1Q22 Challenge - Roland’s guitar build

Roland

This is going to be a scratch build, although it’s not yet clear to me what type of guitar it will be. Here’s the “kit” of parts and jigs from the dusty recesses of my workshop shelves:

But then there’s a choice of body shape:

and a choice of timber for the body: 

What I do know is that step one will be clearing a space in the workshop, which is currently being used for turning:

... and mending that chair which our grandchildren broke.

Workshop time in January will be spent on turning the rest of those bowl blanks, getting rid of the packaging which has accumulated over Christmas, and building a second bench to take the vice and grinder. By the time that’s all finished I should have decided on body shape and pickups.

TTony

Suddenly my workshop doesn't look quite so messy

andy_k

I'd like to see the headless S style.

Roland

@andy_k I’ve already made a couple of those using a cheap bridge and headpiece. It would be nice to make one with the Hipshot bridge.

Roland

There are several things I don’t like about that particular guitar. For a start, I’ve fallen out of love with walnut. Also, the neck sticks out to my left like an SG does. 

A Hipshot bridge will take up less space than the bastardised Overlord bridge and tuner. Couple that with a change from 24 to 22 frets, and the neck will shift 5cm towards my right hand. The whole guitar will then hang exactly where a Telecaster does. We might have a design decision here. 

Roland

Sometimes the planning and speculation is as much fun as the actual build. 

Having said that I’ve gone off Walnut I remembered that I’ve got some neck lengths. The tree came from a neighbour’s garden. I had it sliced, and it’s been seasoning for nine years. If I added a fretboard from Holly or Field Maple, and a cedar body, then the whole guitar could be made from trees which grew within 400 yards or my house. 

paulnb57

Roland said:

Sometimes the planning and speculation is as much fun as the actual build. 

This is so true.

Roland said:

Then the whole guitar could be made from trees which grew within 400 yards or my house. 

That would be pretty special

Ive got a NR Fenderbird with a body made from Horse Chestnut (body was made for me) it shows that non traditional woods can work…

ThePrettyDamned

Roland said:

Sometimes the planning and speculation is as much fun as the actual build. 

Having said that I’ve gone off Walnut I remembered that I’ve got some neck lengths. The tree came from a neighbour’s garden. I had it sliced, and it’s been seasoning for nine years. If I added a fretboard from Holly or Field Maple, and a cedar body, then the whole guitar could be made from trees which grew within 400 yards or my house. 

That sounds amazing! 

TTony

Roland said:

 I’ve fallen out of love with walnut. 

Probably best that you get rid of all your stocks of that horrible horrible wood, as soon as.

I don't mind helping out.

Teyeplayer

Love the idea of using woods that are local and almost personal to you, that’s so cool.

Roland

Using local wood is going to be a challenge in itself. The body is fine. I’ve got plenty of well seasoned Cedar of Lebanon. If I buy a Planer/Thicknesser then I can top it with a slice of something prettier. There’s Apple, Plum, Cherry, Yew, Laburnum and Holly to choose from. You can see that I’ve been preparing for this build for a number of years.

The neck is more difficult. I’d forgotten that the walnut is branch wood, not from a trunk. The grain isn’t straight. It has stayed flat since it was planked six years ago, but I’m not happy that a branch will stay flat, even if I make a three piece blank:

There are a couple of nice straight lengths of what looks like Ash. Each is long enough, and wide enough for two or three headless neck blanks 

Roland

I’m also going to need a band saw to slice up those logs. This project is getting expensive. Does anyone have a recommendation for re-sawing?

Roland

I’ve been in bed the last couple of days with a non-Covid infection. Same symptoms though. Before retiring I did get the workshop tidied, which was mainly a case of throwing out the cardboard.

Between bouts of moderating, and times when I’ve drifted off to sleep, I’ve been thinking about that timber. The nice white piece is not Ash, it’s Holly. I found the label on the floor. The Wood Database says that both Holly and Apple move with the seasons, even when thoroughly dried. So probably not a good choice for a fingerboard.

Which brings me back to Cedar of Lebanon for the body blank, with a cap of Yew, Laburnum or Sycamore. The neck could be Walnut or Sycamore, with a fretboard of Sycamore or Laburnum. I really need to get a bandsaw, and slice those logs open to see what the grain is like.

You guys who use conventional woods don’t know how least your lives are.

S56035

Cool. Love these threads.

Roland

@S56035 Me too. It’s real woodworking and problem solving.

downbytheriver

I remember MANY years ago (probably in the 70s) seeing, at The Early Music Show, a lute made entirely from holly. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. 

TTony

Roland said:

 I really need to get a bandsaw, and slice those logs open to see what the grain is like.

I watched a couple of YT vids a while back in which someone was using a bandsaw to slice still-round logs.

Can be done, but you'll need a good sharp blade with the right thickness/TPI, etc.  And possibly another pair of hands to help hold it.

Roland

@TTony The Apple and Sycamore trunks were so heavy that they had to be ripped on site, using a chainsaw, before I could move them. I’ll lay them on the saw table, cut side down, and rip along the pith line. Then I’ll turn 90 degrees, and re-saw against the bandsaw fence. The Holly, Plum, and Laburnum are still round. I could give them the same treatment, but I’ll lose less wood with a right angled jig to support the log, as in this video:

https://youtu.be/INBteQ-RpcE

TTony

Yup - that's the same sort of approach as I'd seen on  a different YT video.

Wish I'd thought about that when we had the large (diseased) Ash tree chopped down.

Roland

This is my favourite resawing method. Steam powered saw with a 36” circular blade.

Mostly cedar, but there one plank of Ash too.

Roland

TTony said:

Wish I'd thought about that when we had the large (diseased) Ash tree chopped down.

I wish I’d thought of it when the neighbours Spruce came down, but it probably wasn't suitable for making acoustic tops: