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Cut and Combine

Gr00veJones

Gr00veJones

Aug 16, 2015
64
106
36
#1
Like the title says I want to cut and combine. I have asked a couple luthiers in my area, they wont touch the job. So I'm either looking for a luthier in the Tampa, FL area willing to do this for me or instruction and insight as to how to accomplish this myself. Thanks!

double.jpg
 
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#2
Gr00veJones said:
Like the title says I want to cut and combine. I have asked a couple luthiers in my area, they wont touch the job. So I'm either looking for a luthier in the Tampa, FL area willing to do this for me or instruction and insight as to how to accomplish this myself. Thanks!

View attachment 3431822
Click to expand...
Which parts do you want to cut and which parts do you want to combine?
 
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#3
A funky doubleneck? Sure, come on in to the Luthier's Corner. We like interesting projects like that. We'll be glad to encourage you, offer ideas, and talk you through doing the job yourself. Your local Luthiers are just scared from a business sense. This obviously isn't a financially sensible project. It's something you do yourself for fun!
 
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#7
The bass is 2.0 the SG is 1.5. I plan to make the backs of the bodies flush and sand down the joint on the front until it is a smooth sloping transition.

I will dowel it when I reach that stage.

I suppose all I've to do now is cut?
 
#9
Why cut the lower horn of the bass so significantly? I would think that having a large surface area where the two will be joined would be best. Can you lay the bass over the guitar, trace it's shape onto the guitar, and just cut the guitar body? Kinda like a puzzle piece with the bass keying into the guitar.

Seems like an interesting project, im curious about how it will play out.

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#10
Yeah, you've got a workable project there.

One suggestion before you start cutting: I would shift the guitar back another inch or two. Try to get the 12th fret of the guitar about even with the tip of the bass horn. To help balance it reasonably. Doublenecks can be seriously neck heavy if you aren't careful. You are cutting away some of the body of each, without touching the necks. That means that both halves will be independently more neck heavy than they were. Glue 'em together and you'll have double the neck dive.

Also, it will be easier to cut and join them if the join line between the two bodies is straight, not curved like you have it. Just draw a straight line between the two points where they overlap. Two straight edges are much easier to get straight, fitted nicely, doweled and glued up. You can do a curved join line, but it's harder to fit up. Don't worry about the control cavities. You can touch up them up after it's glued up.
 
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#11
So I did not account for the location of the battery on the mockup and my original design. I am now on the puzzle plan. The front faces will now be flush rather than the back to allow the tailpeice on the SG to be removed.

What is the best tool to cut this with? Jig or router or?

20190531_181017.jpg
 
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#13
I'll suggest it again: Make the cut line a straight line. If you cut it like you have it shown, you're going to have a lot of difficulty trimming the other part to fit against it with no gaps. And if it doesn't fit well, you'll be patching up a sloppy job with Bondo. Go with straight lines, and save yourself a lot of frustration.
 
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#14
+1 on Bruce’s advice. A straight line will be much easier to deal with. The jack can be relocated and the battery box can be routed back in but the essential glue up will go much easier with a straight cut. If you have to do it the way you’re indicating, my first choice would be a bandsaw then clean up with a drum sander or spindle sander you’re sure is perpendicular to the table. You could use a jigsaw but there will probably be a lot of squaring up to do.

Another option would be to cut the bodies close to the line then make router patterns for both edges and make sure the patterns fit together perfectly and use those and a router with a pattern follower bit to square up the sides.

Really though, a straight cut will work much easier.
 
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#15
Matt Liebenau said:
Another option would be to cut the bodies close to the line then make router patterns for both edges and make sure the patterns fit together perfectly and use those and a router with a pattern follower bit to square up the sides
Click to expand...

This is the method that has reasonable chance of success if you don’t follow Bruce’s advice and cut it straight. It would be pretty easy to route a new control cavity for the bass in the guitar body if you cut it straight.


I may have missed it, but are you going to paint this after?
 
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#19
IMHO I would keep the bodies side by side rather than staggering them. Then do a straight cut as mentioned above. I'd glue them together keeping the fronts flush, that way the thickness issue could be dealt with on the back. You would need to re-route the bass control cavity and could always add wood to the back of the SG to compensate for the thickness difference. A little filler and some paint and your good to go, other than the back pain.
 
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