Members k4df4l Posted January 11, 2010 Members Share Posted January 11, 2010 GN: Did you get the fixed base and plunge base combo on that PC router? I really dig mine. The surfacing jig is a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 11, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 11, 2010 GN: Did you get the fixed base and plunge base combo on that PC router? I really dig mine. The surfacing jig is a great idea.it's fixed and it's a really good router... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 11, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 11, 2010 bump for the day crowd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 update time...ok, tonight i have rough cut the body. this is some tough mahogany !!!my bandsaw is acting up badly... i cleaned it up and made adjustments to the tension and guides/bearings. the thing is still stalling out when i try to cut so i went with my jigsaw which never cuts a vertical 90 degrees, but i made sure the flex in the blade was moving away from center...here's the rough cut...next i used my oscillating belt sander to ensure all sides were squared up.and finally i start working on the final shape with the spindle sander...i've got a couple video clips i will post on youtube later. the upload is acting up right now...now back to my sander... it's dusty out there, even with a shop vac collecting saw dust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hardtdc Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 since the fretboard is all but finished, i started working on the body tonight... when i started buying tools to build guitars i discovered a planer to handle a guitar width was going to be very expensive (around $500 for something that can plane 15" wide). however i found a solution thanks to the guys over at MyLesPaul.com. And here's a picture. It's basically a jig that allows me to use my router to plane each side of the body wood... this pic shows the wood held in place by scraps of wood and two 1x3 pieces of pine that also play the role of side rails... there is also a router carriage that glides along the rails keeping everything level. here you can see several different sets of holes. they are used to locate the router is different locations depending on the width of the piece of wood being planed... the only requirement with this jig setup is you can only do half of each side and then you have to spin the router carriage around 180 degrees for the other side. no biggie... base of the router mounted... and the router in the base and mounted... in the case of this piece of wood it was in good shape and did not need much wood removed. here is a shot underneath the router carriage at how i have the depth of the bit set... here you can see the first couple of passes and where wood is being removed... and here is a video clip of the action in progress... planing with the homemade jig... quick hit with the orbital sander to insure i got each square inch with the router bit... and a final sanding with a sanding block to finish off side 1... Man, everything seems to be coming along great. BTW, I've got that same Porter Cable plunge/stationary combo router. I love mine. It's a great piece of equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 yup, the porter cable is nice. mine is not a plunger however...and everything is coming along nicely thus far except for my cheap ass bandsaw, it's pissing me off anyway, finally got youtube to upload, but now it looks like they are performing some kind of maintenance. the below clips should work eventually...i am going back and forth between the belt sander and spindle sander. the spindle sander must be used for the inside of the horn, but a combination of the two will get the job done [YOUTUBE]Vk_zewM2JM4[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]05r1Knj-8L0[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 the rigid sander really does a nice job on the sides. they come out damn near perfect...but not completely. so the final step will be sanding down the sides with a sanding block, going from 100 grit up to 220 this is a nice chunk of wood ...top side to be covered by maple cap...and check out the backside, SEXY !!! love the grain pattern This is gonna be a sweet looking guitar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nevermind Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Danny, Your bandsaw is having issues with thick wood because it has a raker tooth blade. Raker blades are meant for thinner wood stock than you will be using, causing a lot of drag and heat in the thicker wood. They give a great smooth cut in thin wood, but aren't ideal for what you wanna do. I checked the Skil site and it listed the blade type but not length. Look up your blade length and then find yourself a hook blade or a positive claw blade. I use the Timber Wolf brand blades sold by Grizzly and they last forever. The raker type blade would be really good on your maple tops. The one you have is probably very dull now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members faberbz Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 You cut that thing out with a jigsaw?! looking real good, man real good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 Danny, Your bandsaw is having issues with thick wood because it has a raker tooth blade. Raker blades are meant for thinner wood stock than you will be using, causing a lot of drag and heat in the thicker wood. They give a great smooth cut in thin wood, but aren't ideal for what you wanna do. I checked the Skil site and it listed the blade type but not length. Look up your blade length and then find yourself a hook blade or a positive claw blade. I use the Timber Wolf brand blades sold by Grizzly and they last forever. The raker type blade would be really good on your maple tops. The one you have is probably very dull now though. the length is 59-1/2" and my blade is 6 TPI blade. It worked great for while and even did okay on the first neck blank i did. not great but ok. i bought another new blade...http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ5yoea/R-100169504/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053and it sucks too and it just seems to get worse it will bog down and stall on a 3/4" piece of plywood now.i have to investigate hook blades or a positive claw blades to see what they are... btw, i read some where that more TPI would help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 You cut that thing out with a jigsaw?! looking real good, man real good unfortunately and it was slow, but faster than my bandsaw thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nevermind Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 the length is 59-1/2" and my blade is 6 TPI blade. It worked great for while and even did okay on the first neck blank i did. not great but ok. i bought another new blade... http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ5yoea/R-100169504/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053and it sucks too and it just seems to get worse it will bog down and stall on a 3/4" piece of plywood now. i have to investigate hook blades or a positive claw blades to see what they are... btw, i read some where that more TPI would help.... check the blade teeth and make sure you didn't flip the blade when you put it on, if a newish blade is cutting that poorly it almost has to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 either one of these should work on my bandsaw...http://www.grizzly.com/products/59-1-4-x-1-4-x-025-x-6-TPI-Hook-Bandsaw-Blade/T21257http://www.grizzly.com/products/59-1-4-x-3-8-x-025-x-6-TPI-Hook-Bandsaw-Blade/T21260but they don't have a positive claw blade and i am reading those are the best that's what i get for buying an inexpensive bandsaw.i guess i will try the hook blades and see if there is a big difference... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 check the blade teeth and make sure you didn't flip the blade when you put it on, if a newish blade is cutting that poorly it almost has to beplease don't tell me this is upside down.... btw, this is the old blade, i put it back on after all the adjustments i made cuz the new one was sucking...this one sucks too, but not quite as bad as the newer one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 btw, after cutting down the body blank, the weight has gone from 13 lbs to 8 lbs...the maple cap, mahogany body fretboard and rough cut neck weigh 10.2 lbs, so i suspect this guitar is gonna come in with a total weight of 9.5 - 10 lbs....i assumed it was gonna be a little on the heavy side, but i'm okay with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 btw, after cutting down the body blank, the weight has gone from 13 lbs to 8 lbs... the maple cap, mahogany body fretboard and rough cut neck weigh 10.2 lbs, so i suspect this guitar is gonna come in with a total weight of 9.5 - 10 lbs.... i assumed it was gonna be a little on the heavy side, but i'm okay with that the wood parts are only about 1/2 the total weight of the guitar. anyhow, look for a delta brand 3/8" blade. thats what ive been using ant they are great. you do need to have the saw set up with perfect tension though. first thing i learned was that too much tension was actually worse than not enough. when cutting mahogany, i dont have to use more than a little finger pressure to push it through fairly quickly - and my saw probably sucks worse than yours . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 the wood parts are only about 1/2 the total weight of the guitar. anyhow, look for a delta brand 3/8" blade. thats what ive been using ant they are great. you do need to have the saw set up with perfect tension though. first thing i learned was that too much tension was actually worse than not enough. when cutting mahogany, i dont have to use more than a little finger pressure to push it through fairly quickly - and my saw probably sucks worse than yours . wow, the wood is only have the weight??? i find it hard to believe i am making a 16 lb guitar :poke:i have made adjustments to the side guides, the back bearings, the tension from very tight to loose and played with the wheel angle to keep the blade centered on the wheels...if you don't use more than finger pressure and it works fairly quickly there is something drastically wrong with mine... when i first got it, it worked fine. then after some use it just started sucking. that's when i bought another blade, watched some youtube vids on setup and started trying to correct whatever issue it is i am having... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 wow, the wood is only have the weight??? i find it hard to believe i am making a 16 lb guitar :poke: i have made adjustments to the side guides, the back bearings, the tension from very tight to loose and played with the wheel angle to keep the blade centered on the wheels... if you don't use more than finger pressure and it works fairly quickly there is something drastically wrong with mine... when i first got it, it worked fine. then after some use it just started sucking. that's when i bought another blade, watched some youtube vids on setup and started trying to correct whatever issue it is i am having... home depot blade = garbage. find the delta blade. part number 28-178.as for weight. you still need to carve a fair bit away, and i think your blank is probably still thicker than a standard LP. a "heavy" lp body including the cap is usually only 5-6 lbs i think.wood might be a little more than half . but all the non wood bits can hit 2-3 lbs+ easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nevermind Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 heavy? Keep in mind the size of my body blank is still 16X24X1.86 and the cap is 16x24x.75, but I weighed them just for giggles..................20.13 lbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 heavy? Keep in mind the size of my body blank is still 16X24X1.86 and the cap is 16x24x.75, but I weighed them just for giggles..................20.13 lbs an my african mahogany SG build is 3lbs... for the finsihed body, neck, truss rod, fretboard.....i put the tuners on and was shocked how much an imact they made on weight. (most tuners are over 1/2 a pound) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 home depot blade = garbage. find the delta blade. part number 28-178. as for weight. you still need to carve a fair bit away, and i think your blank is probably still thicker than a standard LP. a "heavy" lp body including the cap is usually only 5-6 lbs i think. wood might be a little more than half . but all the non wood bits can hit 2-3 lbs+ easy. what type is the delta, raker or hook?ok, i can see 2-3 lbs for the non wood stuff... and my mahogany is a little thick. i may end up taking another 1 to 1.5 mm off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 heavy? Keep in mind the size of my body blank is still 16X24X1.86 and the cap is 16x24x.75, but I weighed them just for giggles..................20.13 lbs whoa !!! :eek: better start eating your wheaties well when i think about mine, i still more than half of the neck blank to come off. there will also be quite a bit of routing and some angle planing on the body, so i can see that 10.2 lbs coming down by 3-4 lbs. so mine should end up around 6 or 7 lbs before hardware... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted January 12, 2010 Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 what type is the delta, raker or hook?ok, i can see 2-3 lbs for the non wood stuff... and my mahogany is a little thick. i may end up taking another 1 to 1.5 mm off... i dont know what kind of blade. just find that number and your set. ive resawn 3" lignum vitae with it (whick killed 1 blade in 25", haha). ive done a number of 3" hard maple blocks for necks, purpleheart as well. cuts very straight, especially given i do things freehand. with the vermont american home crapot balde it couldnt even cut poplar straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 by comparison i just weighed my cedar/aspen build, and it is a bit smaller all the way around by probably 1/8" in all directions, but the body, neck, pickups and truss rod weigh in at 4.8 lbs... a baby.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarNoobie Posted January 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 12, 2010 i dont know what kind of blade. just find that number and your set. ive resawn 3" lignum vitae with it (whick killed 1 blade in 25", haha). ive done a number of 3" hard maple blocks for necks, purpleheart as well. cuts very straight, especially given i do things freehand.with the vermont american home crapot balde it couldnt even cut poplar straight. well it sounds like you and Brian are telling me to invest in a better blade, so that is the direction i will look to next. i just wonder what went wrong, because it worked fine when i first bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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