Kahless
Active Member
I'm afraid it will not have those little love heart inlays, although i was toying with the idea when i saw love-heart jewellery on ebay!
Thanks for the compliments Mysticlamp and simulclass83.
Now it is body Routing time!! This is alot of fun!
The plywood template needs to be raised a little for the template pattern bit, otherwise i'd be making to deep a cut on the first pass for my liking/skill.
For this i am using some scrap plywood (a very useful tool) and double sided tape (also, amazingly useful).
Here is my working environment.
The little bench is pretty stable, and kneeling on the ground i get a good eye level view of everything without having to bend... Though i do have to kneel![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
For stability i routed two holes through the template and into the body blank, and plugged two big screws in there. This allows the raised plywood template to easily hold the weight of the router while keeping everything aligned.
The screws only screw in where the pickup routs will be, so don't worry, there are no big holes punched into the final body![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Ouch! I did chip the template somehow. I could milliput the gap and sand smooth in a day but there's not enough time - I must continue carefully.
Lunchtime! While still coated in sawdust (minus the hands) I can operate the kettle (cup a soup) and the butter with more precision than I can operate the router.
I used the other end of a craft pen to clean sawdust out the channel as I routed. I'd be better off with a Jigsaw for this, but then i'd be better off with a bandsaw than with a Jigsaw, I have what i have, for now.
Progress. It is getting dim, and also i have to go out tonight, so unfortunately have to dust everything off, and take it all apart, to then set it up again the next day.
Pondering.
I got some Macassar Ebony veneer off of eBay - The sheets all have a kink in them- they were really cheap for that reason.
You may wonder, what is inbetween those two oak planks being clamped up?
The fingerboard - overlaid with Ebony veneer! The ebony should provide a harder surface than the Mahogany underneath. I cut it very carefully to look seemless once the frets are in, with each join being hidden by frets, and with each sheet joining up.
The black marks are from cheap electrical tape that i used to help keep things aligned while clamping :/ I'll have to see how it goes..
Here i am trimming the excess.
And here it is sitting over the neck - I'm really happy with that look in combination with the headstock. Thats an old bankcard that I use for clamping protection so fantasy csi magic to sharpen up images will not get you my money![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
And now the body is cut out!
From different angles;
Here is the body and fingerboard being vision-tested.
I am also planning to use the Macassar Ebony veneer to nicen the sides;
It's a pain to cover up that fantastic grain, but there are some damagy gaps filled with mlliput and really oddly placed seamlines to cover up.
I may also put spruce down the middle of the front of the body;
Advantages: It will go with the headstock, can allow me to route wiring channels then cover them, and may even add a slight brightness to the tone (tempted to experiment and create a hollow U channel under the bridge). It also stops the black sides from having a Mutton-Chop effect on the overall look of the guitar, which i can't have :/
Disadvantages: Spruce ontop of Mahogany; I could go to Hell for that.
Also, eew, this picture really makes me want to sand that top smooth! So scratchy. But i am a slow worker and it oxides quickly, so i'll be leaving it for now.
Taking the scraps, the fingerboard and a bridge, I tested this wee idea; perhaps I could make some kind of Electric Zither one day.
Thanks for the compliments Mysticlamp and simulclass83.
Now it is body Routing time!! This is alot of fun!
The plywood template needs to be raised a little for the template pattern bit, otherwise i'd be making to deep a cut on the first pass for my liking/skill.
![og1Uo.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/og1Uo.jpg)
For this i am using some scrap plywood (a very useful tool) and double sided tape (also, amazingly useful).
![5fioh.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/5fioh.jpg)
Here is my working environment.
The little bench is pretty stable, and kneeling on the ground i get a good eye level view of everything without having to bend... Though i do have to kneel
For stability i routed two holes through the template and into the body blank, and plugged two big screws in there. This allows the raised plywood template to easily hold the weight of the router while keeping everything aligned.
The screws only screw in where the pickup routs will be, so don't worry, there are no big holes punched into the final body
![dfVXq.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/dfVXq.jpg)
Ouch! I did chip the template somehow. I could milliput the gap and sand smooth in a day but there's not enough time - I must continue carefully.
![7d1rR.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/7d1rR.jpg)
Lunchtime! While still coated in sawdust (minus the hands) I can operate the kettle (cup a soup) and the butter with more precision than I can operate the router.
![PTUqj.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/PTUqj.jpg)
I used the other end of a craft pen to clean sawdust out the channel as I routed. I'd be better off with a Jigsaw for this, but then i'd be better off with a bandsaw than with a Jigsaw, I have what i have, for now.
![JaIid.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/JaIid.jpg)
Progress. It is getting dim, and also i have to go out tonight, so unfortunately have to dust everything off, and take it all apart, to then set it up again the next day.
![3PuWA.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/3PuWA.jpg)
Pondering.
I got some Macassar Ebony veneer off of eBay - The sheets all have a kink in them- they were really cheap for that reason.
![wS1yQ.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/wS1yQ.jpg)
You may wonder, what is inbetween those two oak planks being clamped up?
![hMdYi.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/hMdYi.jpg)
The fingerboard - overlaid with Ebony veneer! The ebony should provide a harder surface than the Mahogany underneath. I cut it very carefully to look seemless once the frets are in, with each join being hidden by frets, and with each sheet joining up.
The black marks are from cheap electrical tape that i used to help keep things aligned while clamping :/ I'll have to see how it goes..
![2tcRJ.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/2tcRJ.jpg)
Here i am trimming the excess.
![6jgGf.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/6jgGf.jpg)
And here it is sitting over the neck - I'm really happy with that look in combination with the headstock. Thats an old bankcard that I use for clamping protection so fantasy csi magic to sharpen up images will not get you my money
And now the body is cut out!
From different angles;
![4AmpM.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/4AmpM.jpg)
![3n6VF.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/3n6VF.jpg)
![zaOQW.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/zaOQW.jpg)
![oN0Ti.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/oN0Ti.jpg)
![EWWmr.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/EWWmr.jpg)
Here is the body and fingerboard being vision-tested.
![W9ltt.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/W9ltt.jpg)
I am also planning to use the Macassar Ebony veneer to nicen the sides;
It's a pain to cover up that fantastic grain, but there are some damagy gaps filled with mlliput and really oddly placed seamlines to cover up.
I may also put spruce down the middle of the front of the body;
Advantages: It will go with the headstock, can allow me to route wiring channels then cover them, and may even add a slight brightness to the tone (tempted to experiment and create a hollow U channel under the bridge). It also stops the black sides from having a Mutton-Chop effect on the overall look of the guitar, which i can't have :/
Disadvantages: Spruce ontop of Mahogany; I could go to Hell for that.
Also, eew, this picture really makes me want to sand that top smooth! So scratchy. But i am a slow worker and it oxides quickly, so i'll be leaving it for now.
![s3V1v.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/s3V1v.jpg)
Taking the scraps, the fingerboard and a bridge, I tested this wee idea; perhaps I could make some kind of Electric Zither one day.