Winter Build Off 2022 - Toby-or-not-Toby

[2groggy]

I'm in! This build is re-think of how to build a hollow or semi hollow body without either hogging out large amounts of valuable material or pre-building complicated bending molds for what may be a one off shape.

The Toby-or-Not-Toby-Caster (until I come up with a better name):

• Existing 30" scale telecaster bass VI conversion neck, making this a partial build
• Experimental semi-hollow body construction method using an internal thin ply frame to bend the sides without use of a permanent mold
• Top, bottom and sides from laminated maple ply
• Solid core from ash floorboard off-cuts (Edit - I ended up using HD poplar)

Here is the pile of wood (mostly veneer)

2022 WBO Wood Pile

• 2groggy
• Dec 21, 2021
• winter build off

Wood Pile for Toby-or-not-Toby build

Here is the shape from the 2019 Mash-up WBO... Toby Bass VI for gNat:

Finished Toby Bass VI 1

• 2groggy
• Mar 18, 2019
• mashup

 

[2groggy]

Everybody knows that I make stuff up as I go along. So I made up a project plan.

Toby-or-not-Toby Plan As Of 12-21-2022

• 2groggy
• Dec 21, 2021
• winter build off

project plan

 

[MynameisMe]

A+ for using the Gannt chart.

 

[Bent77]

Subd!

 

[Videojunkie]

Sub'd

 

[Crawforde]

Looks fun!

 

[Flamingo21]

I like your idea of labeling everything in your pile pic.

 

[2groggy]

LOL look what I just found in with my measuring and layout tools.

 

[2groggy]

Most of my time has been doing family things, including vacuum forming the longboard deck mentioned in my other build thread. The vac bag should be freed up tomorrow, so I can finally laminate the maple veneer top and bottom. It will be one rectangle large enough to cut both pieces.

Let me try to explain the experimental build method. I will build from the inside to the outside. I will try slightly different steps for each build to determine which works best.

1. Start with the centre core.
2. Attach a top and bottom frames to the core. Trim the core ends to the frame edges.
3. Wrap the frames in full height kerfing / perfling / wiggleboard / whatever you call that flexible reinforcing. Trim the top and bottom of the kerfing to the face of the frames.
4. Glue the flat top and bottom to the frames. Trim the top and bottom to the kerfling.
5. Wrap the sides with a few layers of alternating colours of veneers. Trim the veneers to the top and bottom faces, then round over.

So far, I am part way through step 2.

 

[Crawforde]

Cool method. I hope it works.

 

[Beej]

I read that too many times for it to be you, it must be me. I'm waiting for more pictures.

 

[2groggy]

Think of it this way. The frame is a support structure for the wiggle board, or inner sides. Together, they support the outer sides, top and bottom.

The order of assembly allows the second newest piece to support the router bearing for the newest piece.

The core is optional. For a fully hollow build, there would need to be some form of vertical spacers.

I've built other things with a similar method, so I am drawing ideas from a few places.

 

[2groggy]

The flat panel for the top and bottom came out of the vac bag this morning. Simply, it is a three three layer plywood with birds eye maple on top.

This is from the same batch of veneer as the top ply on the archtop in my profile picture.

 

[2groggy]

Let's get the experimental part of this build started. I'm part way into step 3.

I ripped the wiggle board to the height of the core plus inner frames and then routed dados so part of the wiggle board fits between the inner frames. This ensures that the inner frames are flat and parallel.

Then I glued the inner edges of the horns.

Tomorrow I will wrap the outside of the horns and lower bout, finishing step 3.

 

[Flamingo21]

These black circles are a kind of clamp I've never seen. What are they made of?

 

[Slidlow]

These black circles are a kind of clamp I've never seen. What are they made of?

ABS plumbing pipe!

 

[Beej]

Ermagerd, I finally understand how this build works!

 

[2groggy]

Ermagerd, I finally understand how this build works!

I do admit that I'm not taking an intuitively obvious approach to this.

 

[2groggy]

Continuing on with the inner wrap on the bass wing. The cut outs in the frame were designed for clamping convenience.

 

[2groggy]

A slight re-think around the horns... Adding wiggle board for thickness inside the cutouts, then I will use less wraps of veneer.