Members Bowen Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 This all started off with a Peavey vypyr 15 amp that I picked up at GC. (really!) The amp looked like it had already been returned, then resealed. The only problem that I had with it was a very non-linear master volume control that made bedroom practice impossible. Back it went.While I was dealing with the return a squier bullet caught my eye. Cream body, rosewood neck, it looked very nice. I had just picked up a mim strat (my 1st good strat) and that whetted my appetite for another one. I figured that I would build one for myself using the squire to make templates from. I kept track of time for giggles.A note about the workbench, the white plastic sheet is UHMW surplus from a cleanroom assembly table. It is the work surface of the gods.Starting 0:00fresh out of the box unplayed squierTake it apart already:NeckBody with awful neck pocketBare body Note: the bridge screws were not tight to the block. I think that would have sounded a bit funny.Eastern hard maple neck blank with the squier neckHonduras mahogany 1pc body blank with the squier bodyBunch of 1/2" MDF to make templates fromTime so far: 1:15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members STROOTH Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 I've always wanted a mahogany Strat.Good luck with it mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 20, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Bandsawing the neck template. The neck is attached using a screw through a tuner hole and carpet tape.Template bandsawedProtect the neck with masking tape then use a trim bit in the router to match contours of the neck. The bit has to be raised and lowed a couple of times to do this.Neck template doneRepeat the whole process on the body2 of 4 templates completeTime 2:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shr3dSp1dER Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 good idea, but it doesnt work out if you ask me, i tried one of the fender mahogany strats and i just didnt like the tone, it was kinda dry sounding, oh well, hopefully yours will turn out better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members David E H Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Please tell me you're going to return it when you're done! That would be the absolute coolest.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 20, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Now for the fun part, cutting real wood.The body blank needs to be sized to 13" wide and 1.85" thick. I like to leave a little extra thickness for sanding or any bumps and bruises that happen during the build.Ripping to 13"Planing to 1.85"There is a wormhole and a knot in one end of the wood, so I'll use the other end. The mineral streaking in the lower right should be interesting when it is finished.Bandsawing the body blankAll sawn outAttach the templateCheck the collar for tightness on the router bit. This is VERY IMPORTANT! If that comes loose you have to go wood shopping again.Routing. I used to do this with the router upright, a router table really helps out.Body is routed. Time: 4:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricEye Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Please tell me you're going to return it when you're done! That would be the absolute coolest....LOL! I don't know why I find that funny, but I'm cracking up right now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 20, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 A coat of shellac will help prevent damage Now on to the neck. My favorite parts of building is carving the neck and shaping the contours. My least favorite is cutting the fret slots. That is compounded by the fact that I cannot use my fret miter box on the full thickness neck so I'll have to use a square. I don't want to cut fret slots the full width of the neck black either. The next few pictures show my solution. Sizing the neck blank The fender headstock is not centered on the neck so I have to find the distance from the center of the fingerboard area to each edge of the headstock side. Once I do that I can lay down center lines on the template and the neck blank and line everything up. (you can't see it in the pic, but it is there) Now I cut a dado in each side of the neck blank that is as wide as the heel but not so deep that the dados will interfere with the headstock when it is shaped. Find the nut location. I superglued an aluminum block to the square to give the fret saw more surface to bear against. Cut the left side of the nut slot Taping a stewmac slotted fingerboard to the side of the neck blank to get the fret positions from Fret positions laid out. This exacting work, the fret positions have to be spot on. I've used a marking knife and the square to mark a line on the bridge side of where the fret slot will be. Enough for today, I'll continue tomorrow. Being unemployed has it's benefits Time: 7:30 Note: sharp eyed observers will notice that this is a little out of sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 20, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Please tell me you're going to return it when you're done! That would be the absolute coolest.... It would! I have a twisted project in mind for the squier though. It will get nylon strings and a Artec AB1 transducer/preamp. I enjoy useless little projects like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crisco Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Wow! Absolutely killer job!! Thanks for posting this work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 I love this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members olgluefoot Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 looking real sharp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcindc Posted February 20, 2009 Members Share Posted February 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 22, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 Continuing..... When I was thinking about cutting the frets slots I kept on really wanting to use a miter box as opposed to cutting them bearing the fret saw against a square. The neck blank is too thick to use a normal fret slotting miter box. I really need to order a .023" table saw blade. Using scrap wood and some ball bearings I whipped together a miter box that works pretty well. It is rough and quick but cuts accurately. I got carried away and slotted the whole fingerboard before remembering to take pics. Here is a shot of the important bits. The black sharpie lines are my depth indicators. I then felt like working on the body some. I jump around a bit on these build, following my whims. I used the original template to make 2 more. One will be used to make a neck pocket/ pickup route template and the plexi template will be used for marking outlines on future builds. The pickup route is not all that terribly important as long as the pickguard covers the hole. On this template the edge of the pickguard is a little close to the edge of the route near where the tone pots go. I'll fix that before routing. The neck pocket part of the template is pretty critical to get perfect. I spent a lot of time with it to make sure that the neck is centered, aligned with the body, and set in the correct space so the bridge will be in the correct spot. Also, the neck pocket needs to be tight to look good. There are two .25" radius dimples in the corners of the neck pocket. I did this because I do not have a pattern cutting router bit that will cut a small enough radius to form that corner. This will be hidden under the pickguard of course. (Fender does this too) Neck pocket is routed. I'm going to remake the template for the next build because routing against the tiny points on the edge of the template's neck pocket was uncomfortable. The squier neck measures 2.189" across it's widest point, Fenders spec is 2.1875" so this is awfully close. My neck pocket measures 2.188". I can shove the squire neck in with a little effort. It is flush everywhere except for the 2 dimples I mentioned earlier. Time:16:45 Tomorrow I should finish routing the body and install the truss rod in the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ouzhewen Posted February 22, 2009 Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 See you tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted February 22, 2009 Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 Dude. EXCELLENT Show. Ill be waiting for the next regulary scheduled episode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members axegrinder Posted February 22, 2009 Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 ...And yet another way to skin a cat...love your approach on doing the neck. "I whipped together a miter box..." sandbagger...eagerly waiting your next installment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stricken Posted February 22, 2009 Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 I've always wanted a mahogany Strat. Good luck with it mate. And now you have a thread that shows you how to make one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metal0822 Posted February 22, 2009 Members Share Posted February 22, 2009 sweet. sub'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 23, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 I finished what I wanted to today and everything is coming along well.I started out by using a forstner bit to hog out some wood where the routes will be.Routed for the electronics. This is going to be a hardtail so no need for a trem route. I never use a trem even on my guitars that have them.Smooth the contour of the body on the oscillating belt sander. This is the best $200 you can spend if you are going build a guitar.With the body smooth I can now do the round-over. I used a 3/8" roundover in the router table. Careful around the neck pocket, and leave the heel un-contoured.I tossed the Squier parts on to see how it looks. It looks stratty to me!Preparing for the beer belly cut. After marking the body I use a japanese saw to make a bunch of cuts then knock the wood out with a hammer and chisel. After that, spokehaves. This took about 15 minutes on this body, a purpleheart body I did this to took 2 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members olgluefoot Posted February 23, 2009 Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 I love your use of hand tools. Great job man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 23, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 The forearm cut gets the same treatment as the belly cut.On to the neck and trussrod. I am using a stewmac hot rod with the adjustment at the heel.Router table, dust, noise, drill, viola!Neck is rough cut on the bandsaw and ready to template route.Step 50. Yay!Neck is contour routed. My pattern bit is getting a little dull and that means burned maple. The burn marks will go away with finial sanding.I made a purpleheart filler strip for the neck, glued it in here. Purpleheart is a very stiff high modulus wood and this will reinforce the neck quite a bit.That's it for today. Tomorrow will bring finish sanding of the body and starting on the neck shaping.Time 21:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted February 23, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 I love your use of hand tools. Great job man! Thanks, I prefer to use hand tools over power tools mostly because they are quiet and dont make nearly the amount of dust. It is a bit hard on the shoulders and back though. Chisels,scrapers, planes and spokeshaves are the way to go for some operations. If you can't shave with it, it's dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted February 23, 2009 Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 Purpleheart skunk stripe is a nice touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gergbee Posted February 23, 2009 Members Share Posted February 23, 2009 Great work! Subscribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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