Fireman - this could be the start of something.. umm..

[Woodinblack]

12 minutes ago, Jabba_the_gut said:

Looking very nice! How are you planning on cutting the neck pocket?

I am guessing I am going to need to clamp some kind of template on and do it with a router. not something I want to mess up!

I must admit to it being a concern.

[T-Bay]

Just now, Woodinblack said:

I am guessing I am going to need to clamp some kind of template on and do it with a router. not something I want to mess up!

I must admit to it being a concern.

I drew out the locations for the neck, bridge and pick ups then used those to locate the template for the neck. I was tempted to use dowels but didn’t need them in the end.

[Woodinblack]

Well, I suppose actually as I have used the template to make the body I can now modify the template to have the neck pocket and pickup templates in it. 

I did think I could drill through where the controls are going to be to line up, but then the template should match the body pretty well!

[Jimothey]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

I am guessing I am going to need to clamp some kind of template on and do it with a router. not something I want to mess up!

I must admit to it being a concern.

I just made my own template with a center line on it and used Mammoth double sided tape to hold it in position (that stuff is the strongest double sided tape I’ve ever used it didn’t move a mm) 

Obviously that wasn’t finished but I didn’t take anymore pictures of it 

It’s a lot easier to make than you think.......

Edited April 30, 2018 by Jimothey

[Woodinblack]

13 minutes ago, Jimothey said:

It’s a lot easier to make than you think.......

haha - don't overestimate my abilities   

I put the pieces on the carpet to see what it would all look like in scale. A bit dark but I am actually pretty happy with this:

Nothing is specifically lined up here, just moving things around to get a general feel of it.

And no, I am not going to use 5ps for the controls, just needed something to mark out the buttons. Although now I look at it I realise that if I do it in that pattern they would have to be parallel with the two edges that they run along or it would forever annoy me.

 

 

[Jimothey]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

haha - don't overestimate my abilities   

I put the pieces on the carpet to see what it would all look like in scale. A bit dark but I am actually pretty happy with this:

Nothing is specifically lined up here, just moving things around to get a general feel of it.

And no, I am not going to use 5ps for the controls, just needed something to mark out the buttons. Although now I look at it I realise that if I do it in that pattern they would have to be parallel with the two edges that they run along or it would forever annoy me.

 

 

I think your abilities are speaking for themselves that’s looking really good! 

[Andyjr1515]

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

haha - don't overestimate my abilities   

I put the pieces on the carpet to see what it would all look like in scale. A bit dark but I am actually pretty happy with this:

Nothing is specifically lined up here, just moving things around to get a general feel of it.

And no, I am not going to use 5ps for the controls, just needed something to mark out the buttons. Although now I look at it I realise that if I do it in that pattern they would have to be parallel with the two edges that they run along or it would forever annoy me.

 

 

Honestly, this is going to look a million dollars when it's all finished

Excellent work.

[Andyjr1515]

8 hours ago, Jimothey said:

I just made my own template with a center line on it and used Mammoth double sided tape to hold it in position (that stuff is the strongest double sided tape I’ve ever used it didn’t move a mm) 

Obviously that wasn’t finished but I didn’t take anymore pictures of it 

It’s a lot easier to make than you think.......

This is how I do it too.

Remember to hog out the bulk of the wood with a forstner bit first and just use the router to take the last few mm off the sides and bottom - or, if you've actually done the routing on the shot above, 'did you remember...'

Edited May 1, 2018 by Andyjr1515

[SpondonBassed]

11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Well, I suppose actually as I have used the template to make the body I can now modify the template to have the neck pocket and pickup templates in it. 

I did think I could drill through where the controls are going to be to line up, but then the template should match the body pretty well!

I'd favour the notion of a separate template for your neck pocket and another for your pickups simply because it allows you to make another body with a different configuration next time.  For example you might want to do a 4 or a 5 string neck.  You might want J or P pickups in various combinations.

It's a more flexible way of working.  You just need to use the same datum points to locate template to body on every build.

Oh.  Before I forget.  A wise man once said:  "You can never have enough clamps."

(Nods in Andyjr's direction)

[fleabag]

Glad to see you haven't lopped an arm off with that router yet.

I only used it once and it scared the pants off me.

I reckon  you're going great guns. keep it up.

Measure 4 times and cut 3.

[Woodinblack]

Well, I got another piece of wood for the template, slightly thicker MDF and used bits of wood to line it up with the neck as per some details that Jabba-the-hut sent me. Got the sides perfectly. Unfortunately I skipped the effort on the heel of the neck and went slightly over the line 

So I thought, well, I can move the line down a bit. Made a template for the template end and then went over that too! 

So I squared off the end and made a new piece of wood to go into the gap where I had gone over the line, glued that bit in and leveled it off, so although not pretty, I do have a functional template for the neck!

So next I will do the pocket for the neck, then when that has been done I will do the template for the pickups and then the electronic cavity. There is a lot to do isn't there!

[Woodinblack]

14 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Remember to hog out the bulk of the wood with a forstner bit first and just use the router to take the last few mm off the sides and bottom - or, if you've actually done the routing on the shot above, 'did you remember...'

I haven't done it yet. And today I bought a set of forstner bits. There in will lie another adventure, never used them before, not sure how to work out the depth I need, I guess I will just make sure I don't go down too far (as I don't have a drill stand)

[Jimothey]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I haven't done it yet. And today I bought a set of forstner bits. There in will lie another adventure, never used them before, not sure how to work out the depth I need, I guess I will just make sure I don't go down too far (as I don't have a drill stand)

I normally use the forstner bit (when I can be bothered to dig it out) depth wise so the top is flush with the top of your body which on my set it about 18mm then like Andy says use The router with a standard flute cutter to smooth of the bottom of the pocket,

But normally I probably do it slightly different to Andy in the aspect that I use a laminate trimmer with a 6mm top bearing cutter to rout the sides then use a router to remove the bulk of the timber (but I’ve been using routers for 18+ years so I’m confident in using them) at the end of the day you do it whichever way you feel comfortable.......

[SpondonBassed]

13 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Well, I got another piece of wood for the template, slightly thicker MDF and used bits of wood to line it up with the neck as per some details that Jabba-the-hut sent me. Got the sides perfectly. Unfortunately I skipped the effort on the heel of the neck and went slightly over the line 

So I thought, well, I can move the line down a bit. Made a template for the template end and then went over that too! 

So I squared off the end and made a new piece of wood to go into the gap where I had gone over the line, glued that bit in and leveled it off, so although not pretty, I do have a functional template for the neck!

So next I will do the pocket for the neck, then when that has been done I will do the template for the pickups and then the electronic cavity. There is a lot to do isn't there!

Lots to do but you are breaking it down well so far.

[Woodinblack]

I did the template for the pickups today, so that at some point over the weekend I can do the neck pocket and the pickup holes.

I did a test on some of the offcuts with the forstner bit and I think I might be missing the point. I mean I can make holes with it, and it takes away a bit of wood (leaving a little hole in the middle), but it seems to be harder work to remove the same amount of wood as a router would do with maybe more side to side control, but less depth control.

So why is it important to remove the wood with the forstner bits? 

I will admit I used the cordless hand drill to test it out, and obviously that isn't powerful enough, it largely just spun a lot and got very hot.

[Jabba_the_gut]

For me, I rarely use forstner bits. I generally cut pickup and neck pockets with a router using a normal cutter to remove the bulk then a template cutter for the finishing. When I made my semi hollow bass, I did use a forstner bit in a pillar drill to remove the bulk as it seemed easier and a pillar drill is less aggressive than a router!!!

[Jimothey]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

So why is it important to remove the wood with the forstner bits? 

I will admit I used the cordless hand drill to test it out, and obviously that isn't powerful enough, it largely just spun a lot and got very hot.

It is an easy way to remove large areas of timber in a controlled way but it’s best to use a Pillar drill 

It’s a lot harder to slip and make a mistake with a Forstner bit than it is with a router......  

[SpondonBassed]

7 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I did the template for the pickups today, so that at some point over the weekend I can do the neck pocket and the pickup holes.

I did a test on some of the offcuts with the forstner bit and I think I might be missing the point. I mean I can make holes with it, and it takes away a bit of wood (leaving a little hole in the middle), but it seems to be harder work to remove the same amount of wood as a router would do with maybe more side to side control, but less depth control.

So why is it important to remove the wood with the forstner bits? 

I will admit I used the cordless hand drill to test it out, and obviously that isn't powerful enough, it largely just spun a lot and got very hot.

 

6 hours ago, Jimothey said:

It is an easy way to remove large areas of timber in a controlled way but it’s best to use a Pillar drill 

It’s a lot harder to slip and make a mistake with a Forstner bit than it is with a router......  

I agree.  A forstner bit should really be used in a pedestal (pillar) drill.  I think you would find it works a lot better from a control point of view.

 

 

[Woodinblack]

I don't have a pillar drill. Maybe that is something I will get later. Depends on how it goes with this one. Seems like I am already getting those 'well, next time I do this I will.." thoughts!

 

[Norris]

You might be better to route it all out and forget about the forstener. If you're using a flat bit rather than one with 3 or more cutting edges, it's going to be hard work with a hand drill and more likely to lead to accidents. A lot of people remove the bulk with a forstener to save the cutting edges on the router bit.

It's perfectly possible to route it all out, as long as you go steady and take it out gradually. Cut with the direction of spin and only take a few mm of depth at a time. Stay a couple of mm away from the final edge as you work your way down to the final depth. Then tidy to the final shape with a finishing pass or two.

Make sure your comfortable and in control. If you feel tired then stop. Routers want to maim you!

(Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs btw, but other interested people are watching who may not have handled a router before)

[Woodinblack]

22 minutes ago, Norris said:

You might be better to route it all out and forget about the forstener. If you're using a flat bit rather than one with 3 or more cutting edges, it's going to be hard work with a hand drill and more likely to lead to accidents. A lot of people remove the bulk with a forstener to save the cutting edges on the router bit.

They have a few cutting edges, more than one, not sure how many. I will try it with the mains drill in the pickup holes or electronics cavity, but I suspect I might feel more comfortable (in a still rather nervous of) with the router, especially for the neck pocket.

If it is hard work on the bit well, toolstation round the corner do bits at £3. I am sure they are not good, but at that price I am happy to sacrifice them removing the bulk of the wood, saving the good blades for the edges.

Quote

(Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs btw, but other interested people are watching who may not have handled a router before)

Oh unlike me who has.. well, must be almost half an hour experience on one by now!

[Jimothey]

54 minutes ago, Norris said:

Make sure your comfortable and in control. If you feel tired then stop. Routers want to maim you!

But just remember they are more scared of you than you are of them!!

[SpondonBassed]

A little light relief -
All this talk about cutters put me in mind of Monty Python's Architect sketch.  Not sure why.

"Mr. Wiggin: Good morning, gentlemen.

Clients: Good morning.

Mr. Wiggin: This is a 12-story block combining classical neo-Georgian features with the efficiency of modern techniques.  The tenants arrive here and are carried along the corridor on a conveyor belt in extreme comfort, past murals depicting Mediterranean scenes, towards the rotating knives.  The last twenty feet of the corridor are heavily soundproofed. The blood pours down these chutes and the mangled flesh slurps into these..."

The Architect Sketch

Edited May 4, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Woodinblack]

Well, I didn't do much this weekend as it is really hot and everyone was out wanting to enjoy their gardens without the sound of routers. Not that anyone else around here cares but I do. I did actually do a bit of sanding on saturday morning. The shed is almost ready, so won't be a problem for long

Anyway, couldn't let the weekend die without any work, so I routed the pickup and neck from the template to the depth of the smallest router I bought (I think half an inch). Did the whole thing by router, what fun that is!

Anyway, it is enough to see how it is going and enough so that if I need to change anything I can. The pickups fit well in the holes. A bit too well, ie, if I paint or finish it with anything then it won't fit any more, it is a little snug! Haven't tried the neck yet, but I believe that is a little snug anyway, because it is what I was most concerned about. Anyway, it now seems to be becoming a thing, slowly but surely.

[BreadBin]

That's looking bloody good!