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First Build - "Lucifer"
- Thread starter TerribleTim68
- Start date
So I got a pickup template made. My pickups fit and everything. I'm even happy with the fit. This was much the same as before, do a ton of measuring and marking, then use the drill press and a brad point bit to drill the corners, hog out much waste in the middle with a large forstner bit, then grab the coarse file and start cleaning up the edges.
Wait, I purchased a spindle sander ..... Oh yeah! That's much better! Okay, remove more waste between forstner bit locations with spindle sander (man I love this thing) and then clean up edges with a piece of sand paper on a block.
Go slow, keep checking fit of pickups. So now I'm at this point...
Yup, it's time to come in with the smaller forstner bits and start removing waste from the face of this thing before we reach for the router and finish up the hole.
Yeah, I'm not ready for this yet.
Seriously tho, I have the ShopSmith converted back to a bench. I just didn't feel like converting it back to a drill press tonight. So I'm calling it a day. I'll come back later and take the plunge (pun intended).
Wait, I purchased a spindle sander ..... Oh yeah! That's much better! Okay, remove more waste between forstner bit locations with spindle sander (man I love this thing) and then clean up edges with a piece of sand paper on a block.
Go slow, keep checking fit of pickups. So now I'm at this point...
Yup, it's time to come in with the smaller forstner bits and start removing waste from the face of this thing before we reach for the router and finish up the hole.
Yeah, I'm not ready for this yet.
Seriously tho, I have the ShopSmith converted back to a bench. I just didn't feel like converting it back to a drill press tonight. So I'm calling it a day. I'll come back later and take the plunge (pun intended).
That's one of the next purchases, along with a new drillpress and bandsaw (I have access to a friend's in the interim). Chris tells me he has a mill sussed out from a retired friend of his dad's.
Tim,
Just to save me reading hundreds of posts again to find out, what are the bridges you're using please?
Okay, here's a quick question while I'm hanging out at work not really doing any work.
How do I make sure the edge of my template (the face the router bit bearing will ride on) doesn't get al messed up? I did some routing on that bridge recess and noticed that the MDF edge that the bearing was riding on was getting smashed a bit or something. It was no longer smooth like I started with, it had little ripples in it. You can't really see the ripples on the area I routed, plus I ran a sanding block along those faces to clean it up a bit anyways. But the MDF appears to have been a one use item, or am I missing something here?
I've read where some people put CA glue on that face to harden it up some. Is that the trick?
How do I make sure the edge of my template (the face the router bit bearing will ride on) doesn't get al messed up? I did some routing on that bridge recess and noticed that the MDF edge that the bearing was riding on was getting smashed a bit or something. It was no longer smooth like I started with, it had little ripples in it. You can't really see the ripples on the area I routed, plus I ran a sanding block along those faces to clean it up a bit anyways. But the MDF appears to have been a one use item, or am I missing something here?
I've read where some people put CA glue on that face to harden it up some. Is that the trick?
Okay, I could NOT figure out how to do this on my phone last night. So here's a link to the ones I used (exept, you know, 5 string) -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009A51XRU/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_K5GHAM14F3R3SPYMY0JC
Like I said, not fancy, but they work fine. I'm not a fan of the intonation adjustment. You have to remove the string to change it and it's super difficult. But they seem to work fine and I've talked to several other actual luthiers (of which I am not) who have used them repeatedly and they all had no issues with them.
There's like a thousand different sellers of those same design on there, and different finishes, so just poke around.
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Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Yup. Thin CA soaks into MDF nicely.I've read where some people put CA glue on that face to harden it up some. Is that the trick?
I've made CA fortified mdf pickup templates I've used several times.
Take this next statement with a grain of salt...
...Even sometimes without a bearing.
Just letting the non cutting part of a ¼" shank straight bit ride on the template.... I am slightly unorthodox at times.
But yeah... thin CA.
I flood the edges... let it soak in... twice. (2 coats)
Thank you. I've seen them on epay and just wondered about quality. I'll have to order some, but might order a couple extra for parts down the line. I'm not going commercial with them, so set up issues will only affect me.
I'm one who's used that kind of bridge quite a few times. I basically set them roughly where I think they need to be, then bring it up to tension and check the intonation. I set it by pushing the saddles forward or back as needed and when it's good, I slack the strings, pull them to the side and tighten the set screws. One more check and I'm good to go. Occasionally they will move a little in the tightening process, but they can be quickly adjusted. In practical terms, intonation can be adjusted pretty quickly, but it's not as fast as a bridge design where the saddle moves with a screw. For comparison, think of it like a TR design that's accessed at the heel that requires a neck to be removed. That's even more work to set and adjust. 
The main issue with the cheapy import versions of these bridges is that they are cast in pot metal, sometimes the saddles too. Not the end of the world, but not as nice as aluminum or brass.
Yeah, I've used those as well; loosening and moving the string to get at the locking screw for the intonation is a bit tedious, but they work well enough.
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Yup, you move the saddle. the "set screw" for the saddle is basically a jam screw, located here -
I considered using these for a long time -
They look like better quality and they have a much better intonation adjustment. but at the end of the day, I wasn't sure how to go about calculating the placement of the recess needed for the string-thru part that sticks down off the bottom, especially on a multi-scale. Plus, I knew that I would need to recess the entire saddles into the face, so that meant calculating a recess within a recess, and I just wasn't confident enough to pull that off on my first build. I had already created enough of a struggle for myself, why add to it at that point?
They look like better quality and they have a much better intonation adjustment. but at the end of the day, I wasn't sure how to go about calculating the placement of the recess needed for the string-thru part that sticks down off the bottom, especially on a multi-scale. Plus, I knew that I would need to recess the entire saddles into the face, so that meant calculating a recess within a recess, and I just wasn't confident enough to pull that off on my first build. I had already created enough of a struggle for myself, why add to it at that point?
Set screw for the height adjustment to lock it down so it don't move.
