1Q22 Challenge - Roland’s guitar build

Roland · December 2021

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 · December 2021

Suddenly my workshop doesn't look quite so messy

andy_k · December 2021

I'd like to see the headless S style.

Roland · December 2021

@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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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

Roland · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

Cool. Love these threads.

Roland · January 2022

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

downbytheriver · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

@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 · January 2022

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 · January 2022

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

Mostly cedar, but there one plank of Ash too.

Roland · January 2022

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:

Jalapeno · January 2022

Roland said:

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:

https://i.imgur.com/J9L5rYU.jpg

Bottom bit may have been good !

Roland · January 2022

At some point during my non-Covid stupor I seem to have ordered a bandsaw. (Must remember to tell my wife before its delivery on Tuesday!) Whilst clearing space for it in the workshop my chip collector lid imploded. Being a cheapskate I had built it using a 30 year old plastic brewing bin. It took an hour or so to make a new lid out of plywood. Not difficult, but another step.

I do fear that the scale of this challenge is growing. No sensible project manager would have allowed the scope to grow, encompassing the use of untried timber. He would however float the idea that the challenge might not be completed by 1st April, particularly with the gardening season starting as soon as the weather improves.

downbytheriver · January 2022

I’m going to call it ambition rather than mission creep, but this is a seriously interesting project

Roland · January 2022

A couple of design decisions this week. With so many challenges in choosing and using locally grown wood I’m sticking with components that I know well.

It’s going to have Telecaster pickups. I’ve already got an Oil City Wapping Wharf which I pickup up from the Classifieds last year, and I’ve ordered a Californian to go with it. On the workshop shelf I’ve got pots, knobs, a jack socket, and a 5-way superswitch. I was so pleased with the Grainger neck ferrules and hex bolts which I used on my Klein build that I’ve ordered a set of them too.

Now, conventional Tele shape or headless? I’m leaning towards headless, but I’m going to leave the final decision until I can see what the wood looks like.

Roland · January 2022

Yesterday I cut a body blank from Cedar of Lebanon. It's slightly too narrow for a one piece, and will need jointing somewhere around the control cavity. Last time I did this the cut out for the top edge curve was plenty large enough to be used.

I also cut a 3mm slice from the face of the blank which will provide a grain matched control cavity cover.

Despite the Cedar having been seasoning for years this morning I noticed a crack as pressures were released by cutting. If it doesn't split any further then it might fix with sawdust and glue, and be hidden by a cap of Yew or Sycamore. If not then there's plenty of wood in the stack.

Roland · January 2022

A little step forward today. These three pieces are contenders:

Top - Sycamore for the fretboard.

Middle - Field Maple, which is just big enough for a headless neck. Stiff enough, particularly if I slice it in three and reverse the middle slice. As an alternative I’ve got plenty more Sycamore.

Bottom - Cedar body blank. That crack fits nicely into the lower cut-away.

Next step is to cut the Yew for body cap. Then get it all planed. Finishing by 1st April is achievable if I don’t spend too much time gardening.

TTony · January 2022

Some nice grain patterns in those pieces.

Roland · February 2022

Unfortunately the Yew is not quite wide enough for a book matched top, and would have to be three pieces. I’m wondering about a Sycamore cap, either in natural, or stained blue. This is a test piece, sanded to 240 grit.
1. White stain from Chestnut stains.
2. Rubio Monocoat Natural.
3. Rubio Monocoat Pure.
and electric blue wood dye.

I’m wondering about a white stained neck and blue body.

ThePrettyDamned · February 2022

Roland said:

Unfortunately the Yew is not quite wide enough for a book matched top, and would have to be three pieces. I’m wondering about a Sycamore cap, either in natural, or stained blue. This is a test piece, sanded to 240 grit.
1. White stain from Chestnut stains.
2. Rubio Monocoat Natural.
3. Rubio Monocoat Pure.
and electric blue wood dye.

I’m wondering about a white stained neck and blue body.

That's a pretty blue, but I reckon multiple applications of the white might make for a really interesting looking for guitar.

Roland · February 2022

Body blank glued up. The curved piece cut from one side just fits on the other. The grain is not a bad match, but will only be visible from the back.

You can’t see it, but I’ve also cut a triangular slice from the front face so that the guitar will be thinner at the top, and thicker at the bottom.

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1Q22 Challenge - Roland’s guitar build

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