Spanky Posted August 4, 2019 Report Share Posted August 4, 2019 I have one guy that buys lumber from me that makes Guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted August 5, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 5, 2019 Mmmmmm. I just love the way oil makes the grain pop! 2nd coat of oil on the body. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 6, 2019 Report Share Posted August 6, 2019 Looking really good! Is that the same 'Tru-oil' sold as gun stock finish? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2019 25 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: Looking really good! Is that the same 'Tru-oil' sold as gun stock finish? Yes, it’s the Birchwood Casey gun stock finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 6, 2019 Report Share Posted August 6, 2019 Wow that is really starting to pop! Awesome build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 6, 2019 Report Share Posted August 6, 2019 One of the top 25 most Intense builds on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, K Cooper said: One of the top 25 most Intense builds on here! I’m flattered that you think so, but I assure you- If I can make this, there are at least 25 people on this forum that can make an even better one! I got lucky and stumbled upon some wood that does most of the work for me, and knew someone that could tell me exactly what to do! Plenty of room for improvement, but it does stun me every time I stop and think about the fact that I made it! At any rate, it has been a very enjoyable build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted August 9, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 Glued the bridge into place. The placement is critical to ensure that it stays in tune as you go up (down) the frets. Time will tell if I got it right. There is also a screw under the abalone dot. It goes through the soundboard, reinforcing block, and into the tone bar. I may do another coat of finish on the body, there are a couple spots that could be improved. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 9, 2019 Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 The grain on that wood is flippin amazing great job!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 38 minutes ago, pkinneb said: The grain on that wood is flippin amazing great job!! Thanks! Putting the oil on the cedar soundboard really brought out a lot of subtle figure. Of course the back is looking pretty good too! I was very fortunate to end up with the materials I did for this project, and it really reinforces how much grain selection can impact the final product. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 10, 2019 Report Share Posted August 10, 2019 Beautiful job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted August 18, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 Another stressful step done- laying out and drilling holes for the tuners. Layout would have been easy if I had made a template before rounding the edges of the headstock or if I took a few minutes to draw it in CAD, but what fun would that be? The tuner pegs are 6mm and the bushings are something like 8.7mm. The pegs are not centered on the tuner, and there are left/right tuners so you do have to pay attention drilling and installing. I used a compass for most of the layout. I wanted the tuners to follow the curve of the headstock and be evenly spaced along the length of it. You may be able to see some of my layout lines here. Nothing about this gives the warm and fuzzies. The 6mm drill bit hole was too snug for the pegs, I probably should have used the 6.5mm bit. I used a reamer to open them up a bit. Then used a special reamer bit to counterbore for the bushings. Ended up with a bit of tearout, but most of it will be covered by the bushings. Glad that’s over! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted August 18, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 That has to be the most terrifying drill press shot I've ever seen. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 To make it worse, I started this during my daughter’s nap. Once I had it clamped in place for one of the holes, my daughter woke up and I had to run back into the house to meet her, so I had to leave it there unattended for about half an hour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted August 22, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 It makes sound! I rounded the outer edges of the nut and saddle, then used a small triangular file to make the grooves for the strings. I decided to route the strings down inside the uke body, so I used a pen drill and 1mm bit (1.5mm for the C string) to drill down through the bridge and body. I have a good bit of setup work left to do- shorten the nut and saddle, level and crown the frets, polish frets, final shaping of the nut, oil the fingerboard and bridge, and some other final touchups. Then of course I need to take some real pictures of it, only have cell phone pictures so far. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 Nice work. Just have to ask, though, do you play? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 Nope! I used to know a couple chords, but never could play more than aimless strumming. Maybe I’ll learn now though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 This has been a fun project to follow congrats it looks amazing! I like the clean look of the strings going into the body. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 8/18/2019 at 9:55 AM, wtnhighlander said: That has to be the most terrifying drill press shot I've ever seen. I was going to post the exact same thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 8/18/2019 at 8:55 AM, wtnhighlander said: That has to be the most terrifying drill press shot I've ever seen. Does it compare to the sander you used for that large table build?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 8/18/2019 at 6:55 AM, wtnhighlander said: That has to be the most terrifying drill press shot I've ever seen. You beat me to it. That look like it came out really nice John. Great work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 1 hour ago, RichardA said: Does it compare to the sander you used for that large table build?? You mean this jointer? Scarier. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 22, 2019 Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: You mean this jointer? Scarier. Yeah, sorry I misremembered. And that's to do when you get old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted August 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 Thanks all! I could write pages on everything that could be improved, but I’ve been trying to cut back on pointing out mistakes so maybe I’ll just write up a short summary for educational purposes. I’ll be happy to go into more detail for anyone if interested. My next post (other than replies) will be final setup and hopefully some nice photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Awesome job i really like the outcome. I've wanted to make an instrument for a long time but i can't play any of them so I'm kinda stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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