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


Woodinblack

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Interesting idea, thanks, bevelled at the end and no metal plate. Certainly looks good. In my template I have left the maximum amount of wood for the neck joint because I thought it was easier to leave more and trim it down if it was too much but I like the idea of trimming it down like you would with a set neck

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I glued the two sides yesterday, and clamped them overnight. The joint is tough as you would expect though on the front there is a very small line in places which I am a little disappointed with. I spent quite a time trying to ensure the faces were flat, obviously not enough time. You don't really see the line on the back and after a bit of sanding it is not so noticable (I took a picture but it doesn't really show much). But did sort of hope that you wouldn't be able to see the join!

Anyway, a bit more sanding to do and then I guess it is time to cut out the body. Not sure I am looking forward to that bit!

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4 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I glued the two sides yesterday, and clamped them overnight. The joint is tough as you would expect though on the front there is a very small line in places which I am a little disappointed with. I spent quite a time trying to ensure the faces were flat, obviously not enough time. You don't really see the line on the back and after a bit of sanding it is not so noticable (I took a picture but it doesn't really show much). But did sort of hope that you wouldn't be able to see the join!

Anyway, a bit more sanding to do and then I guess it is time to cut out the body. Not sure I am looking forward to that bit!

I'm guessing that that's the sort of thing that only you can see because you know it is there.  I have every confidence in you.

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On 4/15/2018 at 21:02, Woodinblack said:

 'well, how hard can it be'.

I have decided to give it a try

Wing it I guess.

And no talent at woodworking

So what could possible go wrong?.....

VERY YES! RESPECT IS DUE! Do it for all us wanabe luthiers  

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On 22/04/2018 at 17:26, Woodinblack said:

Thanks! Now I cut into the end of it, starting to rough out the shape and cut across the join, it doesn't look too bad. I think the end of the wood had a bit of a rounded off edge

 

IMG_4656.thumb.jpg.1e459029fe218d976245d21504e5646a.jpg

Looks good to me :)

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More questions than answers today. Having not built my shed yet (although this photo shows its new foundations), I am still outside so progress is slow.

In between the rain I decided to rough cut the outline with a jigsaw. Because my jigsaw isn't good and I am not used to cutting 4cm of hardwood, I stayed well away from the lines (it doesn't go that straight!). So I am left with quite a lot to shape.

So question 1: What do I get down to shape with? I tried the router but I don't have any bits that are 4cm shank size, so I tried doing it in two goes but that seems a bit awkward. I got a bit too close to the edges for a bit so i stopped. Should I just buy a bit that has a 4cm(+) bit and do it carefully or should I use something else.

Q2: On routers - when they advertised router cutters they are like ½" x 12mm x 50mm. As I know I want the ½", I am not that worried about how wide it is, is the last bit, the 50mm here the length of the cutting surface?

Heres the rough outline anyway, with a template on topIMG_4660.thumb.jpg.c1ec12b14fa2b4810993c105258c2a4f.jpg

 

 

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33 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Q2: On routers - when they advertised router cutters they are like ½" x 12mm x 50mm. As I know I want the ½", I am not that worried about how wide it is, is the last bit, the 50mm here the length of the cutting surface?

The 1/2" is the shank, 12 mm is the diameter of the cutter and 50mm is the cutting surface length. I use a template cutter for trimming - these have a bearing on them that runs along the template edge so you can't cut too much off. You have to take it gently and not try to cut too much off as the cutter could snatch and take a chunk out (as I've learnt!!). 

I often use a shorter cutter and go take a couple of goes to cut the shape.

Edited by Jabba_the_gut
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11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

OK, that is almost exactly what I used!

I will just continue and be careful then. 

If you are using the bearing guide correctly it will prevent the cutter from going inside the line of the template.

The bearing must only be in contact with the template not the workpiece for it to work.  The bottom edge of the bearing roller must be aligned to the surface of the template that is in contact with the workpiece.  If it is not , the cutter will hit the template.  A meaty template can take this and as long as the cut is less than a mm or so into the template it is fine to carry on.  With practice you will find it easier to set the bit height to avoid template erosion.

The first time you rout to a template can be daunting.  A bit of practice at using the template on a test piece would help you to understand how the router reacts to changes in grain density and direction.  It wont take long for you to get a feel for it.

Deep cuts are to be avoided.  The larger irregularities in your rough cut can be evened out first with hand tools so that you are left with a light cut for the finishing passes.

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What I did was have a big cutter and then by hand cut along the top bit - probably not a good plan and that is what I thought at the time, but it seemed to work ok. Then i thought I would use the bit like above with it set lower so that the roller ran on the bit I had already routed and cut a bit lower. That worked ok until it chipped a bit that was inside that cut, at which point I stopped!

The problem I had with the guide when I used it at the second level, is that it has a shaft, then some kind of collar with an allen key, then a bearing, then the cutter. but the collar has the end of the allen key stuck out slightly proud of the bearing so it obviously can't touch anything (as it will damage the template). This means the bearing is free to run from the bottom of the collar to the top of the cutter (and it does run around), so that restricts how far down I can get. It seems that I couldn't find bearing cutters with more than a 25mm cutter depth (and I only have < 25mm cutters).

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12 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

What I did was have a big cutter and then by hand cut along the top bit - probably not a good plan and that is what I thought at the time, but it seemed to work ok. Then i thought I would use the bit like above with it set lower so that the roller ran on the bit I had already routed and cut a bit lower. That worked ok until it chipped a bit that was inside that cut, at which point I stopped!

The problem I had with the guide when I used it at the second level, is that it has a shaft, then some kind of collar with an allen key, then a bearing, then the cutter. but the collar has the end of the allen key stuck out slightly proud of the bearing so it obviously can't touch anything (as it will damage the template). This means the bearing is free to run from the bottom of the collar to the top of the cutter (and it does run around), so that restricts how far down I can get. It seems that I couldn't find bearing cutters with more than a 25mm cutter depth (and I only have < 25mm cutters).

That is the way I do it but once you’ve gone down to the maximum depth from the top using the template with a top bearing cutter I then turn the body over and swap to a bottom bearing cutter so the bearing runs on the bit you all ready cut then that eliminates the problem with Allen key collar......

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7 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

What I did was have a big cutter and then by hand cut along the top bit - probably not a good plan and that is what I thought at the time, but it seemed to work ok. Then i thought I would use the bit like above with it set lower so that the roller ran on the bit I had already routed and cut a bit lower. That worked ok until it chipped a bit that was inside that cut, at which point I stopped!

The problem I had with the guide when I used it at the second level, is that it has a shaft, then some kind of collar with an allen key, then a bearing, then the cutter. but the collar has the end of the allen key stuck out slightly proud of the bearing so it obviously can't touch anything (as it will damage the template). This means the bearing is free to run from the bottom of the collar to the top of the cutter (and it does run around), so that restricts how far down I can get. It seems that I couldn't find bearing cutters with more than a 25mm cutter depth (and I only have < 25mm cutters).

It's a bit odd - the collar and allen screw would normally be smaller dia than the bearing and cutter...

If it's just the allen screw that is running proud then you could slip the collar off , tighten the screw til it's flush, then use a circular needle file to take off the excess in the bore.

If , when the bit is in the router, the collar butts up to the collet, you could even take the allen screw out.  The collar, and thus the bearing, can't go anywhere...

Don't do this, however, if there is any gap between the collar and router collet.

And I reiterate what others have said - small cuts, multiple passes!

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15 minutes ago, Jimothey said:

That is the way I do it but once you’ve gone down to the maximum depth from the top using the template with a top bearing cutter I then turn the body over and swap to a bottom bearing cutter so the bearing runs on the bit you all ready cut then that eliminates the problem with Allen key collar......

That's what I do too.

I find the long cutters far too dangerous and my router has limited plunge so I use a 1" long top bearing cutter, then flip the body over and use a bottom bearing cutter to take the rest of it off.  Also, because I use a personal rule of never cutting more than 2mm depth at a time, I either bandsaw VERY close to the template line on the blank, or use progressively small guide rings initially to reduce the blank to within 2mm of the template.  I'm a bit paranoid about routers...

Edited by Andyjr1515
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On 26/04/2018 at 09:15, Andyjr1515 said:

It's a bit odd - the collar and allen screw would normally be smaller dia than the bearing and cutter...

If it's just the allen screw that is running proud then you could slip the collar off , tighten the screw til it's flush, then use a circular needle file to take off the excess in the bore.

Like this:

F9B17719-D0F7-460F-B748-64E289FEE2B2.thumb.jpeg.06ef8a6fc40fe4b9e50a52378e3330df.jpeg

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57 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Like this:

F9B17719-D0F7-460F-B748-64E289FEE2B2.thumb.jpeg.06ef8a6fc40fe4b9e50a52378e3330df.jpeg

Yes - you need to either find a smaller grubscrew or file the other end down a bit so it doesn't stick out further than the bearing.  Or, assuming it is a 1/2" bearing and 1/4" shank, pm me your address and I'll send you a collet with a flush grubscrew.  Got one here from an old bit.

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So I bought a new router bit that has the bearing at the end, as the one I had was only really short. There were some really cheap ones but I got something that seemed decent, and god it is sharp.

Used it on the other side of the wood and what a difference it makes. No resistance at all and the edges it makes are smooth, rather than rough like that top. Wish I had shelled out for the first half.

So the outline is done, and although it is a little rough in places, where I can file it down, the only place it is bad is on the top horn, where unfortunately a piece of wood chipped out on the overlap. Might just round it off a bit more. It is wider than it needed to be which is lucky as it needs a bit of work. But in general pretty happy. Will spend some time getting the sides smooth the old fashioned hand way, then on to the scary bit of cutting out the neck joint, pickup holes, electronics and making the bevelled bits, the arm dent and stomach bit!

 

IMG_4680.thumb.jpg.a8aa0c66be906036799ffbd9e168d6d8.jpg

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