Handtool build #2 - ESP/LTD-ish

[poro78]

The blank I'm resawing is about 1" thick (25mm) and I'm taking about 3/8" (~1cm) off.
That leaves me with about 1/2" - 5/8" thick top for this build and if everything goes well I also will have spare material for a flat top.
(Or crap load of quilted maple headstock veneer )

The carve on this build is not going to be flat, but it won't be as deep as in LP either.

 

[tommyd73069]

The blank I'm resawing is about 1" thick (25mm) and I'm taking about 3/8" (~1cm) off.
That leaves me with about 1/2" - 5/8" thick top for this build and if everything goes well I also will have spare material for a flat top.
(Or crap load of quilted maple headstock veneer )

The carve on this build is not going to be flat, but it won't be as deep as in LP either.

Looking forward to seeing that part, for sure. I found some nice maple blanks that are 1 1/4" thick (5/4) and wondered if they could be resawn for a top. I think with the saw kerf and planing, I'd have at least 1/2" each piece. Everyone answering too thin assumed a full carve. I passed on them yesterday. If the guy still has them Monday, I may go back and get them.

Really gettting a lot out of your build and replies

 

[Barnaby]

Looking forward to seeing that part, for sure. I found some nice maple blanks that are 1 1/4" thick (5/4) and wondered if they could be resawn for a top. I think with the saw kerf and planing, I'd have at least 1/2" each piece. Everyone answering too thin assumed a full carve. I passed on them yesterday. If the guy still has them Monday, I may go back and get them.

Really gettting a lot out of your build and replies

Actually, I must admit with apology that this occurred to me when I replied to your thread, but didn't want to write something that might confuse the issue for other readers.

Doing a full 1959-style LP carve out of 1/2" would be tricky, especially after sanding, but a modified carve of your own would work just fine. Either you could reduce the 'steps' by a constant amount or simply carve by hand with a gouge and violin plane. I think another key would be to carve the top before gluing to the body. That way, you can keep an eye on thickness overall.

 

[tommyd73069]

Actually, I must admit with apology that this occurred to me when I replied to your thread, but didn't want to write something that might confuse the issue for other readers.

Doing a full 1959-style LP carve out of 1/2" would be tricky, especially after sanding, but a modified carve of your own would work just fine. Either you could reduce the 'steps' by a constant amount or simply carve by hand with a gouge and violin plane. I think another key would be to carve the top before gluing to the body. That way, you can keep an eye on thickness overall.

Carve it off the body was what I thought of too. The workbench would give a better feel for how thin it's getting. Sort of a one-sided archtop.

Still, it's added work that the right piece of wood would eliminate. I'm not committed to my materials, yet.

I still want to see yours, though. Are you planning on the gouges and planes?

 

[Barnaby]

Carve it off the body was what I thought of too. The workbench would give a better feel for how thin it's getting. Sort of a one-sided archtop.

Still, it's added work that the right piece of wood would eliminate. I'm not committed to my materials, yet.

I still want to see yours, though. Are you planning on the gouges and planes?

The last three carvetops I've done all used planes and gouges. For the first, I drilled depth holes and then carved down to them while the top was on the body. The next two, however, were based on my own contour lines, which became steps I cut with a hand-powered router plane while the top was separate from the body. Then, I used gouges, scrapers and mini planes to shape the carve itself. I also undercarved those tops to enhance the acoustic qualities of the wood, as I like chambered instruments. In my signature, those are builds #2, 4 and 5 if I remember correctly...

This is an awesome build and I really like Poro's approach to everything - cool drill, too!

 

[tommyd73069]

The last three carvetops I've done all used planes and gouges. For the first, I drilled depth holes and then carved down to them while the top was on the body. The next two, however, were based on my own contour lines, which became steps I cut with a hand-powered router plane while the top was separate from the body. Then, I used gouges, scrapers and mini planes to shape the carve itself. I also undercarved those tops to enhance the acoustic qualities of the wood, as I like chambered instruments. In my signature, those are builds #2, 4 and 5 if I remember correctly...

This is an awesome build and I really like Poro's approach to everything - cool drill, too!

Sorry, I got distracted at work and in re-reading my post, I see I forgot who I was replying to.

I'm turning into some kind of luthier/guitar builder groupie. Watching several and getting ideas faster than my brain can keep up. Scrambling builds and builders now it seems, too.
Spring is in the air. I'm ready to open up the shop doors and make sawdust. I got to get something going. Car show with the boy in the morning, Southwest Street Rod Nationals, then over to the barn tearing down job around 1-2, no woodworking or other dangerous sports after that.

I'll have to live vicariously through you guys until Wednesday. next day off.

 

[poro78]

I still want to see yours, though. Are you planning on the gouges and planes?

I'll also answer this.
Planes, scrapers, chisels, spokeshaves, rasps - that's the way I'm going.
"Poor man's router" might be worth a try.
I also might have to buy a set of crappy gouges and learn to sharpen them.

This is an awesome build and I really like Poro's approach to everything - cool drill, too!

Awwww...
I think I mentioned when I got that drill (during my first build), that it is something my father-in-law used years ago.
So a professional luthier tool it is.

Works like a charm, drilling with that is almost as hypnotic as planing.

I'm turning into some kind of luthier/guitar builder groupie. Watching several and getting ideas faster than my brain can keep up. Scrambling builds and builders now it seems, too.
Spring is in the air. I'm ready to open up the shop doors and make sawdust. I got to get something going.

Symptoms of a severe build bug bite.

 

[Cyclave]

One of the coolest build threads so far and all you have done is cut a few blocks of wood and glued them together. That's an awesome sign. *Bookmarked*

Is it too early too ask about the finish and hardware?

 

[poro78]

Thanks!
I'm really waiting for the moment I'm through these initial works and get to start the actual shaping.

Hardware will be all black, tune-o-matic bridge, strings will go through the body (black ferrules, of course ), PlanetWaves Auto-trim or Hipshot locking tuners, dome knobs... what else?
Oh, homemade humbuckers!

The finish will be something I can brush on and the color theme is dark red.

 

[Cyclave]

Thanks!
I'm really waiting for the moment I'm through these initial works and get to start the actual shaping.

Hardware will be all black, tune-o-matic bridge, strings will go through the body (black ferrules, of course ), PlanetWaves Auto-trim or Hipshot locking tuners, dome knobs... what else?
Oh, homemade humbuckers!

The finish will be something I can brush on and the color theme is dark red.

That sounds killer, man. I love black hardware on a good dark red or blue top. Glad you're doing a through body tail instead of a stoptail, I only like stoptails on SG's and Lesters.

Homemade buckers? Hand or machine wound?

 

[Barnaby]

Homemade buckers? Hand or machine wound?

I'll bet dollars to donuts that they're the former...although Poro is a bit of a machine himself, so, technically...

 

[poro78]

I think I'll put up something like Scatter Lee did - fishing reel as winder, calculator as counter and so on.

Should be fun.
In a masochistic way.

 

[tommyd73069]

I think I'll put up something like Scatter Lee did - fishing reel as winder, calculator as counter and so on.

Should be fun.
In a masochistic way.

Digging this idea greatly. I'm needing flatter 3 and 4 pole pickups for my cigar box guitars and would like to learn how to wind them. Figure it'll be a good learning tool for winding the full sized one's later. I wouldn't be wasting as much material for a 3 pole if I screw up a few along the learning curve.

Oh, I'm bit by the bug, for sure and my Scottish heritage is kicking in. My granddad used to say, "I've got deep pockets, but really short arms"

"Angus called in to see his friend Donald to find he was stripping the wallpaper from the walls. Rather obviously, he remarked "You're decorating, I see." to which Donald replied "Naw. I'm moving."

 

[poro78]

Btw, here's a link to that Scatter's winder thread: The DIY Scatter Pickup Winder - Telecaster Guitar Forum

 

[poro78]

Ok, since I have a bad habit to report every tiny bit of information and every high and low of the build, here's another kind of useless update.

First things first:
I finally decided to pay for the premium membership, I thought this forum has given me so much that I could pay back a little that way.
(So now I'm officially flat broke for couple of days. )


I had a long day at work (hate to call it work, because it's just practice without pay) and I can't continue resawing today, so I decided to check all the cabinets and lockers and found these...

Don't know where they're from, but they're straight and that might be enough for me.

Not exactly L-bars, but I'm wondering if I could make some kind of sawing jig out of these and some plywood...
I'm not feeling good resawing with unsupported Ryoba, the blade feels too flexible.

 

[Barnaby]

First things first:
I finally decided to pay for the premium membership, I thought this forum has given me so much that I could pay back a little that way.
(So now I'm officially flat broke for couple of days. )

Not exactly L-bars, but I'm wondering if I could make some kind of sawing jig out of these and some plywood...
I'm not feeling good resawing with unsupported Ryoba, the blade feels too flexible.

Good for you! I did the same a while back and think it was money well spent.

I understand about the flexibility of the saw. Once, when sawing a neck blank, I got a strongly radiused curve. Luckily, it went in the 'right' direction or it would have ruined the blank. Nowadays, I do as much as I can with a dovetail-type saw for that type of cut, then use the ryoba as a last option.

 

[poro78]

Good for you! I did the same a while back and think it was money well spent.

I understand about the flexibility of the saw. Once, when sawing a neck blank, I got a strongly radiused curve. Luckily, it went in the 'right' direction or it would have ruined the blank. Nowadays, I do as much as I can with a dovetail-type saw for that type of cut, then use the ryoba as a last option.

Money well spent, I agree - I would still be wondering how to start my first build without this forum.
Now there's a difficult task ahead, I need to work out a witty user title.

There's a little room for error for resawing the top blanks as I can always ditch the thinner piece and use the thicker, but I'd really like to have two usable pieces after this.
I hate the idea of wasting that much wood, so I better find a way to cut as I planned with these limited resources.
I have couple of (second hand) gent's saws, but I guess they're not sharp enough for me. Either they are dull or I'm used to the "effortless" sawing with Japanese saws.

 

[Cyclave]

I love useless updates as long as they don't slow the real ones down too much.

 

[poro78]

I love useless updates as long as they don't slow the real ones down too much.

Well, this build isn't the fastest around, it takes time to do things with these methods and it takes even more time to figure out how to do things.

Here's a little jig I put together from the pieces I have.
I guess I'll find out later today how it works - if I survive another day at the busiest bank of the town.

It's just made of a strip of plywood, those angled pieces mentioned earlier, couple of screws, couple of dowels and two little wooden legs.
I don't have a clue if it works at all, but we'll see.

Drew a straight line, made a slot for the saw blade (about 1/3 of the length of the plywood)

Then I put a gent's saw with a little thicker blade to guide where the angled pieces should be and fastened them with two screws.
There's tiny "legs" below the screws, something for them to bite into, the other side is held in place with a dowel.

Here's the jig in place. I should still figure out how I attach this to the top blank so that the cutting line matches the straight line of the jig.

Maybe I'll just screw couple pieces of scrap wood for stoppers.
This is how it should work, as I progress with the cut I just slide or turn the jig.
It's not perfect, but hopefully it does it's job.

And to the office I go. --->

 

[Cyclave]

Can't wait to see that rig in action. I don't mind this build being longer than others because it's very resourceful so far. If I wanted to make my own guitar, I'd probably have to do what you're doing since my tools are limited.