First amateur scratch guitar build, continued: cedar/mahogany medium jumbo - Page 8

Kitchen Guitars · #**106** 04-24-2012, 06:59 AM

Ummmm thats my Laser saw. Yea! Thats the ticket.....Laser saw
I gotta get a new blade on that thing!

prsplayer12 · #**107** 05-01-2012, 05:48 PM

Any more progress?

Neil K Walk · #**108** 05-02-2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prsplayer12

Any more progress?

Not really. My guitar is still at Kitchen Guitars' place because the humidity in my basement has been swinging wildly so I can only put in as much as John is able to accommodate me. I was there on Friday night for a couple of hours but all I really did was tack down some loose purfling on the top and start chiseling and filing away at the sides of the mortise slot and around the tenon so that I can get them to fit together and keep everything centered. I'm sure there's a jig out there but my barrel bolts are a little wider than the pre-slotted neck block which complicates things. As always I'm proceeding slowly. I wish I'd taken a pic but the end of the neck blank looks a lot cleaner and the top of the tenon just fits inside the neck block. I could work on the neck here but I want to keep them together so that I can regularly check to see how they fit.

Meanwhile, I still have the rosewood faceplate here and a mockup of the headstock in Adobe Illustrator here on my computer. I should probably be working on that.

Neil K Walk · #**109** 05-07-2012, 11:34 AM

I figured that since late nights are out of the question with my older son waking every night and causing mayhem maybe I should bring my stuff back home. The basement RH is stable in the mid-40 percentile and I'm looking to finish the binding and start setting the neck. This morning I got everything to the point where the tenon fits in the mortise:

Just to compare the sizes I set it among my Larrivee OM-03R and my Martin D-16GT. The angle is a little deceptive but it falls somewhere in between. The lower bout is about an inch wider than the OM and the depth is comparable to the D.

I still have to drill in the bolt holes but I'm nearly ready to start setting the neck angle. I need to use that centerline finder doohickie that my friend lent me though, but so far things look pretty good.

Mary · #**110** 05-07-2012, 07:05 PM

It looks great, Neil. Impressive!

Kitchen Guitars · #**111** 05-07-2012, 08:40 PM

Feels great getting the neck near the goal that first time huh?!!

Neil K Walk · #**112** 05-23-2012, 07:58 AM

I've done a little filing off of materials but I've still got some measuring to do in order to button down the neck angle and finally set the neck with those bolts:

Here's the patient on my messy messy workbench. I'm using a Martin belly bridge to prop up the body but it won't be the one I'm using. The plans call for a Taylor style bridge and I like the lines better. The flat edge is lined up at the correct scale length of 25.5". After working the cheeks and sides of the tenon, things are no longer snug but I'm hoping that a shim would help if necessary.

As you can see, there's still a bit of a gap as the tenon does not fit all the way into the mortise. I have yet to cut the taper on the hell too so I think I'm OK. If I'm not, somebody please tell me!

Despite my best efforts it looks like I've got the dreaded 14th fret hump. I do have to route out more of the top for the truss rod to drop in though.

IIRC my top has a 28' radius but what the heck is going on with the soundhole? Is that normal?

A touch under 1/8" which looks to be in the ball park. Like I said, I have a bit more measuring to do.

Meanwhile, I have to address the lineup of the bolts that will enter into the tenon and pass through embedded barrel bolts. I don't have a drill press so I'm a bit worried that I won't get the perfect alignment from this contraption I bought at Harbor Freight:

So far I'm still measuring things. I'm kind of scared because these steps need to be just about perfect.

Mary · #**113** 05-24-2012, 06:09 AM

Slow and easy wins the race, Neil. I like seeing the perfectionist in your project.

The McJam is in two weeks. During your "open mic" time I am requesting that you give a few details about your first guitar build adventures. I have no doubt that others who are not on AGF will find this interesting.

Neil K Walk · #**114** 05-24-2012, 07:12 PM

2 weeks, you say? I need to pay my dues then. I got a room and will be sharing with my friend Mark - the guy with the Larrivees, not the one with the banjitar!

BTW, I need a new red T-shirt.

I hoped to be into carving the neck by this point but now I doubt it will have progressed much beyond this point intime for the McJam. I'll bring it along but I'm fearful of what else Tim will tell me to do over!

Kitchen Guitars · #**115** 05-25-2012, 04:38 AM

I keep seeing new tools sneaking into your workshop

Pretty soon I'll be swinging by on you to use your tools!

Neil K Walk · #**116** 05-25-2012, 07:30 AM

LOL, that's because they're yours!!!

When do you want them back?

paul678 · #**117** 05-27-2012, 01:21 PM

Neil, where did you get the cool profile tool, to get the back
of the neck radius? It reminds me of the thing you can get with
all the pins mounted in plastic, that can conform to your face,
or anything you put in it.

Also, excuse my newbie question, but it looks like this neck
bolts on through the side. I've seen bolt-ons with the bolt
straight, along the length, but not through the side.

Also, why not a dove-tail?

Neil K Walk · #**118** 05-27-2012, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul678

Neil, where did you get the cool profile tool, to get the back
of the neck radius? It reminds me of the thing you can get with
all the pins mounted in plastic, that can conform to your face,
or anything you put in it.

Also, excuse my newbie question, but it looks like this neck
bolts on through the side. I've seen bolt-ons with the bolt
straight, along the length, but not through the side.

Also, why not a dove-tail?

The tools is called a contour gauge. Mine is metal but I'm told plastic is preferable. I bought it at Home Depot for $10 or so but the pins are hard to push in and can mark the surface you're trying to copy. Harbor Freight carries the plastic kind.

As for the bolts, there are two kinds in play. The holes in the side of the tenon are for barrel bolts that are used to put together prefab furniture like Ikea. There's a a threaded hole in the middle that will accept the bolts that will pass into a pair of matching holes in both the neck block and the tenon on the neck. I'm just not ready to drill the holes yet because I have to finish the body binding and flatten the sides so that everything sits perfectly flush. Once that does I'll move on to drilling the bolt holes and cut the angle on the sides if the heel so that I can start carving in earnest.

As for the choice of neck joint, I'm not skilled enough or equipped to rout out a dovetail joint and glue it up to have the neck angle perfect the first time. I'm not even going to use glue except to glue down the fingerboard. Even then I'm not sold on it; some builders even bolt on the fingerboard extension.

paul678 · #**119** 05-27-2012, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwakatak

The tools is called a contour gauge. Mine is metal but I'm told plastic is preferable. I bought it at Home Depot for $10 or so but the pins are hard to push in and can mark the surface you're trying to copy. Harbor Freight carries the plastic kind.

As for the bolts, there are two kinds in play. The holes in the side of the tenon are for barrel bolts that are used to put together prefab furniture like Ikea. There's a a threaded hole in the middle that will accept the bolts that will pass into a pair of matching holes in both the neck block and the tenon on the neck. I'm just not ready to drill the holes yet because I have to finish the body binding and flatten the sides so that everything sits perfectly flush. Once that does I'll move on to drilling the bolt holes and cut the angle on the sides if the heel so that I can start carving in earnest.

As for the choice of neck joint, I'm not skilled enough or equipped to rout out a dovetail joint and glue it up to have the neck angle perfect the first time. I'm not even going to use glue except to glue down the fingerboard. Even then I'm not sold on it; some builders even bolt on the fingerboard extension.

Ok, I saw a contour gauge at ACE today. Interesting tool, but it was the metal kind as well.

If this is a bolt-on, will you be able to adjust the neck angle with
shimming, just like you can with a bolt-on electric guitar?

It's great that you are documenting this...very instructive...and it
kinda gives us a taste of the difficulties involved, before we make
the jump to try ourselves! Thanks!

Neil K Walk · #**120** 05-30-2012, 07:31 PM

OK, I got a couple of questions for you luthier types out there. I'm trying to get the angle on the neck's surface close before cutting in the angle but it feels like this should wait until after the heel is shaped and I've carved into the cheeks and just worry about getting the neck center aligned with the body. So right now I believe I have two factors to consider:

1: lining up the bolt holes in the tenon with those in the neck block so that I can keep my neck centered, and

2: getting reasonably close to my neck angle before carving the heel.

So when is the best time to drill the bolt holes in the tenon and the neck block? Is it before the neck angle is set or after? If before and you're doing a scratch neck blank like I am them should I also do it before I shape the heel?