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The Hossenfeffer III Build

I was hoping to create a continuous grain cover cut from the back wood itself, so cutting it out with a coping saw is probably my best best. If i dont like how it comes out, ill use the bondo template method to make a cover. The sapele doesnt have a real strong grain pattern either way, so it will look fine, but i wanted to at least try my hand at this.
 
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It's time for.... Spot the Stupid! Got busy with a coping saw on my middle maple lamination, but why the #*#$ did I cut out the wiring channels? This is the kind of boneheaded minor but time consuming mistakes I keep making on this build. My only excuse is... I'm rusty. A 2-4 year average build time means I just get sloppy, I guess. Sigh. So I have since glued back in the offcuts so this isn't a huge PITA to glue up onto the sapele back slab, and then I'll just re-route the wiring channels before the cocobolo top goes on.
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The shallow route is for a 1/16" thick aluminum plate that will form the "roof" of the control cavity, which will hopefully considerably stiffen the 1/4" thick overlaid cocobolo top. It also gives a nice surface to sheathe in copper foil for shielding and solid pot attachment. I just free-handed it with my Dremel, bit sloppy, but it will never be visible.
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Wherein I remember why I hate coping saws: because I suck with one. here I am butchering the oversize space beneath the F-Hole that will be "chambered” most of the way into the back slab. It will serve no sonic purpose whatsoever, but should look cool, and add some minor weight savings. The opening in the maple layer will act as the template to route out the rest of the F-Hole cavity depth.
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Looks alright after a good bit of filing and sanding, but convinces me I have a 0% chance of cutting an acceptable grain-matched cavity cover with a coping saw. I'm going to use the "bondo trick" with my cover template to make a perfect cover recess. The sapele back is pretty consistent grain anyway, so not much to match (that's the sound of Surrender, isn't it? )
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Need... more .... clamps. it is a fundamental law of physics that however many clamps you have, it isn't enough. Gotta pick up a few more at HF, they work just as well as the expensive ones for dirt cheap. Maple middle layer glued onto the sapele back slab. I ordinarily leave all this glue-up as rectangles, but that would have resulted in a ton of waste on the sapele. By cutting the back slabs close to my line, I have enough sapele left in the board for another bass.
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That kind of stuff happens when you don't build often. It stinks, but sounds like you figured out a way to make it work!

I agree with TerribleTim68 about buying clamps. While the HF clamps are pretty good, I also purchased a couple of these Bessy sets from Home Depot. They work great and are not too expensive.
BESSEY Clutch Clamp Set (4-Piece)-GSCC4PK-C - The Home Depot

At least you are getting to make some progress!
 
The "Bondo Trick".... when you run out of bondo. Use some West System instead. I actually found this a bit less stressful, I always seems to put too much hardener in Bondo, and it kicks half way through the job. Meh. I wrapped the positive cavity cover form with enough tape layers to get about 1/32" of clearance all around. Although I waxed the tape, it still shredded and stuck to some parts of the mold coming out. I've read that packing tape won't stick to epoxy, so... next time.
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Dang, I am Born Again Router Sled! Should have made one of these years ago. Perfect for thicknessing thin parts like the cavity cover.
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Look Ma, No Tearout! It's slow, but I've pretty much gone over to my Robosander for most template work. I'm not in a hurry, and it just works. I have two bearings, one for coarse, one for fine grit, the fine grit is a hair smaller and tighter to the sleeve for the last passes.
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Routed the oversize F-Hole cavity in the maple and sapele layers, the actual F-Hole will be cut into the cocobolo cap.
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Here's the actual F-Hole "positive" template I'll use to pre-bend the binding.
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And the negative cutting template, oversize by .040" all around for the Ivoroid binding, and showing "chambering" below.
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And the lower bout in the clamps, laminating the maple middle layer.
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Perfect fit in the Epoxy negative cavity cover template I'll use to cut the opening.
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Getting harder to find the time now that the Indoor Carpentry and Housepainting season is upon me, but I'll keep plugging away.... My goal is a one year build vs. 4 for the first and 2 for the second.......
 
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So....
Time to buy some electronics parts, not my strong suit, but here's the diagram:
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I'm damned if i can read the little green cap size, is that .05 uf? Does that make sense with dual humbuckers?

And here's the parts
Already have the pups, Seymour duncan SSB-4N soapbar humbuckers, passive, neck and bridge
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CTS 500k audio taper volume and tone pots. These are short shaft, the specs say 3/8" threaded shaft. Including the aluminum backup plate, my top will be exactly 5/16" thick. Cutting it too fine? Should I be looking for Long shaft? ("medium" doesn't seem to exist)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KFR7HC1/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2H4CAJ9DMCP6D&psc=1

Bourns Blend Pot. I used this on the Hossenfeffer II, but it was 250k. I assume I need 500k to match the volume and tone pots? I can only find this shaft length, but again, will that fit in a 5/16" thick top?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G3WK5E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A1V3F5YZFEVUG6&psc=1

Mono barrel jack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OVECTZK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I am a bonafide Electro-tard, but I can solder like a champ. Help a Brother out with some advice here!
 
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The cap does say .05, though I have no idea if that value is right for your pups :smug:

I just put a 220k blend pot in bass with 2 Aguilar humbuckers and it sounds good. I used an expensive vol/blend w active/passive push pull, the regular blend pots are cheap enough to swap out if you feel you need to.

@AudioTaper was super helpful, he's who I'd ask these kinda questions to :D
 
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Cavity cover template. I don't really trust hardened epoxy as a template edge, so I used it as a one-time form to make a permanent Plywood template.
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Wiring channels for pickup and bridge ground re-cut through the center maple layer. I'll either line these with copper or use shielding paint
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Cutting F-Hole tyhrough the Cocobolo
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I have a router template for this, but I cant' get into the tight ends for it. might just file it out by hand.
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Front and back mockups, minus the Cocobolo caps. Got the body wings robo-sanded to finish line, then I use that edge to template sand the cocobolo once it's glued on. Slow crawl, but it's s..l...o..w..l..y taking shape.
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Been kind of dreading this, as I've never bound an F-Hole before, and it's got some pretty tight radii. Becuse it has only one miter, the whole thing has to be done in one piece. It took me three tries in ruined binding, but it worked!
I don't have a pattern bit small enough to get into these corners, so I hand-filed it up to about 1/32" off my line and then carefully ran a 1/8" spiral downcut Dremel bit around my template, using the Dremel bit shaft itself as the pilot. I was worried it would either overheat the bit or burn the template, so I put a thin coat of wax on the template edges, and it worked perfectly. Might have to use this same technique for routing the tight corner radii of pickup and bridge routes.
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Using the "Positive" form of the F-Hole, I pre-bent the binding around it using a heat gun and taping it to cool, worked pretty well. I typically use .060" binding, but it won't take a radius this tight, this is .040".
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I saw a guy using zip-ties to hold binding on Youtube, works great! I just pulled them hand-tight, but next time maybe I get one of those zip-tie puller tools. You need square edges to pull against, might have to work up a jig for the headstock.
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I use acetone for binding glue, I've tried Stewmac binding glue and CA, this is better, it's fast, easy, and leaves no residue. You just partially tape it, wick some acetone in with a pipette, and then keep taping the snot out of it. My miter came out... less than perfect, so I dissolved some of the binding in acetone and troweled it on, should be invisible when it dries, and I'll file it back to a point. Shew! Another nail biter I got away with!
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Sheathed my aluminum plate cavity "roof" with conductive adhesive foil and epoxied it to the maple layer ledge. Later, I'll line the sides of the cavity and lap onto the plate to complete the Faraday cage.
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Dagnabbit, another weekend gone!
 
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Amana Tool makes these miniature bearing template bits down to 3/16" diameter, but a lot of the reviews on line say they break easily. They have versions for 1/4" router collet or 1/8" Dremel, but i think if one more Luthiery related Amazon package shows up on my doorstep, my wife will shoot me.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...c&pd_rd_w=XDn9F&pd_rd_wg=6zcgJ&ref_=pd_gw_unk
How are other people doing the tight corners in pup routes? Ive tried the "Drill a hole in each corner first" technique, but I always seem to eff it up. I know using the Dremel bit self-piloting is a little risky, but Im just sneaking up on a tiny bit of material.
 
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