sblueplanet Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I already beginning to hear the mwaaah.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the kind comments, folks Decent bit of progress today - done the outside shape routing and cut the amazaque ready for straightening and laminating the neck. I flattened the top of the joined bubinga: Then stuck the routing template on with heavy duty double-sided tape: I use a top-bearing trimmer first: which gives me this below (note where the router tipped a little as I ran out of base-stability at the horn!): ...then the body is flipped over and a bottom bearing trimmer used, which now follows the line of the first rout: One outline-profiled body: I also cut some generously width'd lengths from a large piece of amazaque, mirror-orientated to minimise warping: Once I've glued the two pieces either side of the wenge centre-splice, I'll then plane the whole neck to size. As always, thanks for looking! Andy Edited May 21, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 ahhh, brilliant! This is really coming along. This is infectious, though. I'm not even finished my current build and I'm designing my next one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Looks good Andy...how thick is that body blank? (I know you remove more than usual with this style of carve). It's one end of the spectrum to the other when you look at your other project that's on the go. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joebethell Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Looking very very nice. Could go for one like this myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 [quote name='Joebethell' timestamp='1432220072' post='2779348'] Looking very very nice. Could go for one like this myself. [/quote] Commissions always welcome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 [quote name='scojack' timestamp='1432219807' post='2779345'] Looks good Andy...how thick is that body blank? (I know you remove more than usual with this style of carve). It's one end of the spectrum to the other when you look at your other project that's on the go. Ian [/quote] Hi, Ian Yes - this one's about the size and weight of four housebricks put together at the moment It's 2" (c 50mm in new money) back to front. As you say, most of that, however, will be needed for the curve. The body cross-section will be as thin as I can get allowing for the depth of the electrics, probably 1.25" ish Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 [quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1432216160' post='2779294'] ahhh, brilliant! This is really coming along. This is infectious, though. I'm not even finished my current build and I'm designing my next one. [/quote] Yup - that's how I got into this mess in the first place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Always great to watch your basses evolving.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 (edited) Little by little I'm learning how to sharpen hand tools and how to use them. A Workmate on an uneven patio is a bit rubbish for using a plane, but nevertheless, that's what I was able to use to straighten and flatten the two outer neck sections. I finished off with sandpaper on my trusty aluminium beam, but as much to check that it was flat and even as to actually remove material (a couple of strokes will fill any voids with fine sawdust...a great indicator): I was really chuffed that both sections were rendered flat enough using the jack-plane alone This is dry and lightly clamped: If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'll glue and clamp it all up ready for the final thicknessing...and that will mean I can then route the body slot.... Andy Edited May 28, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Great to see more progress. I'm definitely struggling with tool maintenance. I can't seem to get my plane crazy sharp no matter how many educational youtube videos I watch. All I can do with mine is make dust, never a lovely curly shaving. I need somebody who knows their stuff to just come to my house and show me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) [quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1432854464' post='2785725'] Great to see more progress. I'm definitely struggling with tool maintenance. I can't seem to get my plane crazy sharp no matter how many educational youtube videos I watch. All I can do with mine is make dust, never a lovely curly shaving. I need somebody who knows their stuff to just come to my house and show me. [/quote] The thing that changed my life was getting the Veritas sharpening jig http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-mk-ii-honing-system At nearly £60, it seemed a huge investment at the time, but it is orders of magnitude more effective than the cheapo rigs you can buy. The setting jig squares up the blade and sets the exact length for the required bevel and the wide roller means it is completely stable in use. I got fantastic results just with grades of wet n dry stuck with double sided tape to a piece of float glass, but since additionally invested in a couple of waterstones which literally get it sharp enough to cut the hairs on the back of your hand... Edited May 29, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 [quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1432884756' post='2785801'] The thing that changed my life was getting the Veritas sharpening jig [url="http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-mk-ii-honing-system"]http://www.axminster...i-honing-system[/url] At nearly £60, it seemed a huge investment at the time, but it is orders of magnitude more effective than the cheapo rigs you can buy. The setting jig squares up the blade and sets the exact length for the required bevel and the wide roller means it is completely stable in use. I got fantastic results just with grades of wet n dry stuck with double sided tape to a piece of float glass, but since additionally invested in a couple of waterstones which literally get it sharp enough to cut the hairs on the back of your hand... [/quote] What do you use to flatten your water stones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1432893901' post='2785906'] What do you use to flatten your water stones? [/quote] Hi, Myke I use a Matsunaga stone (the little yellow one on the pic ) As I say, with the sharpening jig, just wet and dry (used wet) on glass works pretty well (600 to 1000 to 2000 grit). I've been wooed by the japanese stones and this is my set-up: ie, a real cheapo 4-sided diamond plate block (I think it was about a tenner), then a 1200 medium waterstone (the terracotta one), polishing to a mirror finish on a 6000 finishing stone (the buff coloured one). To be honest, neither stone has shown any sign of wear at all, but the Matsunaga stone is useful for keeping the surfaces clean. Andy Edited May 29, 2015 by Andyjr1515 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Nice! I was looking into sharpening things recently because for a uni module we had to start a business to do with something musical. So I decided I'd make some cajóns using purely hand tools and I really couldn't get my oil stone to work (I was lucky enough that my Gramps left behind a whole host of good quality planes/saws etc. which I could use) so I did massive amount of research into the different options. I went with some diamond stones because I found that even with the water stones most people use a diamond stone of some sort to flatten them because with a lot of wear it would obviously hollow in the middle and I didn't want to spent too much. Still spent more than I would have liked though. Your set up is looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1432916580' post='2786215'] Nice! I was looking into sharpening things recently because for a uni module we had to start a business to do with something musical. So I decided I'd make some cajóns using purely hand tools and I really couldn't get my oil stone to work (I was lucky enough that my Gramps left behind a whole host of good quality planes/saws etc. which I could use) so I did massive amount of research into the different options. I went with some diamond stones because I found that even with the water stones most people use a diamond stone of some sort to flatten them because with a lot of wear it would obviously hollow in the middle and I didn't want to spent too much. Still spent more than I would have liked though. Your set up is looking good [/quote] Hi, Myke That's what I'm doing, really - the cheap old diamond block (I really do think it was only about a tenner!) is what I use for getting the bulk of the metal out of the way...sandpaper will work just as well...so the waterstones are about getting the surface finish sorted, not the main metal removal. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 For the neck, I am using a similar approach for the middle splice to that of Tom's African Wood bass in one of my other threads. I like the additional strength of a scarfe joint, but don't like the external visuals. So the compromise is to do the inner splice with a scarfe joint, but the outer pieces with straight-grained timber. Here's the wenge inner with the scarfe joint cut, ready to glue to one of the outer pieces of Amazaque: Now the two pieces are glued with Titebond and clamped to one of the Amazaque side pieces: Once that was dry, it was sanded with a beam to make sure there was no hardened glue residue, and then the second half was glued and clamped: While I was handling the pieces of Amazaque, I positioned an area that had a few woodworm holes so it would be the side that will be cut away. However, I did also note a number of lengthways cracks which are a little more concerning. I normally leave band-sawing of the side profile of the neck and headstock until I've done all of the routs for truss-rod, etc so it stays rectangular for as long as practicable for ease of clamping, etc.. However, I'd rather know sooner rather than later if I'm going to have an issue with the timber, so I will plane the top surface flat first, but then go straight to cutting the basic neck side shape so I can see what I'm dealing with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Before bandsawing the neck profile, I need to start creating the datum surfaces. First is to slim it down to the maximum width, ie the neck width where it will meet the body. On the original tribute build, that was at the 22nd fret with a neck width of 65mm. Pretty much the one and only 'luxury' tool I have is a Makita 2012nb thicknesser - quite pricey (I think mine was around £400 and in some places they are more expensive than that) but well worth the investment: It is portable (only just at approaching 30kg), important for me as I have nowhere to permanently set up equipment, very easy to use and VERY accurate. If I had a permanent setup, a planer-thicknesser would be ideal, but most of the timber I but has at least one machined face so generally I can square them up well enough to avoid the 'banana in, banana out' problem For this one, I chose the best side to start, using a jack plane to just take off the slight lumps and the bumps, then ran it through the thicknesser on both sides, checking but the width and the symmetry either side of the wenge strip as I went. Result - completely square and symmetrical opposite sides, at pretty much spot on 65mm and with a good surface finish - ideal to slot into the body rout when the time comes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 A bit of 'two steps forward, one step back' on this. The two steps forward is that the body rout for the neck is done. I used the little Bosch again, just with a straight edge: The body will be 1.5" thick and will curve (as seen from the back here) concave, so the slot was cut to leave 0.75" of bubinga in the middle. This was the resulting slot: The one-step back bit is the neck itself...as I feared, I'm going to have to scrap it and start again. The cracks I was bothered about have just continued to spread. It is also now very clear what the problem is - they are emanating radially from what must be a relatively small branch that has been cut. It's that prevalent and deep that it even has cracked through some fairly thick grain-end paint: Along the length I think you can see why I've had to abandon it: Pity....that's a nice wenge middle splice gone, but - with a through neck - if the neck had been glued in, it would have been everything gone... so now is the time to consign it to the BBQ and not when it's too late . I'll talk to Kirk at Exotichardwoodsukltd...I'm sure he'll do right by me. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scojack Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Not so good Andy, still better now than it splitting later, you should be due a replacement imo.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 That's a real shame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 [quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1433921562' post='2795006'] That's a real shame [/quote] Not the end of the world, though. It's given me a bit more practice in using a jack plane which is no bad thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 nutbags. Is it totally lost? Can't it be stabilised with the help of modern day liquid plastics or some such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 [quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1433927539' post='2795067'] nutbags. Is it totally lost? Can't it be stabilised with the help of modern day liquid plastics or some such? [/quote] There's no point in risking it, alittlebitrobot - the trouble with through necks is that once they are glued in, if there are any further issues at all you're basically b******d I'm sure Kirk will refund me and it's only a couple of hours work gone west. In the re-order I've opted for mahogany with the wenge centre splice rather than Amazaque / Ovangkol. I reckon by the end of next Monday I'll be back to where I was Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blablas Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 [quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1433940357' post='2795266']There's no point in risking it, alittlebitrobot - the trouble with through necks is that once they are glued in, if there are any further issues at all you're basically b******d[/quote] It's not that black and white with a NT neck, you can always modify the bass to a bolt on or set neck. But if possible, don't risk it and just make a new NT neck while it's still easy to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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