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First bass build: maple neck, cherry body

#21
Here's how I did the tuners on one of my Atlansia-inspired builds:
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All on the same side of the capstan to keep them all working in the same direction. The only downside is that because the strings are on the opposite side of the capstan, the string pull is on the backside of the gears inside the tuner. It can theoretically affect tuning stability, but I didn't notice anything when using it. In practice, I found it not as smooth to tune down then up to remove the lash in the gears when tuning. I tried tuning up then down, but it made no difference. :D
 
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#22
Brilliant ! I couldn’t figure out the path of the strings from the tuners up to the nut but now seeing it’s a straight line makes me wander why manufacturers of basses didn’t think of it !
Very nice and neat design IMO.
 
#24
I took the time to build a thicknessing jig for my router. I am not Sure if I'll need it for this project, but I might want to trim down the blank to about 42mm from its current 45.

I also finally bought a larger hand plane (no. 7) because I like hand tools and planes in particular - less dust! Still waiting for that to arrive though.

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I still have to glue some side guides to the sled that goes on the top and route the opening for the bit. I have a 35mm planing bit that I will use for these kinds of Operations.
 
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#26
ardgedee said:
Looks cool but I would worry that the D and G tuners are going to be difficult to use without your fingers knocking on the E and A tuners.
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I Wonder about that too. So I think I will build a mockup headstock from plywood, also to make sure I get the Position correct. Then I can just use that as a template when I drill out the real thing (assuming that the experiment confirms functionality of the concept).

Wow, that is a beautiful headstock @Beej!
 
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#29
Jeff Siddall said:
LOL, I must be quite the man to run the 50.8 mm bit in my thickness planing jig! :roflmao:

Honestly, it cuts great. Just make sure to have a good grip on the router, take shallow passes and be mindful of the direction of cut and it isn't bad at all.
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Matt Liebenau said:
35mm is about 1 3/8”. I think my router planing bit is 1 1/4”. Of course I usually use it with the pin router. I did use it with my planing jig and the handheld Porter Cable a few times.
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Wimps :roflmao: I have a 63.5mm bit for flattening. Guaranteed to destroy router bearings in two seconds flat.

It was great when new and sharp, but as it’s worn and I’ve sharpened it, it no longer balances very well. End result is that if it isn’t cutting, it will just about vibrate the router out of your hands.

I ended up getting a 50mm bit with replaceable cutting inserts from AliExpress. Great bit of kit, especially with carbide inserts.
 
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#30
I have not used my bit yet, but it is also of the type where you can turn the 3 square cutters, so you get more life out of it when it dulls. I will only take off milimeter by milimeter when using this.

I Wonder how I can best attach wood to be flattened securely to the base. How do you do that? If it's long enough, I could use clamps on both ends, but maybe it would be better to drill some holes in the bottom so I could also clamp somewhere in the middle? Or how do you deal with this @Jeff Siddall ?
 
#32
j-stylez said:
I have not used my bit yet, but it is also of the type where you can turn the 3 square cutters, so you get more life out of it when it dulls. I will only take off milimeter by milimeter when using this.

I Wonder how I can best attach wood to be flattened securely to the base. How do you do that? If it's long enough, I could use clamps on both ends, but maybe it would be better to drill some holes in the bottom so I could also clamp somewhere in the middle? Or how do you deal with this @Jeff Siddall ?
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Yes, I drill holes and screw from the bottom to hold the piece in place. Just make sure you screw into something that will be offcut, and, of course, don't use such long screws that you try to plane them off! Mostly the forces are shear so you don't need it to be threaded very deep at all, just a few turns.
 
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#33
Slow progress, still working on my router thicknessing jig. But it's coming along nicely.

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I also don't have the means to do perfect straight cuts yet, so I'm thinking about building a small guide for my circular hand saw. A "hook over" guide that hooks over a suitable straight edge in two places would be sufficient for my needs.

I also got my new plane delivered! Sharpened it and Set it up. It is surprisingly well made considering it is of the fairly low budget "Faithfull" brand. I recently got their no. 4 and 60 1/2 and liked them.

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#34
More slow progress... Almost done with my thicknessing jig, just lacking the hole for the router bit (and maybe some pieces of mdf to increase the height of the base as necessary, as the bit does not protrude very far through the thickness of the sled.
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Tomorrow my new band saw blade arrives, so I should be able to thickness my body blank and maybe do a rough cutout of the body.
 
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#36
Looks good. My only suggestion would be to make sure your sled won’t flex with the router on it. That mucks up the nice level surface you’re going for. I’m not saying yours isn’t fine just check it. That and try not to press down on the router as you’re planing. Use a light touch and move it side to side and up and down.
 
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#37
Matt Liebenau said:
Looks good. My only suggestion would be to make sure your sled won’t flex with the router on it. That mucks up the nice level surface you’re going for. I’m not saying yours isn’t fine just check it. That and try not to press down on the router as you’re planing. Use a light touch and move it side to side and up and down.
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Thanks for the advice. I'll watch it closely. Could replace the thin aluminium bars on the side of the top sled with something more durable, like thicker wood pieces to give it more rigidity. I'll test it later today with a first body blank.
 
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