her. Great work man, looking forward to watching this unfold.

Thanks, dude!

Originally Posted by ptate

The best part, for me, is that you found a leopard tortoise!

Originally Posted by BrianM

I hope you change your mind about that. It's gonna be a Tele, not a Strat!

I know what you mean and I thought about it for a long time. There was a lot of looking on the Web and reading what different people had to say about it. I have also been talking it over with a few people. It's something I really want to try, however, and think it could work well with this guitar. It seems to fit what this piece of wood wants, somehow. My next tele (I have blanks for three, after all) will almost certainly be more traditional, however, including a one-piece maple neck.

[Shane]

Looking forward to this build. Don't have to catch up on 50 pages this time though