Finished Shots - Trini Lopez 335 ish Tribute

normula1

Have a wow, it's looking fantastic already

Andyjr1515

normula1 said:

Have a wow, it's looking fantastic already

Thanks

DartmoorHedgehog

Andyjr1515 said:

Hmmm..alien elephant.  Too little sleep?  Too much WFH? 

TTony

Thanks for sharing with us mere humans Andy.

I don't often comment - because I've said it all before - but just reading the last few post on this thread, and on Wez' current build too makes me realise, again, what skilled people we have here, sharing their work with us.

Andyjr1515

TTony said:

Thanks for sharing with us mere humans Andy.

I don't often comment - because I've said it all before - but just reading the last few post on this thread, and on Wez' current build too makes me realise, again, what skilled people we have here, sharing their work with us.

Not sure it's fully justified in my case, @TTony but appreciated all the same

Andyjr1515

DartmoorHedgehog said:

Andyjr1515 said:

Hmmm..alien elephant.  Too little sleep?  Too much WFH? 

Now that DID make me laugh

meltedbuzzbox

Andyjr1515 said:

DartmoorHedgehog said:

Andyjr1515 said:

Hmmm..alien elephant.  Too little sleep?  Too much WFH? 

Now that DID make me laugh

It is officially now known as the elephant guitar

Andyjr1515

There is no best sequence on this build in terms of 'add tops, cut binding channel, attach to neck' or 'attach to neck, add tops, cut binding channel'.

Because of the neck, it is tricky (though with a sharp chisel, not impossible) to cut the cutaway top binding slot if the wings are already glued to the neck before the binding channel is cut.  But that's the way I'm going to go because, in other respects, it is a lot easier to accurately position and glue the backs of the wings before the tops are on them.

To get the positioning right and prevent the components sliding around on the glue layer, I'm using the same method that many builders use to glue a fretboard - some accurately pre-drilled panel pin holes and use the panel pins to position until the glue has properly squeezed-out and grabbed.

First I used a clamp, lightly applied, to position the two sides, in whose side bearers I'd already drilled some accurate 90 degree holes:


Then inserted the panel pins and lightly tapped to mark the positions on the through-neck:


Used the pin marks as the guide to drill the neck:


And now the gluing, final positioning and clamping and final positioning can be done in a much more relaxed manner by adding the glue, then sliding the components around until the panel pins push into both holes! 


I usually give it about 20 minutes, when I'm sure the components aren't going to move but while the glue is still soft, to get the panel pins out with a pair of pliers.

All of a sudden, this seems to be progressing faster - better get a fretboard blank ordered!

Andyjr1515

Rather than a full side binding for the top, we're going for a pinstripe which the top carve - once that's done - will curve down to:


So the next job will be preparing the joining surfaces - and anything else that needs to be done before the tops are fitted - before they are glued.

It is easier to clamp square surfaces like this rather than curved ones, so the top carve will be done after it's all glued up.

meltedbuzzbox

Andyjr1515 said:

Rather than a full side binding for the top, we're going for a pinstripe which the top carve - once that's done - will curve down to:


So the next job will be preparing the joining surfaces - and anything else that needs to be done before the tops are fitted - before they are glued.

It is easier to clamp square surfaces like this rather than curved ones, so the top carve will be done after it's all glued up.

I love that ebony top. 

To be fair I love the whole thing but that ebony top is just awesome

Andyjr1515

The first top is almost ready for fitting.

I spent a decent amount of time making sure that the back jointing surfaces are flat and true and then added a maple surround to the ebony where the glue joints will sit:


So this is the sort of effect I'll end up with but with the carve slimming the top down at the sides to within a few mm of the maple and rounded at the cutaways.  You can also see the channel cut at the back edge which is where the maple binding will be glued.


So, assuming there are no switches planned to be on this upper piece, this is pretty much ready to glue and then I can start experimenting with the carve.

I say experimenting because ebony is unusual stuff to work with - it is rock hard, very dense but it also quite brittle.  I have to decide what is the best method to get the bulk down...my expectation is my block plane with frequent blade sharpenings, but I'll have to see how it behaves using some of the offcuts I've kept.

Whatever, it's going to be a slow, slow process... 

 

Andyjr1515

meltedbuzzbox said:

I love that ebony top. 

To be fair I love the whole thing but that ebony top is just awesome

That's what I like to hear

davros

Angle grinder with a flap disk will speed it up 

Andyjr1515

davros said:

Angle grinder with a flap disk will speed it up 

It's a thought

Andyjr1515

I still have stuff to sort before both tops can be fitted but, even if a switch needed fitting on the bass side, there is nothing I can't do with that one glued on...so that's what I've done.  And out comes the radius dish again to clamp against 


After a few experiments with ebony offcut, call me unadventurous but, I opted to go the slow road and decided that the block plane was indeed a safer option than the angle grinder that @davros suggested 



But yes - it's a slow process.  Lots of 'walk away and come back to it'; lots of 'resharpen the blade comprehensively b******d by the b*****ing ebony' 

This, I reckon is about 1/3 of the way there.  By the way, I've dampened it to give a better idea of how the colours will coordinate on the finished guitar:


I won't fit the bottom binding until the tops - particularly the edges - are done, otherwise there is a tendency to sand down at each stage until you realise you've run out of walnut! 

Fretboard blank is due later today
 

davros

Yes, the angle grinder was partly in jest, although I'm about to start carving the maple top of my 335 build and will probably use one to quickly take the corners off the routed steps before moving to planes, gouges and orbital sander!

The grinder is useful for carving the inside of the top, where planes can't get

Andyjr1515

davros said:

Yes, the angle grinder was partly in jest, although I'm about to start carving the maple top of my 335 build and will probably use one to quickly take the corners off the routed steps before moving to planes, gouges and orbital sander!

The grinder is useful for carving the inside of the top, where planes can't get

I too am pulling your leg a touch, @davros .  Flap discs are very useful and pretty controllable tools

davros

It's way more fun to see lovely ebony shavings coming off a plane than coating the entire room with black dust!!

Andyjr1515

davros said:

It's way more fun to see lovely ebony shavings coming off a plane than coating the entire room with black dust!!

Hmmm...I'm about 2/3rds done now and the plane is too dodgy for the final 1/3 (knot tear-out hazard) so tomorrow it's out with the orbital sander.  Time to check the vacuum filters - not the best time to end up in A&E with a respiratory complaint...

Andyjr1515

And - other than a bit of invisible fill of one of the knot holes (easy with ebony), the carve is pretty much done on the half fitted so far.

It's a very subtle curve but, certainly in real life, transforms it from the 'slab topped' look previously.  I'm happy with this.



I also drilled the bridge earth wire hole while I could see what I was doing.  Oh, and the ebony fretboard blank arrived this morning!