You could run it to vibrate out the air bubbles from the epoxy.
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Winter Build Off 2023 - Acoustic/Electric Short Scale 5 String
- Thread starter mapleglo
- Start date
You glue it on? Does that mean you have to build a new drum whenever the sandpaper wears out?
Either that, or you know, rip off the old sandpaper and glue on a new piece.
Today I removed the clamps from the top/body glueup, and sanded the top to fit.
Then I did another mockup, just to see how the neck will fit on the body.
It looks like I added way too much material on the side-neck area.
I also marked out the neck cavity that I'll rout. I suppose I can sand or cut off that extra material on the side of the neck. It's all solid under that area, so I can remove a significant amount of material there. Or, I can leave it there and round over that area. I'll have to think on that a while.
I also worked a little more on the neck shaping. This will take a while - several days if not a week or more. It's hard work and I can only do a few minutes at a time before getting winded.
Then I did another mockup, just to see how the neck will fit on the body.
It looks like I added way too much material on the side-neck area.
I also marked out the neck cavity that I'll rout. I suppose I can sand or cut off that extra material on the side of the neck. It's all solid under that area, so I can remove a significant amount of material there. Or, I can leave it there and round over that area. I'll have to think on that a while.
I also worked a little more on the neck shaping. This will take a while - several days if not a week or more. It's hard work and I can only do a few minutes at a time before getting winded.
Do you have an angle grinder? I've been using mine to get the bulk of the material off of the neck and then just finalize it with the shinto rasp, etc.
I'm just using a $15 one from Harbor Freight with a $2-5 flap disc on it. It works great and saves a lot of physical labor (and it's pretty fun).
I have a Makita angle grinder, and that's a great idea!
After looking at it just now, it seems I may have to get a new disc - the one on there now is pretty worn.
OK, just ordered these grinding wheels - they'll be here tomorrow.
Thanks Lisa!
Thanks Lisa!
Hey, thanks for showing that! I have a tool just like it, except it's made to stand on a table instead of being handheld. I don't know how I got it, and honestly I've never known what it was. Thanks to you, I now know it's an angle grinder.I have a Makita angle grinder
You'll have to give a complete review of those, I've looked at them and am just a little intimidated
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Nice! I'm interested to see how that cuts. Probably a lot faster than my flap disc.
I've been using an angle grinder to rough-shape necks for a long time. I've found that, with a little practice, it's very fast at removing wood and it can be used with accuracy. I shape my necks by the 5-facets method, using the angle grinder to trim the wood to within 1/16" of the final facet surfaces. Then I flatten out the facets with a 12" half round file.
I've tried different disks on my angle grinder, including the brazed carbide metal ones. They cut quickly, but they can be more difficult to control on flat surfaces. And they can clog up on some woods.
My favorite is a plain old 60 grit flat sanding disk on a flat rubber backing disk. I've been using the same one for about ten years. It gives me the best control sanding the flat facets.
I've tried different disks on my angle grinder, including the brazed carbide metal ones. They cut quickly, but they can be more difficult to control on flat surfaces. And they can clog up on some woods.
My favorite is a plain old 60 grit flat sanding disk on a flat rubber backing disk. I've been using the same one for about ten years. It gives me the best control sanding the flat facets.
Mine looks like the great-grandfather of yours.
I just verified that it still works. So now I own a bench grinder. Well, I'll see if I can use it.
Let's discuss this thing further in the Workbench thread. OP, back to you and your Epoxy Acoustic.
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I started working a little on the neck profile using my newly made sanding drum, but it started getting clogged up and it was pretty slow going. So I'll wait until my angle grinder discs come in later today.
So I started working on some kind of a tail piece.
I imagine it'll look something like this:
That'll get screwed in to the body with three screws, one through the strap button and two higher up. I'm still not sure how I'll attach the two pieces - maybe I'll thread a couple of holes and screw them together, and I'm not sure how the bridge will look just yet.
So I started working on some kind of a tail piece.
I imagine it'll look something like this:
That'll get screwed in to the body with three screws, one through the strap button and two higher up. I'm still not sure how I'll attach the two pieces - maybe I'll thread a couple of holes and screw them together, and I'm not sure how the bridge will look just yet.
That tailpiece idea looks cool. Yes, I would attach the bar to the angle bracket with four 4-40 x 3/8" flat head screws, from the bottom. Located between the string holes, blind holes. You can tap the holes, or you can press the screws into the aluminum like rivets. That's how Jeremy is assembling the aluminum bridges on his Pistolera basses, with pressed in screws. I've done it many times in the past on guitar bridges for clients.
To press in the screws, drill the hole to about 0.005" smaller than the OD of the screw threads. You can also drill the full OD down a little way, to help get the screw started. Press the screws in with an arbor press or a vise. The best screws to use for pressing in are hardened flat head socket head screws.
Tapping 4-40 blind holes 3/8" deep takes some time and patience. Pressing them in is fast and permanent, and about as strong as threading them in. And, are you ever going to need to disassemble it?
That's a cool tip! Does it matter if it's 6000 or 7000 series aluminum? What about brass? 360?
Sorry for the hijack, Mapleglo...
For custom hardware, like what Mapleglo is making here, I recommend 6061 aluminum. Easy to buy, machine, tap, shape with files, polish up, etc. It's a good general purpose aluminum for instrument parts. With one exception: It doesn't bend very well. If you are making up a bridge plate or tailpiece where you want to bend up a flange, then use 5052 aluminum. That's the alloy that bends and forms easily, but it's still pretty good for cutting and machining.
7075 aluminum is for parts where you need real strength and light weight. 7075 cuts and machines about like mild steel, at one third the weight. And it's also three times the price of 6061. Not much use for 7075 in instruments, although I have used it for some aluminum truss rods. A story in itself.
For brass instrument hardware, 360 alloy is the usual choice. It's the commonly available general purpose brass alloy, stocked in many sizes and shapes. Other alloys are available which are stronger or more corrosion resistant, but they are much more expensive. 360 is expensive enough!
You can do the press-in screw trick with any of these metals. With stronger metals, you need less interference fit. Or it will take too many tons to smash the screw in there. With 6061 aluminum, the pilot hole should be about 0.005" smaller than the OD of the screw. With mild steel or 7075 aluminum, use 0.001-0.002" interference.
