What's on YOUR workbench right now?

[SlingBlader]

I think I’ve said it before, but that black binding is the BIZNESS! Looking great!

Thanks, Dave. Great minds think alike, right?!

 

[Skyjerk]

The stuff you guys are doing is so inspiring, but whenever I make sawdust, it seems to affect my brain wrongly.
I just got a whole bunch of skeeter eaters on my bench right now

I just did a double-take on this. Thats really fantastic. Beautiful detail....

 

[TVvoodoo]

Thank you @Skyjerk - It is LP related. When complete, it's going on this...
I'm trying to mimic the aged nitro natural finish with the leather dye, and the checking with the water lines...
the dragonfly wings will have a gold finish when complete...

I don't know too much about it, belongs to someone else, but it's a sight alright.

 

[Skyjerk]

Thank you @Skyjerk - It is LP related.

I've posted pix of my blacksmith and blade forging work on this thread. Thats about as far from LP's as you can imagine

 

[Freddy G]

I've finally got this Special in the home stretch. Should be finishing soon.

THAT is stunning.

 

[SlingBlader]

THAT is stunning.

Thanks, Freddy! I appreciate it, that really puts the pressure on to not screw it up.

 

[bum]

I am learning, got some basics down now.
When building this Strat I have:
Learned to solder
Cut the nut from scratch (bought feeler gauges ) which was a real nice process, lots of fun.
Learned to intonate a guitar

And so much more, real good fun. So now I am tackling the last big job, the 70's neck has a slight back bow.
I have decided to go for the clamps method to reintroduce some releif.
It's on my kitchen table now, gonna leave it sat there over night. I have gone very subtle on it, and gentle as I guess I am better not putting enough relief in and going for it again rather than put too much in, or risk damaging anything.

The guitar plays as it is, our other guitarist used it for rehearsal, but it ain't quite right and needs fixin for sure, it frets out on the 7th fret and back, I got a straight edge and it rocks, ever so slightly, but it is there

 

[TVvoodoo]

Not actually my bench, but my deck waitin' for finish coats to cure. All the toughest stuff is done. This weekend I'll get after the padding, lining and sew everything together. Just a couple in-progress

 

[Skyjerk]

3 projects at once now on the bench.

Made these templates for the neck-through LP...

resuming the bass build, and cut out this body while I was cutting the templates...

and while looking at neck blanks for the bass I pulled out this. this is literally from the first piece of wood I ever bought for guitar building 8 years ago, and is the remaining piece from the board that I cut the top for my current LP build from.

this end had a natural edge that made it unsuitable for another top, but is good enough for a neck. Sadly, it’s a hair too short for my bass neck so I really have no other option than to build another Strat neck to put on the angel step quilt Strat I made last fall. I think the flame neck and quilt body will look ridiculous

 

[Ripthorn]

Yowza on that neck blank!

 

[Skyjerk]

Lol. Well this might not seem like much of an accomplishment to some, but one skill that has eluded me for a long time is the ability to sharpen things. ANY things

scrapers, chisels, plane irons, knives, etc.

if it’s dull, I can make it more dull

‘’yes, that’s right I can forge a knife from scratch, but I can’t sharpen it. Ridiculous right? Well, I actually have a sharpener for knives that does a great job, but it doesn’t work for anything else.

‘well, with a full neck-through scratch build on my plate, and no jointer anymore, I’ll need to hand plane a bunch of 40” long, 3.5“ wide boards for the neck laminate, and my most used planes are badly in need of sharpening.

so I got hold of a veritas MK.2 honing guide and went to work on the iron in my 5 1/2 jack plane. using water stones I went through 240, 1000, 4000, and 8000 grit stones. It put a mirror polish on that iron, shaved the hair on my arm without any popping at all. It just glided through em. and did this to the edge of a hard maple board.

apologies to the guys that can just go “whip whip whip” freehand and have it shaving sharp and scoff at jigs and gizmo’s

im just super happy I found one that works for me and it did a GREAT job

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

you building knives and not being able to sharpen them is like someone building guitars and doesn't know how to play. who does that....oh, wait....nevermind. that would be me. the difference is, you will push yourself until you can.

 

[failsafe306]

I have that Veritas sharpening jig too and I swear by it. I could never get them sharp enough freehand.
I go up to 8000 on the stone and then strop on a board with an old piece of blue jean denim and they come out razor sharp.

 

[Bainzy]

If you're going as low as 240 grit then I think using the honing guide was a wise choice. It would be a shame to use a plane as well machined as that and hone the blade out of square.

I think the reason freehand sharpening works for people is really just because the angle isn't that critical on minor sharpening. As long as you're in the ballpark with your angle, its fine and freehanding it on a 4000 grit stone isn't likely to change the angle. You'll see straight away if the scratches aren't coming out at the end, and if you have ground a hollow bevel into the iron in the past then it's almost impossible to do that.

 

[Skyjerk]

If you're going as low as 240 grit then I think using the honing guide was a wise choice. It would be a shame to use a plane as well machined as that and hone the blade out of square.

I think the reason freehand sharpening works for people is really just because the angle isn't that critical on minor sharpening. As long as you're in the ballpark with your angle, its fine and freehanding it on a 4000 grit stone isn't likely to change the angle. You'll see straight away if the scratches aren't coming out at the end, and if you have ground a hollow bevel into the iron in the past then it's almost impossible to do that.

I was hoping to not have to go that low (240) but documentation I read on Lie-Nielsen planes is that they come with a 25 degree bevel out of the box, so I set the jig for 25 and started at 4000 hoping it just needed a touch up, but the jig was off. It was close, but not dead on. Trying to bring the bevel to the angle the jig was setting with a 4000 grit stone was gonna take a long time, so I backed up to a 1000 stone and even that was going to take a while. So I backed down to 240. At 240 it only took a few strokes till it was grinding the entire bevel, so then I moved back up through the grits again till it was a mirror, then stropped it.

I expect future sharpening will just be tuneups at 8000 and stropping now that the bevel precisely matches where the jig sets it

 

[bierz]

Finally got some thinned lacquer on my flamed maple capped, chambered sapele bodied, bound doublecut junior. It's humid in the Chicago area, but once that settles down I'll spray a vintage aniline burst that I hope will fade nicely.

 

[bierz]

Sprayed the burst with some bold red that I hope subdues after some time in the sun. This is my first burst so I'm happy enough with it. I'll start putting a build thread together for this.

 

[cmjohnson]

My new thing on the work bench is....a new work bench. I mean, a new shop. I've reached an agreement to start renting a 740 square foot shop space that will serve double duty for me as my guitar amp repair center and also I'll be doing guitar builds and repairs in it. I'll maintain amps for...probably....most of the local musicians and also do their guitar work as well as some new builds as time allows. And, of course, finish out some builds that started long ago and need to be brought to completion.

Today I emptied out the place to the bare walls, scrubbed the floor, and sealed and painted the floor. Tomorrow the process of moving shelving and equipment into it begins.

 

[LtDave32]

I don’t think any explanation is needed here....

View attachment 537874

laughing with you, not at you.

I'm frequently right in the middle of that. Right at the end of a build.

The guitar gets transferred to a separate table, and tools, parts and compounds get stacked up on the work bench.

Just like that.

 

[Skyjerk]

laughing with you, not at you.

I'm frequently right in the middle of that. Right at the end of a build.

The guitar gets transferred to a separate table, and tools, parts and compounds get stacked up on the work bench.

Just like that.

I'm fighting it Dave.

I have cleaned it thoroughly top to bottom since I took that picture a couple weeks ago, and its real nice at the moment

...but I suddenly have a full neck-through LP build, a full bass build, and an additional Strat neck all in the works at the same time.

If I let it get out of control now I'll have to actually sell my house and move when I'm done