Back to Building! Let's See What I Remember ;) (5 builds and counting inside)

[dickjonesify]

That's a $110.00 bit. Where did you get it?

Indeed, a spiral cut bearing-guided trimmer for $15?? - that is a healthy discount!

I know! Just a local tool shop that had some very random things on a clearance table one day. It looked brand new and was in a protective sleeve.

 

[dickjonesify]

Marketplace find of the year (maybe decade) for me.

I was looking for a router table. For certain jobs, I think it would be better/safer. I didn’t have a ton to work with. Found a Bosch one that matches my router barely used for $150 ($225 new).

Comes with all the goodies. Cool

Minutes before meeting up, the seller says “Would you have any interest in a planer? We were going to bundle it with the router table right before you messaged. $50 more.”

So I’m like… “What type of planer?” I’m thinking either a good hand plane or like one of those handheld electric planes carpenters use on doors. Best case scenario, like a 4” bench top planer/jointer, which would’ve been well worth it.

The $50 planer…

I was like, “Does it work?!”
Why yes, yes it does.

These are $495 new. This is not “new” but maybe better than a new one. It’s a steel tank. I’ve looked for a decent deal (like $250?) on something like this for years.

So crazy

 

[dickjonesify]

Finally snagged a 3/8" counterbore to mount on a 3/16" bit. Now I can bore for both ends of a curved truss rod on Fender style vintage 1-piece neck.

Clean!

 

[dickjonesify]

I picked up this honker of 8/4 hard maple. It'll be enough for my 2nd Tele neck and another neck, possibly a Strat.

I sawed from both sides on my table saw but had to finish it up on the band saw

Leaving the "spare" neck's head oversized. It'll most likely be a Strat.

 

[dickjonesify]

StewMac got me with that recent sale. Everything was 20% off AND you got StewMax free for a year as long as you spent over $150 or something, which is easy to do lol.

I got a 3-pack of maple headstock veneers for like $9 and free shipping off of Amazon. Not a good price per board foot lol but I don't really have a good way to make them that thin.

I think this is my first time using this scroll saw since it was given to me by a coworker like 10 years ago. It's kinda fun!

Goes about there

x2 of course. I'll save the 3rd for now.

 

[LPTDMSV]

Finally snagged a 3/8" counterbore to mount on a 3/16" bit. Now I can bore for both ends of a curved truss rod on Fender style …

Haha, snap! Good work on your workshop bargain hunt.

 

[LPTDMSV]

maple headstock veneers

Hoping these are 1/16” (1.6mm) or thereabouts, not 0.6mm which is what you get as standard for furniture veneer in Europe - that’s too thin for working with inlay, at least at my skill level

I also found maple is not as close-grained as the holly Gibson apparently used to use, it doesn’t take paint quite so well so worth trying to fill the grain? Or perhaps I was just painting it wrong.

 

[dickjonesify]

View attachment 788211

Haha, snap! Good work on your workshop bargain hunt.

Nice. That one wouldn’t cut deep enough, though. I need more than an inch or so on both ends.

Hoping these are 1/16” (1.6mm) or thereabouts, not 0.6mm which is what you get as standard for furniture veneer in Europe - that’s too thin for working with inlay, at least at my skill level

I also found maple is not as close-grained as the holly Gibson apparently used to use, it doesn’t take paint quite so well so worth trying to fill the grain? Or perhaps I was just painting it wrong.

They’re about 2mm thick so a little thicker than they should be but I’ll sand them to thickness now that they’re attached to something.

I’ve only finished one guitar so I’m no expert but I used maple and it seemed to do well. We’ll find out haha. Definitely doesn’t *seem* like it needs grain filler.

Hard to tell in this pic but it is reflecting the ceiling.

 

[LtDave32]

Good stuff, Dick! And I love that shop..

 

[dickjonesify]

Good stuff, Dick! And I love that shop..

Thanks Dave! Most of the work is being done in my modest half of a 2-car garage. I’ll have a to do a small tour of what. A lot is crammed in there.

So far, I haven’t done a ton in the church’s shop that I only recently discovered only because every time I start to, I need a tool that’s at home lol. BUT it will give me a climate controlled space to spray and I can’t wait

 

[LtDave32]

BTW, on one-piece necks, I drill my counterbores at a 3-degree angle to match the curvature of the rod.

I buy my "bottlecap" rods for one-piece necks from Allparts..

 

[LtDave32]

it will give me a climate controlled space

Oh, I'm green with envy..

It's so hot and dry in my shop, you can almost watch moisture vapors leave the wood..

I have to store wood in the house.

Damn desert...

 

[LtDave32]

Indeed, a spiral cut bearing-guided trimmer for $15?? - that is a healthy discount!

Unbelievable. I buy one of those from Amana or Whiteside every year. $110.00

It gets dull or a nick in it, repair is $85.00. They have to add metal to keep it the exact size of the bearing. I called and asked. Might as well get a new one.

...and treat it like a new-born baby.

 

[dickjonesify]

BTW, on one-piece necks, I drill my counterbores at a 3-degree angle to match the curvature of the rod.

Yessir! I drilled the 3/16” at the proper angle. I just chased that same hole with my new counterbore.

I buy my "bottlecap" rods for one-piece necks from Allparts..

Thanks. I saw that Warmoth has them and almost ordered but they charge more for shipping than anyone. I was about to just make them. I’ll check Allparts.

Unbelievable. I buy one of those from Amana or Whiteside every year. $110.00

This is a Whiteside The local shop I got it from has their whole catalog. It’s a really good store.

 

[LtDave32]

Dick, I'm pretty sure Warmouth gets their rods from Allparts. Same exact rods as Allparts, both one-piece with the bottlecap, and two-piece with the spade anchor.

I made my TR channel "sled" jig by cutting two pieces of wood the length of the rout channel, curved from zero on the ends to .555 in the center. That's the radius and depth, I read from a Gil Yaron thread over at the Tele forum. Gil's the best builder I've ever seen.

 

[dickjonesify]

I made my TR channel "sled" jig by cutting two pieces of wood the length of the rout channel, curved from zero on the ends to .555 in the center. That's the radius and depth, I read from a Gil Yaron thread over at the Tele forum. Gil's the best builder I've ever seen.

Love Gil’s threads! I remember watching the ‘59 burst thread in real time. That was right around when I decided to give building a try.

It’s been YEARS I know but I built a sled around page 8 of this thread and still have it. The curve I made was traced off a drawing. Not sure what the radius actually is but thanks. I’ll measure it out of curiosity. That same jig also puts a 9.5” radius on top! I’m proud of that one. Can’t wait to use it again.

 

[LtDave32]

I tested it out by putting 3 screws on a board, putting the rod under the end 2 screws, drawing a line along the top of the rod, flexing it up to the right height, installing the third screw in the middle, drawing a line again on the top, then measuring the distance between the two lines. It worked out.

Yessir, we have the same jig..

 

[dickjonesify]

For a refresher, here’s how quick it is to go from the curved truss rod routing jig to the 9.5” fretboard radius jig

 

[dickjonesify]

Hey @LtDave32 , learn me something if you would…

This is the Allparts vintage single action truss rod. It looks like the anchor on the head end has splines around the outside. That’s enough to keep it from ever spinning?

The Warmoth one seems to have teeth on the bottom, which would pull into the neck wood as you tighten.

That seeeeeems better to me but neither are good pictures. Have you used both, by chance?

 

[LtDave32]

Hmm..

They used to be the same, in that there were tiny teeth on the edge, hence the term "bottle cap".

You gave it a smack with a punch and mallet to set the teeth into the surrounding wood.

Now it appears that Warmoth has that type, and the Allparts rod differs slightly.

I'd stick with the Warmoth rod. I can attest that the "bottle cap" rod works.