What's On Your Workbench?

[RichterScale]

Design stage of a semi-acoustic, dog bowl resonator, 25.5" scale, CBG inspired guitar.
I decided to spread out the string spacing a little and taper the neck just a tad, so the cheap P bass pups won't work. I reworked an old single coil with 4 poles. I'm hoping it's a hotter sound for those face melter CBG solos.

 

[RichterScale]

About 10 yrs ago or so, my sister bought a dining room set from an older woman. It was one of those tables that the ends folded down, or you could leave them up and pull it out to insert 3 leafs to have it sit 10 people. The woman said it was her mother's, who bought it new in the 1930s.
It was beat up and wobbly when my sister got it. When she moved, she asked me if I wanted it. I didn't need it, but it was so old, I couldn't see throwing it away. I stashed it in the basement and after a few years of moisture damage, I threw the chairs away and broke the table down. I cut the ends off 2 of the leafs to see that the whole top is made of laminated poplar with a thick (birch?) Veneer and then a paper thin finish veneer over that. So, I ripped them down the glue joints and now I have strips of 90 yr old poplar to use for whatever.
I still have to scrape the rest of the veneer off and clean them up on the router sled. I was going to make the CBG neck out of oak, but now I'm thinking I might make it a 3 pc poplar neck with some thin Wenge lams and a truss rod I saved from an old parker acoustic. The strings will be 4 (A-B) acoustic strings, so the tension won't be crazy and the poplar will be lighter.
Not that exciting, but I love repurposing old lumber and that's what's currently on the bench.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

About 10 yrs ago or so, my sister bought a dining room set from an older woman. It was one of those tables that the ends folded down, or you could leave them up and pull it out to insert 3 leafs to have it sit 10 people. The woman said it was her mother's, who bought it new in the 1930s.
It was beat up and wobbly when my sister got it. When she moved, she asked me if I wanted it. I didn't need it, but it was so old, I couldn't see throwing it away. I stashed it in the basement and after a few years of moisture damage, I threw the chairs away and broke the table down. I cut the ends off 2 of the leafs to see that the whole top is made of laminated poplar with a thick (birch?) Veneer and then a paper thin finish veneer over that. So, I ripped them down the glue joints and now I have strips of 90 yr old poplar to use for whatever.
I still have to scrape the rest of the veneer off and clean them up on the router sled. I was going to make the CBG neck out of oak, but now I'm thinking I might make it a 3 pc poplar neck with some thin Wenge lams and a truss rod I saved from an old parker acoustic. The strings will be 4 (A-B) acoustic strings, so the tension won't be crazy and the poplar will be lighter.
Not that exciting, but I love repurposing old lumber and that's what's currently on the bench.

Nat Daniel used poplar and non adjustable steel rods for the original Danelectro necks. I have a long scale bass neck that’s still as straight as could be however many years later.

 

[dwizum]

Poplar is more than stiff enough for a well constructed neck. It's about the same as honduran mahogany or cherry and almost as good as walnut or hard maple.

 

[RichterScale]

Cool. Then I'll skip the Wenge lams.
They would look cool, but I don't wanna get too crazy with this.
I also just found some 1-1/4" thick shelves that I forgot about. They came out of some old oak cabinets from a Catholic school that was built in 1927. They asked me to rip them out and install some new metal lockers. I saved some of the shelves, a couple of the doors and some hardware. The doors are buried out in the garage. Still straight as an arrow.
This is one of the shelves. I can probably cut all 4 pieces of the frame for the body out of one of these.
Then, 90% of this thing will be 90 yrs old.

 

[RichterScale]

I hope it's not haunted when it's done.

 

[LP Custom]

I hope it's not haunted when it's done.

If so, you can bring it to the Bigfoot thread!

 

[TerribleTim68]

I hope it's not haunted when it's done.

No, but it's catholic so you'll probably get whacked on the knuckles a few times.

 

[RichterScale]

No, but it's catholic so you'll probably get whacked on the knuckles a few times.

Seeing how I don't play guitar and I've never played a 4 string guitar with weird tuning, that sounds halfway like a banjo,...... I'm sure someone will want to hit me with something while I'm trying to learn how to play it.

 

[ctmullins]

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Heh. My son inherited a "banjolin" which is, as you would expect, an 8 string mandolin neck bolted to a mini-banjo body. It sounds great, but the action is like 1/4" high so....kinda painful. Waddaya want, it was made in the 30's, and there's no truss rod. He can pick up almost anything and play it, im more Full Service Mediocre.

 

[RichterScale]

Finalized the design in Sketchup. Decided I didn't need the ring in the middle to support the bowl. It will sit on the frame at 4 points and the 5mm top. Should be fine. Even if it's not,....it kept me busy and out of trouble.
C'mon Dec 22!!
I'll get all this cut up and glued together in the next few days and then start on the neck. I have no idea what this will sound like but I'm really curious to find out. My wife HATES country music (her parents had the local CM radio station on all the time when she was a kid), so,....I know she's gonna love hearing me trying to "play" this thing.
For an idea on size, it's 25.5" scale, the FB will be roughly the size of a 20 fret acoustic board (20th fret right at the cutout) and the outside diameter of the body is 12". String spacing is 10mm OC-nut, 14mm OC-bridge. I won't have a weight till it's done

 

[Gary Sutter]

I need a scrap of Poplar for the Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Project..
About This BIG.. Yellow Wood = Deluxe Parker Fly..
Need to route down & install a piece were the tremolo busted the top..
It has a BP on the headstock which Equals Basswood Neck & Poplar Body


When you said to have the guitar Professionally Refinished I forgot to tell you that I was an Auto Body Repairman for the first 10-15 years after High School, In Fact went to trade school to learn that profession.. Then an Auto Parts Sales Manager, Then a Mechanic & a Maintenance Man..
Got my Wood Working Skills from my Father & Wife's Grandpa..

There is a thin skin of fiberglass cloth over this entire guitar, I watched them being made.. COOL!!
The hole by the bridge & the damaged lower horn are the worst, There's some bad checking above the neck pickup too..

 

[Gary_M]

I need a scrap of Poplar for the Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Project..
About This BIG.. Yellow Wood = Deluxe Parker Fly..
Need to route down & install a piece were the tremolo busted the top..
It has a BP on the headstock which Equals Basswood Neck & Poplar Body


When you said to have the guitar Professionally Refinished I forgot to tell you that I was an Auto Body Repairman for the first 10-15 years after High School, In Fact went to trade school to learn that profession.. Then an Auto Parts Sales Manager, Then a Mechanic & a Maintenance Man..
Got my Wood Working Skills from my Father & Wife's Grandpa..

There is a thin skin of fiberglass cloth over this entire guitar, I watched them being made.. COOL!!
The hole by the bridge & the damaged lower horn are the worst, There's some bad checking above the neck pickup too..
View attachment 4404220

If you don't have any poplar, shoot me a PM with the rough dimensions and your address and I'll get a piece to you. Anything for a fellow Hoosier.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Soooo........UPS tracking says my feed belt for the Performax 25x2 has been delivered. Now if I could just figure out how to get away for a weekend of wood shop time.

Currently I'm looking at my Friday evening being used to meet the buyer of my race car (the one I haven't raced in 4 years). It's supposed to rain like heck this weekend, they are talking about an inch on Friday alone. My RV is still out at my boss's house from our last adventure with the tire and all that. That means I can't just throw all my stuff in the trailer and there's no way I'm putting it all in the bed of my pickup if it's raining.
Next weekend (the 25th) I'll most likely be pulling the engine out of the other race car (the one I'm keeping) so we won't be going out there then either.

Ever have a toy you couldn't play with?

 

[postalflunkie]

Ever have a toy you couldn't play with?

Ha! I had an air cooled Volkswagen for over thirty years... I know that feeling well

 

[RichterScale]

Now if I could just figure out how to get away for a weekend of wood shop time.

You could always fake your own death.
Or fake an injury that only going for a ride by yourself gives any relief for.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I probably stole this from someone here but I was rasping and sanding on a body a while ago and I couldn’t get a good angle on it. I took this scrap of plywood and cut a piece for a leg and voila! I can clamp it to the edge of my bench and clamp the body to it and work from several angles but it can be removed so I can have that area clear most of the time and I’m not slamming my shins into the leg every time I walk by.

 

[Beej]

I probably stole this from someone here but I was rasping and sanding on a body a while ago and I couldn’t get a good angle on it. I took this scrap of plywood and cut a piece for a leg and voila! I can clamp it to the edge of my bench and clamp the body to it and work from several angles but it can be removed so I can have that area clear most of the time and I’m not slamming my shins into the leg every time I walk by.

View attachment 4407157

I can't get a pic because it's buried in my gravel nightmare inside my shed, by my main "bench" has an 18"x24" worktop and is about 40" tall. I use it all the time for working on bodies. It has a 2x6 edge so it's easy to clamp around the edges, and the underside of the worktop and also the bottom are solid 2x8s, so it's quite heavy and stays put when I'm working with a plane or carving on it. Works a treat in a small workspace.

 

[Gary Sutter]

Still got all of these Guitars to fix.. No Basses..

Can't leave this world till they are ALL Fixed up SO..

Parker Fly is Hanging Out waiting on parts & for me to go thru the electronics
Going to assume the output jack & possibly one or more of the switches +?
Fluke Meter will tell Me & will progress from there..

Found a Use for that Silly Hercules Guitar Stand..
NOTE: 20lb Weight on the rear leg + LH Strat Body
Fly weighs under 5 lbs.

My Bench is a total mess, Parts laying everywhere..
Son just asked me to put a DiMarzio Strap Lock strap on His Steinberger XP-2
Which one?? Black or White? OK Black Bass w/ Black Strap.. Got It!!

Need to put some strap buttons on the Parker Fly = I have one extra Black Schaller button & keeper for the strap & several Black Jim Dunlop Strap Lock assemblies + Parts..
Will have to make sure to cut a screw down for the Fly's upper horn, It's only 3/4" thick..

I did make up a Tension Wheel for the Parker Fly & scored the threaded adjustment bolt with the keyway slot cut in it.. Progress.. Used a 1/2 x 20 Lug Nut & the Lower half of a Basses Concentric knob.
It looks almost 100% Factory after I drilled & tapped it 1/2x20, Note: Nylon Spacer & Bigsby Spring.

If you don't have any poplar, shoot me a PM with the rough dimensions and your address and I'll get a piece to you. Anything for a fellow Hoosier.

Thanks SlingBlader, I don't have any scrap poplar, PM Inbound Hoosier Brother..
Will get you a good measurement, Haven't thought about routing the body till the other issues are fixed & then on to bodywork etc. I Calls it a Keiser Blade..

It's been six months as of Noon Today I had to remove my Twin Brother's Life Support..
Still Can't Wrap my Head Around That..
See You on the Other Side Bro..
Gary