Practice build: 5-string multi-scale, HD woods

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by Beej

Politely, your paranomastic proclivity for provenient provocative purlicue puns pleases properly Poindexterish pacable people and pacificates purulent pricks while promoting proper pyrexic punctiliousness plus psychomachy amongst... ah screw it, your puns piss me off!

Pun? Wasn't it a metaphor?

Meanwhile, anyone with alliteration-driven angst 'as already advanced an adieu.

[jworrellbass]

Hi Pete, like a few others I thought you where already an seasoned builder, you're very knowledgeable about building. I love the shape and I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. Good luck!
John

[LGT]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

Pun? Wasn't it a metaphor?

Meanwhile, anyone with alliteration-driven angst 'as already advanced an adieu.

I'd say that it was both a pun and a metaphor.

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

Hi Pete, like a few others I thought you where already an seasoned builder, you're very knowledgeable about building. I love the shape and I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. Good luck!
John

Glad you like the shape, thanks John!

No, I haven't been able to build until now, I've just been way too interested, and learning as much as I can without making (guitar-related) sawdust. Hopefully I've never misrepresented myself, I try to make it clear what's from experience, what's insight coming from an engineering background, (occasionally) what's a quote from the "experts", and what's an opinion.

[BassCycle]

I'l be watching this. Looks verrry interesting.

[Rickett Customs]

C'mon PJ get some sawdust before the first page expires

[pilotjones]

I should have taken a pic of all the wood flour produced from the MDF, before I swept it up. Man, that stuff sticks to the walls, tools, everything.

I also found, while wetting the wood for the pics, just how willingly padauk will color anything it touches.

[Musiclogic]

LMAO...yeah, color bleed with Padauk can be an experience.

[pilotjones]

One more small observation. Add to the list of tools that are made for right-handers, one that was not obvious until I tried it: bandsaws.

[Ruckus_Instrmts]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

One more small observation. Add to the list of tools that are made for right-handers, one that was not obvious until I tried it: bandsaws.

Huh? I use both hands when running the bandsaw.
Of course I'm bias here, being right handed and all.

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by Ruckus_Instrmts

Huh? I use both hands when running the bandsaw.
Of course I'm bias here, being right handed and all.

At least with my saw,
when you are cutting, you've got your object in front of you, the blade some where between in front of you and to your left, and the throat and the pain-in-the-*** immovable object of the post further to the left beyond the blade. Now imagine all of that reversed.

As I was cutting, I found myself thinking it would be easier for me to have all that reversed.

[Ruckus_Instrmts]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

. Now imagine all of that reversed.

As I was cutting, I found myself thinking it would be easier for me to have all that reversed.

I guess there is such a thing as a left handed bandsaw, although the author states it has nothing to do with being righty or lefty.
http://books.google.com/books?id=dL1...%20saw&f=false

[pilotjones]

Yesterday I thought about the woods I have, and the level of complexity I wanted to do (to rule some things out), and decided that this will be a neck-thru.

I am going to make the neck shaft taper continue all the way through the body, as I prefer that look to the parallel-edges alternative. Somewhat harder to glue up I imagine, but I'll try it. It looks good on Ken Smith basses.

I'm going to include some details here that many of you who have been through this will find obvious and boring, but maybe they could help someone just starting (like myself).

So, I then got to lay out the body shape onto the wood. Working with a fairly long maple board, with the two sides available, this took a bit of time. I'm trying to get the nicest match possible between body halves, despite not having a bookmatched set to work with. After monkeying with the template for a while, I realized that I was better off putting great big pencil circles around the defects that I didn't want in the body, and that was helpful. Also, i scribbled proposed "grain lines" from the possible sites onto the template to help try and guess what the two halves would look like together.

Finally I came up with this.

treble side:


bass side:


Both pieces laid atop the template:

[BassCycle]

I see wood! I like the way you are matching the grain patterns to the body shape. Looks like maple, yes?

[pilotjones]

Today I cut the maple for the body tops from the board (pic in previous post).

I then did the deciding and layout of the poplar for the body back. First I trimmed 1/8" from the mangled edge of the board I got for a discount at Home Depot:

I cut it so that part of the largest chip remained, since it wouldn't present a problem in final use.

I ripped it (not shown), and then cut it at the point between the two body halves:


Then I trimmed about 1/8" from the inside edge of one of the two pieces, so that it would be a bit closer to a bookmatch:




After that I went about setting up the glue-up. I know I will be playing pretty close with the wood, so in order to prevent slippage, I put registration holes in the boards:

These were drilled at 5/64", which gives a firm slip fit on a straight four penny finishing nail. Not shown is that I added a bit of counterbore, so that the heads can be sub-flush for clamping, yet exposed to be grabbed by pliers for removal.



I am not at all fond of the yellow-greenishness of some of the poplar (note, this is liriodendron "tulip" or "yellow" poplar, not true poplar), and it looks horrible to me next to the maple. So I figured it will benefit from a veneer line to separate them, and to make it easier if I decide to stain or paint the back only. Beyond that I need to get experience with the veneer layering.

The layers then will be maple top, walnut divider, poplar back. I am gluing these up at one time, using titebond.

I used some pieces of 1/16 x 3 x 24" walnut that I had on hand. These had to be pieced, both because they are individually narrower than needed, and to try to get as good as possible a color match at the eventual body side reveal. When this finally gets cut to shape I'll find out whether I successfully held the gaps closed, or if there are any gaps to be filled with walnut dust or splinters.



I don't have any pics of mid-glue-up, but here is the treble side clamped:


and, with the table turned around, the bass side clamped:


They've been in the clamps for two hours now, and I know you're supposed to be able to unclamp after an hour. But I'm a bit wary of problems since there are two layers of glue and therefore a bit of moisture in there, so I'm leaving it clamped overnight.

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by BassCycle

I see wood! I like the way you are matching the grain patterns to the body shape. Looks like maple, yes?

Thanks, JD. Yes, maple.

[pilotjones]

Oh, by the way, although I'm nothing remotely like a commercial builder (or commercial user of the forum), I like to approach it as if it could, off in a dream someday, turn into a business. So, this is serial number AD0001, and the name of the model / body style is the Storm King.

[mikeyswood]

Originally Posted by pilotjones

That poor glue bottle!

[MarkA]

Subscribed!

[pilotjones]

Originally Posted by mikeyswood

That poor glue bottle!

In its final day of service, it gave its all. It's been reused for years, refilling from a large bottle, which is refilled from the gallon jug.