Winter Build Off 2022: 5 String Fretless Neck Through

[GMC]

It’s shockingly bright! I wish it stayed that way.

I like working with Padauk, it smells great...it not too heavy. Harder than maple but seems to be quite gentle on saws, blades and bits too. It sort of machines like a hard cheese. The only issue is that it covers one's workshop with bright orange dust...which can look a bit scary weird to visitors and spouses.
I also find that as a wood...it's not particularly caustic. Cocobolo, which I also like to work with often causes me breathing issues or rashes on my skin. I can literally snort Padauk dust or even lick it...and no reactions what so ever. If I'm making a bass with a cocobolo body top, I use Padauk neck laminates. Much easier to work, cheaper and easier to source. In a laminate bundle, it looks the same.
Here's my first 4 basses way back in 2001, the third along is Padauk and maple:

Here's the back of a 7 string headless that you saw the fretboard earlier, that's padauk and Cocobolo:

Sorry if I'm posting some of my work on your page. I find your page very simulating and I'm a bit gutted my work shop is out of action at the moment...I would have loved to have joined in!

 

[Gary_M]

Qüïmsgëfääërdën ÏÏ (rëvïsïtëd) Thë Snöwënïng

Round one of snow removal has been completed. Heavy, wet yucky stuff.

Looks pretty though!

 

[Gary_M]

I've been enjoying the light floral scent of padauk working on mine too. I'd never really noticed it much not working with it regularly, but since mine is 90% padauk, it's present. It reminds me of the tropics, which is nice because my shed is stone cold.

I've turned some padauk, it does smell nice.

Honestly, if some company made a candle, I'd buy it. But, from a marketing standpoint, "Padauk" just doesn't sound as elegant as "Sandalwood".

 

[Gary_M]

I like working with Padauk, it smells great...it not too heavy. Harder than maple but seems to be quite gentle on saws, blades and bits too. It sort of machines like a hard cheese. The only issue is that it covers one's workshop with bright orange dust...which can look a bit scary weird to visitors and spouses.
I also find that as a wood...it's not particularly caustic. Cocobolo, which I also like to work with often causes me breathing issues or rashes on my skin. I can literally snort Padauk dust or even lick it...and no reactions what so ever. If I'm making a bass with a cocobolo body top, I use Padauk neck laminates. Much easier to work, cheaper and easier to source. In a laminate bundle, it looks the same.
Here's my first 4 basses way back in 2001, the third along is Padauk and maple:
View attachment 4567920
Here's the back of a 7 string headless that you saw the fretboard earlier, that's padauk and Cocobolo:
View attachment 4567922
Sorry if I'm posting some of my work on your page. I find your page very simulating and I'm a bit gutted my work shop is out of action at the moment...I would have loved to have joined in!

I agree and I've had no reactions to it either. I was a little concerned about that, but so far, nothing but pleasantness (is that a word?).

Please feel free to post examples here, I love it and those basses are just beautiful. The back of that 7 string is a work of art!

 

[mrperkolator]

Honestly, if some company made a candle, I'd buy it. But, from a marketing standpoint, "Padauk" just doesn't sound as elegant as "Sandalwood".

If there's anyone working for a candle company out there - Try marketing it as "Tropical Totem - Tropical with woody undertones"

 

[Gary_M]

woody undertones

That's going to be my stage name from this point on.

 

[Gary_M]

If there's anyone working for a candle company out there - Try marketing it as "Tropical Totem - Tropical with woody undertones"

And dang it, you quoted me before I edited my post and corrected by to buy.

 

[mrperkolator]

And dang it, you quoted me before I edited my post and corrected by to buy.

Fixed

 

[StereoPlayer]

Qüïmsgëfääërdën ÏÏ (rëvïsïtëd) Thë Snöwënïng

Round one of snow removal has been completed. Heavy, wet yucky stuff.
View attachment 4568023

Looks pretty though!
View attachment 4568024

I just finished mine too. It looks about the same amount here, mid-Michigan.

 

[Gary_M]

Fixed

Man, that's above and beyond right there. Thanks for the cover.

 

[Gary_M]

I just finished mine too. It looks about the same amount here, mid-Michigan.

Lovely stuff, and it's really coming down. I was out there about 45 minutes blowing my drive both next door neighbors' drives and sidewalks, and it snowed another inch by the time I got back to my drive! (that was really poor sentence structure, and I apologize. )

 

[RichterScale]

I started off by sawing up some Oompa Loompas, errrr, I mean padauk.

I've been enjoying the light floral scent of padauk working on mine too

I've turned some padauk

I like working with Padauk

Does anyone happen to know which Padauk is typically carried by suppliers? African? Burma? Andaman?
I'm interested, but they have different characteristics. Or is it a -never know which one you'll get- situation?

 

[Beej]

Does anyone happen to know which Padauk is typically carried by suppliers? African? Burma? Andaman?
I'm interested, but they have different characteristics. Or is it a -never know which one you'll get- situation?

My boat supplier stocks P.soyauxii, so African. My "lutherie wood" supplier doesn't specify, but it's really red and deep so I'm guessing it's African too. Here's the weird thing for my current build though - I expected the builder to have bought it at the boat supplier because I think they are physically around a mile apart, but the body really matches more descriptions and photos of Burma padauk. It's lighter overall, has clearly demarcated sapwood (yellow-white) and is a lot less red than the padauk I recently bought from the lutherie guy. I'm guessing lutherie guy carries african as it's more readily available but you never know. He's not really a lutherie guy either, he's a sawmill close to a pacific port, but he has a whole section of milling things for, and selling things to acoustic builders.

 

[RichterScale]

descriptions and photos of Burma padauk. It's lighter overall, has clearly demarcated sapwood (yellow-white) and is a lot less red than the padauk I recently bought from the lutherie guy

According to wood database, Burma is also much harder and heavier. Sounds like the African variety is much more user friendly.

 

[TerribleTim68]

My local hardwood vendor doesn't specify, it just gets labeled as "padauk".

 

[RichterScale]

And BTW,...there's only one correct pronunciation and I sound like an idiot trying to say it.
So, hence forth it shall be called,....P'dooky.

 

[Gary_M]

Does anyone happen to know which Padauk is typically carried by suppliers? African? Burma? Andaman?
I'm interested, but they have different characteristics. Or is it a -never know which one you'll get- situation?

All that I've ever bought has been listed as African. Not sure if that's typical, but that's been my experience.

 

[Bent77]

.
So, hence forth it shall be called,....P'dööky.

FIFY

 

[Gary_M]

Qüïmsgëfääërdën ÏÏ (rëvïsïtëd) Thë Slöw Göïng

I've been making slow progress on this project. A lot of the steps I'm just not showing, but they are important planning and prep steps so that things hopefully go right later.

I flushed down the wings to the rest of the headstock.

I roughly tapered the fingerboard on the bandsaw, then mounted it on my 34" fret slotting template. I had to offset the board from the actual centerline somewhat due to the size of the board.

I marked the centerline and scribed it while still attached to the template.

Next up, I cut very shallow slots in the board to aid with the layout of my position markers. This is a fretless, but these lines will be gone after I radius and sand the board. Oh, I also added a 25th fret position on my template so that I could use that to cut a deeper slot for the end of my board. That will make it much easier to make a nice clean cut.

I set up my locating pins for the fingerboard and temporarily clamped it to the neck. I used a #7 to bring the board nearly flush with the edge of the neck.

This evening, I cut out a piece of my top body material that I could use for the headstock face. I resawed it then ran it through the drum sander. These pieces are less than 1/16".

I normally use DAP plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde) for permanent glue joints, but when I went to open it the other day, I found that it had solidified into a solid block. I had forgotten to snap the lid down and moisture got in which caused the problem. Anyway, it looks like DAP stopped making it, or it's just not available right now, so I bought a small tub of Cascamite. I'd heard of this brand of UF glue before, but never used it.

It's not a brown color like traditional UF glues and the light color may be great for gluing up maple. Not sure if it turns more clear when dry or not, but we will find out.

I glued a layer of black veneer, then my maple. I used tape to hold things in place.

Then I shoved the whole thing in the vacuum bag and turned on the pump. I just love this method, there is no rush and no panic. The UF glue has a very long open time, especially in colder weather.

I'm going to leave it in the bag overnight and will pull it out first thing tomorrow.

More soon.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I’m super jealous of people who have a vacuum bag.