4001 Mashup

[mapleglo]

How did I miss this build? I'm a fan Maple! What the heck? Sub'd

For some reason, I think a "subscription" to a thread runs out or something. I've experienced the same thing.

I started putting in the side dots.

Two more to go.

And done.

Pretty straight and even. I think two are ever so slightly off from the others, but I can live with it.

I ran into a slight problem with the radius block though.

It's just not wide enough. I'm not sure what I'll do about that. Maybe just go for it, and clean up the edges as I go along.

 

[JIO]

It may help keep it even. (creating a fence for it?) I've never done one but I would be tempted to develop a system w/level bubbles to keep the depth 'level'. Maybe that would be overkill...

 

[ctmullins]

The neck feels nice now, though I wouldn't mind it being just a tad thinner.

Every time I carve a neck, I get it down to where it feels good under my hand. Then I add frets, and eventually add strings, and I suddenly discover that it feels a bit too chunky. But I suppose it's preferable to shave it down a bit before finishing, rather than getting it too thin earlier in the process.

Looking great! Will you please come down and build me an air-conditioned shop? I'll make homemade pizza for you!

 

[eightyearsapril]

My radius block wasn't wide enough for my six string fingerboard, but as long as I kept it on the board, it was not a problem.

 

[Martin Beer]

Every time I carve a neck, I get it down to where it feels good under my hand. Then I add frets, and eventually add strings, and I suddenly discover that it feels a bit too chunky. But I suppose it's preferable to shave it down a bit before finishing, rather than getting it too thin earlier in the process.

That's exactly what happened to me the couple of times I've carved necks, so I guess it's an easy thing to do! On the first one I went back and shaved it down later, on the other I left it just a little on the chunky side, as I discovered that a bigger neck reduced the carpal tunnel issues I had at the time.

 

[mapleglo]

Every time I carve a neck, I get it down to where it feels good under my hand. Then I add frets, and eventually add strings, and I suddenly discover that it feels a bit too chunky. But I suppose it's preferable to shave it down a bit before finishing, rather than getting it too thin earlier in the process.

Looking great! Will you please come down and build me an air-conditioned shop? I'll make homemade pizza for you!

That's exactly what happened to me the couple of times I've carved necks, so I guess it's an easy thing to do! On the first one I went back and shaved it down later, on the other I left it just a little on the chunky side, as I discovered that a bigger neck reduced the carpal tunnel issues I had at the time.

Same thing happened on my last build, the axe. Felt pretty good after shaping the neck, then added the epoxy fingerboard and strings, and it was really chunky. I'm trying to learn from that and use that knowledge on this build. Hope I don't go overboard.

My radius block wasn't wide enough for my six string fingerboard, but as long as I kept it on the board, it was not a problem.

I started on the radius today. You're right, it doesn't appear to be a problem

It's hard work though, and the A/C unit we put in the workshop might be underpowered. It's still pretty warm in there. I guess we'll have to insulate that side wall. Perhaps that will help.

Well, I'm taking break now. We're going to watch an episode of Orange is the New Black.

 

[Robert Canfield]

BTW, love the lamp stand!

 

[mapleglo]

My life is sanding...

Seems I sanded right through one of the octave fingerboard markers, and a sanded out parts of the fret slots. Apparently, I'm putting more pressure on the closer side of the board.

Re-drilling that hole in the right place is going to be next to impossible. Not sure what I'll do.

 

[Splods]

Dig out the remaining material. The drill bit would've left a tiny hole right in the middle that you can use to re position the drill bit. Good luck.

 

[Splods]

Also, flip the neck around every 5 minutes or so, because you will keep putting more pressure on the side closest to you.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

I assume the challenge you are concerned about is keeping the bit centered so that it does not wander, as well as getting it properly centered. One possible solution would be to do the following (or some incarnation of the process):

1. Drill out a "template" from a piece of MDF, plywood, etc. This would be your bit guide that keeps things straight and going in the right direction.
2. Place the guide over the location you want to drill and use a sharpie, pencil, etc to verify positioning.
3. You may need to make the guide over sized and put blocks on either side of the neck due to keep things level considering your radius sanding thus far.
4. Clamp every thing down and check things again. And then check them a third time.
5. Drill very slowly and carefully checking progress often.

I really feel for you on the radius sanding - it's a huge pain.

 

[mapleglo]

Thanks for the tips guys

Cleaning up the fret slots was easy enough.

And @Splods was right, the remainder of the original center hole from when I drilled out the holes was still there. I just went for it with the hand drill.

The center hole was deep enough to keep the bit in place. I'll let that cure for a few minutes and then sand it down. Good tip to switch the board around during radiusing as well. Wish I had thought of that while I was doing it. I don't want to take the board down any more though. It's pretty thin. In fact the fret slots are just about even with the top of the neck itself. I may have made the fretboard too thin. Well, forge ahead.

...

I really feel for you on the radius sanding - it's a huge pain.

You are not kidding. Though it only took about an hour or so, and I only had to switch out the sand paper once, my arms feel like rubber now. I think I'll take a break and eat some breakfast.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

Thanks for the tips guys

And @Splods was right, the remainder of the original center hole from when I drilled out the holes was still there. I just went for it with the hand drill.

The center hole was deep enough to keep the bit in place. I'll let that cure for a few minutes and then sand it down. Good tip to switch the board around during radiusing as well. Wish I had thought of that while I was doing it. I don't want to take the board down any more though. It's pretty thin. In fact the fret slots are just about even with the top of the neck itself. I may have made the fretboard too thin. Well, forge ahead.

Good job! I would have borked that up for sure doing it free hand.

 

[BTL]

You have a great sense of adventure...I love watching your builds!

 

[ctmullins]

Good save. That's one reason I prefer a 20" radius (but the main reason is playability).

 

[mapleglo]

So I thought I'd be ready to start fretting.

Really? 4 feet of fret wire isn't enough to do a 21 fret, 5 string? 2 frets short?

For goodness sake. Well, I guess I have to order another 4 feet. Good thing they're in California. Should be here on Tuesday.

*grumble*

Anyway, now I can put some thought into how I'm going to do this, since this is my first time installing frets. Hammer them in? Press them in? Brass hammer? Home made press or store bought?

 

[JIO]

Anyway, now I can put some thought into how I'm going to do this, since this is my first time installing frets. Hammer them in? Press them in? Brass hammer? Home made press or store bought?

I'd keep it simple - I've seen vids of Fender employees tapping them in by hand (rubber mallet?) As long as they are relatively consistent, your leveling will be what counts. Lots of tutorials on-line. I recently wanted to know how to remove Gibson-style bridge posts effectively. I saw a few completely different methods on youtube and the simplest was the best.

 

[mapleglo]

So my husband had to work today. Needless to say, I'm running around town unsupervised. So I figure I'll go to Home Depot and pick up a soft hammer for fretting.

As if I can go to Home Depot and only buy one thing.

6 Bessey bar clamps for $25? I should have bought two packs. And I'll need the fret end nipper. And rubber gloves so I don't super glue my fingers to the frets. And a few other odds and ends.

And then I stopped by the record store and bought a long overdue copy of Rush's Moving Pictures.

I did get a hammer though...

In the mean time, I figured I'd start to make some pickup covers. I have some scrap Ash in the wood pile, so I'll see how that looks. I've got a routing template gluing up.

 

[ctmullins]

Plastic headed hammer, yeah? Rubber would never work. Mine is plastic on one side and brass on the other. Not sure which side works better...

Be sure and keep the hammer head level with the fingerboard. First time I fretted a board I didn't keep my hammer level, and I left a few dents in the fingerboard as a result. I guess I could have steamed them out, but I didn't.

Shame about the wire. I can usually squeeze 22 frets from a four-foot length. I like my fingerboards narrow, though, so my frets aren't very long.

 

[mapleglo]

Plastic headed hammer, yeah? Rubber would never work. Mine is plastic on one side and brass on the other. Not sure which side works better...

Be sure and keep the hammer head level with the fingerboard. First time I fretted a board I didn't keep my hammer level, and I left a few dents in the fingerboard as a result. I guess I could have steamed them out, but I didn't.

Shame about the wire. I can usually squeeze 22 frets from a four-foot length. I like my fingerboards narrow, though, so my frets aren't very long.

Yeah, it's plastic on one side and rubber on the other. They had brass hammers but they were more than I was willing to spend. I still may make some kind of press - I have one of those Kreg clamps which I could fit some kind of aluminum 10" radius thingie on one side and a neck shaped thingie on the other.

Thinking about the fret wire, I probably should've measured each fret more carefully. I might have been able to squeeze 2 more out of the piece if I cut the frets more precisely. I figured I had plenty. Live and learn. I just didn't want to come up short on the fret itself.