Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Big day today. Parts arrived and trial fitted. Found out I didn't route the pup cavities deep enough and the jack cavity needed some widening. Of course when I fitted the template to re route the pup cavities, some tape lifted some of the paint near the top horn. My fault for not waiting until I had...

Thanks Steve. That is exactly what I needed to hear. I will route my first rod channel soon.

Hey Luthiers, I am at the stage where I am ready to route and fit my first truss rod and have some quick questions. I will be going with a homemade rod comprising of 1/4 in threaded rod, flat nut for the anchor at the head lock-tighted and peaned, and at the heel, a flat washer and a hex coupler wit...

Hi Richard. Thanks for the reply and positive feedback. I am really happy with the progress. Amazing what a couple days off work, the right tools and 6 months lurking around these forums can achieve. It really flew when I stopped trying to cut corners using the wrong bit and bought the template foll...

Todays' update. Routed all cavities and curves. Carved front and back. Primed and trial assembly. Primed top back-20150429_151323.jpg Primed top front-20150429_151337.jpg Primed bottom front-20150429_151315.jpg Primed whole guitar front top-20150429_164506.jpg Really happy with the job so far. Learn...

Thanks for the advice Nick. The thinnest point at the router ( operator ) stuff-up is 12.87 so might router down to that. Not sure about the stability of spotted gum against humidity so I will seriously consider your advice. One of the reasons I wasn't going to install a truss rod in this first guit...

Gave in today and bought the proper template bit for the router. Glued up the 3 pieces of ply so I can router them properly tomorrow. The finished thickness should be close to 45mm. 17+17+12=46. Made a jig to router the tromolo cavity for the back. Routered the top of the neck and drilled and test f...

Here is how they look together. It looks like they have been routered to different depths. Top 2 layers together-20150427_194225.jpg Not an ideal fix by any means. It gives me 17mm for the neck cavity and only 34mm for the control cavity. All this because I'm trying to avoid buying another template ...

Time for todays update. Got used to the router again and found it wasn't too bad. Routered out some top layers and 1 neck and 1 second layer. The black layer is the second layer. Top 2 layers-20150427_190108.jpg I don't have a template router bit so I had to improvise. I made a 6mm router template a...

The light just came on....

I realize now that you hog out most of the wood with a forstner bit and then just clean out the rest with the router running on the template.

The idea of the thicker template is to run multiple passes at different depths it you don't hog it out first.

We use 6mm for routing templates I have read somewhere that It was better to use 18mm for the router templates so I could get the depth of the cavity easier. I assumed this was to allow many passes at different depths and allow the router bearing to travel down the 18mm. How do you router deeper th...

Thanks Steve. That sounds like a plan. Cut out some routing templates today. Gotta buy a bearing for the shaft of my router bits tomorrow and then I can follow the 3mm mdf templates to tidy up the 18mm ply templates. Router templates-20150425_191425.jpg Hope the router doesn't slip off the 3mm mdf. ...

Hi Greg, looks like that will make a nice body. +1 for the centreline idea, that should also help to align your truss rod slot, assuming you are going to put one in the neck. Also, you could make your fretboard a few mms longer than the neck itself, then it will over hang the join and you wont see ...

Hey Steve, Thanks for the advice. I will definitely do that before I finish sanding the final piece of gum. I'm pretty happy with that neck fit as well. Just the gaps in the corners could do with some tweaking. These are just the first attempts at a template. It is only 3mm mdf so might not last too...

I just saw the epoxy idea yesterday. Looks like a plan. The problem is that the epoxy will cost more than another slab. Can't get over the price of this spotted gum up here. Might be too heavy but should ring like a bell. Might even make me sound like a good player.

Hey Wayne. Thanks for the welcome.

I tell everyone that the kids get their brains from their mum. I know because I still have mine.

Wife.... Washing, Ironing, Food, Entertainment. Just joking honey... Put down that ash tray....

Hey all, Greg here from beautiful Tannum Sands... Finally decided to start my own build of a strat mainly because many have told me it's too difficult and I shouldn't try it. With a rebel yell..... So I have seen lots of videos and read lots of blogs and decided to price some ply and pine to practic...