Tales from my workbench

[slingblader]

54 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

You probably survived yeeeears of Dad jokes. What's a little payback?

That's likely true, but then again, he's also the one that caused me to let stuff like this bug the sh!t outta me. I still get out a level when I hang a picture, and I shake my head every time.

[slingblader]

Moving on!

I trimmed up the replacement board, then marked the dots and finished drilling... This time in the correct locations.

Dots were glued in with Duco cement.

Side dots were drilled with a brad point bit and rods glued in with Duco cement.

Dots were sanded flush with a beam.

Much better.

And a little reminder to hang on the wall.

More soon.

[slingblader]

Next up is binding. I like to set my binding channels to be just slightly smaller than the binding itself. This is so I can scrape the binding flush to the body, and not the other way around. I always measure the binding channel size after I prep the binding. 

I prep the binding by sanding one side and one edge flat against my bench top. This ensures that the binding will sit tight and square in the channel. But this also means that the binding is slightly undersized, hence the need to size the channel after the prep. Applying the binding with acetone will also make the binding swell a bit, so there is a little dance to be done with test fitting, etc. (maybe this dance should be called a binding jig? )

I don't have a picture of the router table setup, but I just use the StewMac binding cutter rabbet bit and bearings. To fine tune the cut, I test on scrap and sometimes use a wrap of vinyl tape around the router bearing to get the depth of cut that I need.

Here is the body that will go to my brother and will get the silver flake finish with black binding. I should mention that I tape small wood backers in the neck pocket to avoid tear-out.

And the back side. 

I use acetone in a pipette to attach the binding and apply tape as I go.

The rubber sleeves from the spindle sander make great cauls for holding the binding in tight areas.

And this is the body that will go to my dad with white binding and the red, silver and blue flake finish.

I let everything set up overnight, then use card scrapers to bring the bindings flush to the body. This part is actually pretty fun.

Thanks for looking!

[Travis]

1 hour ago, slingblader said:

Next up is binding. I like to set my binding channels to be just slightly smaller than the binding itself. This is so I can scrape the binding flush to the body, and not the other way around. I always measure the binding channel size after I prep the binding. 

I prep the binding by sanding one side and one edge flat against my bench top. This ensures that the binding will sit tight and square in the channel. But this also means that the binding is slightly undersized, hence the need to size the channel after the prep. Applying the binding with acetone will also make the binding swell a bit, so there is a little dance to be done with test fitting, etc. (maybe this dance should be called a binding jig? )

I don't have a picture of the router table setup, but I just use the StewMac binding cutter rabbet bit and bearings. To fine tune the cut, I test on scrap and sometimes use a wrap of vinyl tape around the router bearing to get the depth of cut that I need.

Here is the body that will go to my brother and will get the silver flake finish with black binding. I should mention that I tape small wood backers in the neck pocket to avoid tear-out.

And the back side. 

I use acetone in a pipette to attach the binding and apply tape as I go.

The rubber sleeves from the spindle sander make great cauls for holding the binding in tight areas.

And this is the body that will go to my dad with white binding and the red, silver and blue flake finish.

I let everything set up overnight, then use card scrapers to bring the bindings flush to the body. This part is actually pretty fun.

Thanks for looking!

Oh, man…. These are gonna turn out great, I can already tell….  

[slingblader]

40 minutes ago, Travis said:

Oh, man…. These are gonna turn out great, I can already tell….  

Thanks, Travis. I hope so.

[slingblader]

More binding fun. So, the third guitar (the one for me) will be the gold flake Tele. There were three of these made. One each for Buck and Don and the third for George Fullerton. These guitars featured black and white checkered binding or maybe more appropriately, purfling...?, in between strips of black binding. 

Here is a photo of George's Tele. 

As I mentioned earlier, trying to source the checkered strips of plastic binding is nearly impossible right now. The only source that I could find was from Rothko & Frost. The kicker is that the only version they have right now is defective... they literally label it as "checker-ish wonky" binding. Only a small amount of each strip is usable. So, I ordered 10 strips of it, hoping to get enough usable material for double bindings on this guitar.

Here is a sample package from R&F

Here is what the vast majority of it looks like...

Basically, none of it is perfectly square, but here is some of the better stuff.

So, I spent a little time, cutting the good parts from the bad. The pile on the left is the usable material out of 10 strips.

The plan is to piece together enough for 2 strips... not sure if I will try to make those up in complete strips before assembly, or just piece them together as I assemble. It's going to be a pain, regardless. 

Here is an idea of how the assembled binding will look. The checkered stuff (.060) is in between strips of .040 black binding. 

It's not going to be perfect, obviously. But, from a few feet away, I think it will be OK. If I were to do it over, I would have ordered 20 strips instead of 10 as there were a couple of entire pieces that were unusable. I'll definitely be cutting it close and may have to use some of the more questionable pieces... (probably on the back of the guitar) 

By the way, I'm not trying to disparage Rothko & Frost at all. They are very upfront with their description and their service is fantastic. I just wish there was a good source for this style of binding somewhere.

I'm also still on the fence about how I will install/assemble this binding. My instinct tells me to leave the individual layers "loose" and fit small sections at a time. This will allow the layers to "slide" as they are fitted. If I glue up the entire assemble first, it may be too stiff and deform even more as it is installed. 

I'll likely be working on this later today, so with me luck.

[slingblader]

I keep meaning to post this picture. Here is the the silver and gold metal flake that I'll be using on these builds. 

 

[cmatthes]

I will attest to your binding skills! 😉

I love everything about this thread…

[slingblader]

15 hours ago, cmatthes said:

I will attest to your binding skills! 😉

I love everything about this thread…

Speaking of which, here is the binding job in question. It was just a big ol' binding party in my shop recently.

 

[cmatthes]

I've already put Stike on notice...

 

[slingblader]

Well, I finally took the plunge and started on the binding for the gold Tele. If you haven't been following along, this is the version that has the checkered binding in between two strips of black binding. 

I'm no binding expert, so I'm already nervous about the process to apply 3 layers. To throw fuel on the fire, the only plastic B/W checkered binding that I could find was defective (and sold as such). So I bought lots in the hope that I could piece together enough for this project. So, here is how it went.

First off, I took some careful measurements of the layered up thickness and installed the closest (a smidge oversized) size bearing on my binding bit. I ended up using one layer of vinyl tape to get it to the proper offset, then routed the binding channels on the guitar. 

After cleaning up any fuzz in the binding channels with a small sanding block, I started on the inner layer of .040 binding. I only used acetone wicked between the body and the plastic to adhere it. I used very little tape. I just worked a few inches at a time wicking in the acetone with a pipette. I then smoothed out the binding with either an eraser, wood block or my fingers depending on the situation. 

After the inner layer was applied, I started on the checkered stuff. I worked it very carefully and used a heat gun when necessary to bend around tight curves. I used the same method as before using acetone to adhere it to the first layer. I used clamps whenever needed to hold things in place.

Here is an example of where I used a short piece. I was sure to square up the ends where they would connect to the next piece before attaching them. The acetone melts the pieces together and the joint becomes invisible. 

Checked binding is done on the back...

The third layer was added the same way.

The back is complete.

The front of the guitar was done in the same way, with even less tape. This is an important lesson that I will continue to use. The binding sticks down very well and the acetone dries quickly if you don't overdo it. Very little tape is necessary, just clamps in some key locations.

And the front is completed. Everything looks a little messy and smeared until the bindings are scraped.

Scraping step is in the next post.

[slingblader]

Let the scraping begin!

Overall, I'm very happy with the result. I tried to keep the best looking checkered binding on the front. It looks pretty good, all things considered. The bindings are tight with no gaps. It was definitely a lot of work. Now I can move on to carving the necks. Although that may have to wait for a while as I'm going on a much needed vacation.

[PaGator]

Looks great!

[specialk]

Wow. Really amazing stuff, sir, and thanks for taking the time to share.

Now throw the phone away and get on some vacationing. 😁

[cmatthes]

Fantastic stuff!

[Drew816]

Well, Checkerboard binding, who here on a Hamer forum is going to object to how cool that is?!?

These look great, keep it up!

[BCR Greg]

I just looked through this whole thread.    Fantastic work.

[slingblader]

On 10/13/2021 at 2:03 PM, BCR Greg said:

I just looked through this whole thread.    Fantastic work.

I've been away on vacation and just saw this comment. Thank you very much, I'm beyond humbled.

[slingblader]

I've been working on carving the necks over the past week as I've had time. I use the facet method of carving, and it seems to work for me. It really allows me to be accurate with the profile that I'm going for. 

This starts with cross-section drawings of the neck at the 12th and 1st frets showing the neck profile. I draw in tangential lines that allows the for the most efficient angle to cut away waste. Measurements are taken from the drawing and transferred to the neck, then I just connect the dots. In this case, I'm using a slim C profile which slopes the shoulders right into the fretboard, especially below the 5th fret. 

A couple coats of shellac were put on the fretboards, then frets were pressed in.

The thickness was marked at the 12th and 1st fret on both sides of the neck, and a line was struck down both sides. I used the oscilating belt sander to get the overall thickness taper roughed in.

Profile reference measurements were transferred to the 12th and 1st fret positions and reference lines were drawn. Initial facets were roughed in with a farriers rasp.

I generally hit the 4 corners of the primary facets first, then go to town down the straights.

Additional facets are marked and cut in with rasps. I try to use finer cut rasps the further I go to minimize gouges and scratches.

Better view of the facets.

 

 

More in the next post. 

 

[slingblader]

After I've created smaller and smaller facets, I blend them together and smooth it all out with sanding blocks. 

 

 

Here are all three necks together. 

Next I'll get the necks fitted and go back over everything and final sand and prep for finish. Getting exciting now!

[Travis]

4 minutes ago, slingblader said:

Getting exciting now!

Me, too!!!

Fanstatic work!

[slingblader]

1 minute ago, Travis said:

Me, too!!!

Fanstatic work!

Thanks, man! Trying to beat the cold weather now. I want to have these shot in the next couple of weeks so they can be ready in time for Christmas.

[Travis]

47 minutes ago, slingblader said:

Thanks, man! Trying to beat the cold weather now. I want to have these shot in the next couple of weeks so they can be ready in time for Christmas.

Can’t wait to see the final products 

[cmatthes]

I look forward to these updates every time I open the HFC!

[slingblader]

Awww nuts.

Next up, I got the nuts fitted for all three necks. I used unbleached bone for all three.

I started out by paring out the waste from the nut slots with a 1/8" chisel.

I filed the bottom of the nut slots nice and flat. I mark the bottoms with pencil lead and keep filing until no lead remains, then double-check it with a straight edge. 

I rough-cut the bone at the band saw, then attached some adhesive backed sandpaper to my bench and carefully sanded the blanks to final thickness for a nice, snug fit. 

I marked out the profile using a half-pencil.

I use a jewelers saw to trim the nut roughly to size. Then I use various files to get it flushed with the neck and refined a bit. 

All three in a row.

More soon.