Rabs Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Give me a little while to scratch up the skills, and I'll join you! UK Luthiers extraordinaire! If money were no object I would sit in a workshop all day, making things. Sorry to hear about your rough patch; I can't imagine it to have been a good time, but I'm glad something productive came of it. I'm looking forward to doing a dish carve; it ought to be exciting. The dish carve is one of the most attractive bits of woodworking I know of. I've also go ideas of making my own design archtop in a similar way. I have a list of designs and builds I want to do; a few Lesters, a few of my own. Hey man.. I just saw these vids.. Thought you may like to see (they've been up only a week) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 Hey man.. I just saw these vids.. Thought you may like to see (they've been up only a week) :) Ooh thanks dude. I'll have a look at these tonight. Looking to get into the workshop again on Monday next week or week after; hopefully some progress shall be made! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Ooh thanks dude. I'll have a look at these tonight. Looking to get into the workshop again on Monday next week or week after; hopefully some progress shall be made! And part 3 which just went up today (edit... which I just finished watching and hes still not done yet ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 And part 3 which just went up today (edit... which I just finished watching and hes still not done yet ) Thanks again, Rabs. Interesting video. He's carving a top which is a bit shallower than an LP, but it's impressive. I don't have the confidence with hand tools like gouges like I do with a router; this would take practise and bravery for me, in bucketloads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 YAY! Finally some further progress can be made on the build! After a long wait; I came home today to an exciting package at my door. My new guitar templates for my Les Paul build have arrived! After opening the box like an excited child on Christmas morning, I surveyed the pieces and made sure they had made it safely across the Atlantic from their US origins (which they had). They are made of 1/4" MDF, and are laser-cut, with measurements taken from an original '59 LP (or so the maker told me; I believe him). As a result of the laser cutting; some of the edges of the template pieces are still black, effectively burnt or charred. Not in a damaging way, but now my living room smells like smoked bacon. With this set I'll be able to start making some decent headway with what is my first build. I'll make some copies of these templates to preserve the originals, so I've always got a backup in the original. Considering they're not cheap (not super-expensive, mind), I don't want to risk needing to place another order down the line if I can help it. Following that; I'll rough-cut the mahogany billet, and put it through a planer/thickness-er. I found it has an awkward nail, which has been cut in half and is still embedded in the wood, luckily not in an area I'll be using. I'll still need to cut out the main shape and remove the affected piece as I don't want to risk putting it through the planer. I'll also rough-cut the neck. So...more to follow soon! I've taken a selection of pictures to show you all how comprehensive the set of templates is: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Looks like a piece of art all laid out and deconstructed like that. Looking forward to seeing what it produces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 Looks like a piece of art all laid out and deconstructed like that. Looking forward to seeing what it produces. I know what you mean; looks quite cool as-is. Aiming for completion early next year, at my estimate. Therefore this shall be dubbed with serial "16-01". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Some progress was made today; I had a day off, so decided to go to my dads' workshop and try and make a bit of headway with the Les Paul build. Having received the templates last week (an event I was quite excited about) I was able to do some shaping of the body from by hunk of mahogany. I also managed to find one of the offcuts from the original billet, which luckily dad had not used, and marked it as mine for the neck. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos of it, but other than tracing the template to the wood there isn't much to report, on that front. Anyway; I started the day making some copies of the templates I purchased. While this seemed a little counter-productive to the build; but I wanted to ensure that the investment doesn't get ruined on my first build attempt. I've constructed the new template copies from birch ply instead of MDF; MDF is soft, and pressure from something like a router bit ball-bearing running over it over and over again could cause it to lose form and stability. My templates laid out on the ply, waiting to be cut: After a bit of work on those; I rough-cut the mahogany block to rid it of some imperfections, and half an old nail that was embedded deep in the block: This was done so I could stick the block through a rather industrial planer-thicknesser, which took the thickness down to 1.75"; what I understand to be correct Les Paul thickness (I don't care if it isn't for this build; I like it how it is ): At this point I finished off one of the new templates, so I could use it to rout out the body shape: And then did some more rough-cuts for the body, so the router didn't have to do so much work. Had a little bit of an accident at this point; yes that is a a bit of a jigsaw blade stuck in the wood... :unsure: And then a sad moment of realisation; I didn't have a router bit with a 1.75" blade, or anything long enough to cut it! A moment of poor planning, this pretty much ended the days' productivity; although I did put together some treble bleed circuits which will eventually partly-fill the innards of this build: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Cool... look forward to seeing more.. You got a top for it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Cool... look forward to seeing more.. You got a top for it yet? Not yet. As (possibly) mentioned before the top is going to be a solid colour, so I don't need a flamed piece or any special figuring, and I also don't want to pay for a piece of the more-expensive figured maple just to colour it. I've got good access to some sycamore, although would prefer sticking with maple if I can find the right piece. I've got my eye on a few chunks; I'm going to get something next payday, one way or another. Heading to Spain this afternoon for a stag do; it's an expensive month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Last week I managed to visit Dad's new workshop, after a few weeks of chaos in moving; he's all settled and I can continue on with the build. I've also now got access to some more power tools After the main body block had been put through a rather industrial planer / thicknesser; I had it at (what I have been told is) vintage-correct body thickness; 1¾". So...next came the routing! Using a template pattern bit, and a bit of Dad's help (so I could get some photos and video); we made a single pass using the template I'd made a few weeks ago...: ...and got about halfway through: It was then that I removed the template, and would use the newly-cut edge as a guide for the bit: Going around the horn was the trickiest part; grain tearout could have happened on either side, so the router was slowed and gradual passes were made over the same area until it came flush with the template edge: And it was done! Inside of half and hour I had a completed shape for the body. There were some small chips and tear around the edges, but nothing too serious or damaging: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 I went round the edges with some course 60 grit to level out some undulations, and also employed a disc sander for some bits, and then gave the whole thing a quick once-over with some 1200 grit to smooth it over, and get an idea of what issues remained. The remaining chips and dips can be filled in with grain-filler, when I get to that stage. The same goes for some tearing caused by the planer / thicknesser on the back; also not very severe, but needs a fill: Next; I'll also be attaching a sycamore top to the body, and going on to shape it to the body, after creating the necessary channels in the top of the mahogany shown here. I'll also be returning to the neck blank (which I've misplaced and need to dig out), and starting some shaping on this, too. Once again; sorry to those of you who are interested, that I'm progressing so slowly. Getting the time to get to the workshop, between work and university studying, can be tricky! I'm determined to have this finished by my birthday in May of next year, and I've got some more builds that will hopefully occupy some time over next summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Awesome... man you have so many cool tools at your disposal.. what I wouldn't give give for a big auto planner, the amount of time I spend getting things to the right size and shape with hand tools is just silly.. And I think its such a shame you are gonna do a solid colour and hide that beautiful wood.... but you must do what you must do :) Look forward to seeing more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Awesome... man you have so many cool tools at your disposal.. what I wouldn't give give for a big auto planner, the amount of time I spend getting things to the right size and shape with hand tools is just silly.. And I think its such a shame you are gonna do a solid colour and hide that beautiful wood.... but you must do what you must do :) Look forward to seeing more Ahh the back is going to be natural; I'm going to put a light stain on it to help 'pop' the grain streaks. The top is going to be a solid black gloss; I know that sycamore can have the same lovely grain that a piece of maple might possess; so I'm going to be careful with what I use on the top. I'll recycle some staves instead of using a solid piece. It'll look something a bit like this, with any hope: My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 It'll look something a bit like this, with any hope: My link Sweet.. Now that's what im talkin about :) Did you ever see that Lou Pallo Les Paul? http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Lou-Pallo-Signature-Les-Paul.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 Sweet.. Now that's what im talkin about :) Did you ever see that Lou Pallo Les Paul? http://www.gibson.co...e-Les-Paul.aspx No I'd not heard, nor seen this before. But what a beast! Beautiful! That's another fine example of what I'm trying to achieve. It all started having seen things like the Ebony Les Paul Standard and Neil Young's guitars; I thought having a black one would be cool. And then one day on Twitter I saw that one on the Gibson Custom Shop feed (I believe they've noted it as a '58, the one I linked; I've got another one somewhere of a very-similar '57). It feels like a modified / refinished '57 Goldtop; they've painted black over the gold, but kept the caramel brown natural back, neck, and sides. And personally I love the contrast between the tops and the rest of it; with that nice crisp line of the bind separating the finishes. And going back; I don't know Lou Pallo or anything, but I'm certain that would be one of the signature guitars I'd actually own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 And going back; I don't know Lou Pallo or anything, but I'm certain that would be one of the signature guitars I'd actually own. Hes cool.. not to many people have heard of him.. I only know him as part of the Les Paul trio which he was part of for many years.. Im sure hes done loads of other cool stuff too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 WELL FINALLY! I do apologise to you all that this post has seen no love in the last...damn...5 months...but I have finally been able to get some time at the workshop and progress the build a few steps further. Just this last weekend I have taken the shaped body and routed some control pockets for the pickup selector and the pot controls: And then routed the wiring channel between the two cavities before the top gets stuck on: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 BUT WAIT - there's more... I had also managed to source a bit of sycamore, rescued from a dusty pile of planks. It was all weird thicknesses up and down, but I cut it down and bonded the two main pieces together to be wider than what I needed: I then went on to rough-cut some of the bulk out of it with a bandsaw, before putting it through a planer-thicknesser to get it down to 3/4" thick: Then, after some very careful alignment with the centre line I drew on the body, and the join of the sycamore pieces; glued them together! It was left for 4 days, before being shaped using the body as the router template: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 I went on to notice 2 minor issues; before routing down to the shape, I cut away some mass of the top with the bandsaw. At one point, it's gone slightly too far, and nicked the wood a bit. The other is where there is a knot in the wood. After carving, colouring, and binding; neither of these should bee seen, though. I've got resin / epoxy to fill any cracks like the one on the side if it's still apparent after carving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Cool nice one man.. Good to see this build progress... Yeah rip out is a b**ch.. It happens though... Like anything else the more you do it the better you get..... You learn to watch for things that may get in your way during the process... Cool stuff though looking forward to seeing more... And you found that wood... Man its amazing what people throw out.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Cool nice one man.. Good to see this build progress... Yeah rip out is a b**ch.. It happens though... Like anything else the more you do it the better you get..... You learn to watch for things that may get in your way during the process... Cool stuff though looking forward to seeing more... And you found that wood... Man its amazing what people throw out.... No so much throw out on the wood; my dad works on a timber yard, which has a carpentry and woodworking business built in. There are warehouses full of all sorts of wood from the farmlands around; oak in plentiful supply; ash; yew; elm, and so on. If you're looking for a new supplier for your stuff; let me know! That mark on the side isn't rip out; thankfully when routing round the top the piece was very stable, and the router bit had some new fresh blades. The nick in the side is where I got to close rough-cutting with a bandsaw. The binding channel and top carve will hide any remaining issues, and with it being a solid black colour top there will be no evidence of imperfections. If it weren't for the knots, I might have considered changing the plan to a plaint build, but I'll find a nicer piece for that build ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 No so much throw out on the wood; my dad works on a timber yard, which has a carpentry and woodworking business built in. There are warehouses full of all sorts of wood from the farmlands around; oak in plentiful supply; ash; yew; elm, and so on. If you're looking for a new supplier for your stuff; let me know! Wow, that's very cool.. You are lucky to have such resources.. Ash is an awesome wood... (I like oak too) And yes, always up for new sources of wood :) I have loads at the moment but next time im on the hunt I will let you know , cheers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Wow, that's very cool.. You are lucky to have such resources.. Ash is an awesome wood... (I like oak too) And yes, always up for new sources of wood :) I have loads at the moment but next time im on the hunt I will let you know , cheers :) No worries. I'm already planning parts of the next build, which will be comparatively simple compared to the current LP build, and will feature an all-Ash body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 So there has been progress, but sadly not a lot of the sort I'd like to see. I've recently managed to find the long-lost neck blank, that was misplaced during Dad's workshop migration. On my last visit I managed to get the piece planed down on all sides, and to my joy found that I've got enough material to make 2 necks! Unfortunately the work I planned to do on this visit was stalled here; the big beast of a bandsaw at the workshop was in a million pieces (slight exaggeration) because it was undergoing maintenance. So I couldn't cut the neck blanks out of the billet. Here is the piece, post-planing, with some faint lines marking out the neck. I won't blame you if you can't see them, as I can barely myself. As I may have said before; I don't want to ruin the templates on my first build, so I making copies of the template set as I go along, which should hopefully last me a while. This is the copy of the neck face template, which you will notice has a slight adaptation to the Gibson open-book headstock shape. I've omitted the centre crease for 4 reasons: It looks quite cool with the rounded edge. It's a pain in the arse to rout or cut. It's a small way of making this guitar in the image of another, with my own little touches here and there. It's fun to experiment. Next up on this visit was making a set of top carve templates. This set might be recognised by some of you who are also members over at the My Les Paul forum; they were created by a member there called ExNihilo, who has done a lot of LP builds, and others. He had sent me these, which are simple in their use. You cut out around each line and create a template based on each. You then rout around each, changing the bit height by about 1/16" for each template, creating steps in the top. You would then cut the neck plane and pickup plane, and use hand tools and / or abrasives to smooth out the steps into a fluid shape. It's a system he's developed and refined on his own builds, to great effect. As there are 7 steps, you need 7 copies, which I've printed on A3 sized paper, and will then stick to some wood to be used as the main template, and then will shape each accordingly. If you can imagine it from this, you get the idea of how it works. That's all for now; sorry it's slow (again!) but I'm trying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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