Good idea, just make sure you get a drill guide you can hold onto easily. When the drill bit heats up it's going to bind in the guide and could whip it out of your hands, so a cooling fluid (Beeswax and mineral oil are really solid, cheap options) and a strong grip are necessary to stop it from mucking with the precision of the tool.
I had planned on getting a large C clamp
Hmmmmm
Tough call. Large 6" clamps are $12. The tool is $25 + shipping
You've got your driver's license now, you could use it to get to a community college and take some courses on stuff like metalworking, carpentry, basic masonry etc. etc.
also, I already had a guy offer to buy a guitar from me. I bought a couple cheap cigar boxes off him at a flea market. Didn't have the heart to tell him I hadn't made one yet much less one extra one to sell.
tomorrow, I'm hoping to finish cutting the neck, finish cutting the head, and cut the holes for the cable/tone/volume. Wednesday, I'll add the fret board and nut and let it dry for a couple of days. String it, test it and if things go well, I'll sand it, stain it, and play it!
I need to drill out the tuning peg holes a bit more. I stripped one of them, though I think it'll be ok. I don't want to spend any more monies on this project lol
You've got your driver's license now, you could use it to get to a community college and take some courses on stuff like metalworking, carpentry, basic masonry etc. etc.
GED first. Then classes.
My maths are weak and puny still though.
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ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
I would absolutely love it if someone made me a guitar.
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
I would absolutely love it if someone made me a guitar.
Just thinking about the materials plus labor hours in one makes my wallet shudder.
My electric cost me like 80 bucks shipped and I had to set it up myself (truss rod, intonation, even had to shim the nut at the headstock because the strings touched the first fret) it also weighs way to much and is made from the cheapest possible wood.
really though a nice handcrafted guitar would probably do wonders for motivating me to practice more.
I would absolutely love it if someone made me a guitar.
Just thinking about the materials plus labor hours in one makes my wallet shudder.
My electric cost me like 80 bucks shipped and I had to set it up myself (truss rod, intonation, even had to shim the nut at the headstock because the strings touched the first fret) it also weighs way to much and is made from the cheapest possible wood.
really though a nice handcrafted guitar would probably do wonders for motivating me to practice more.
the materials for the one I'm making cost next to nothing .... but the tools ....
If this one works out well, I'm going to make several. It's really enjoyable. More so to me, than playing! I've got ideas for more. I've also got a bunch of people that are interested.
I'd say that just materials, I've spent around $50
Wood box
3x3x4' poplar
1/4"x3"x4' red oak fret board
cheap prewired pickup
bridge
nut
tuning pegs
strings
fret wire
that and a few odds and ends like wood glue (for attaching the fret board) and super glue (for the frets)
I also bought a few 0.50 cent bottles of paint to make a stain from
Also, the art I'm going to glue to the box after I get it all situated was $6
edit: for my next one, I'm going to grab a bunch of old tobacco stakes and mess around with making a neck out of them.
fake edit2: I kind of worry about using poplar for this guitar as it's relatively soft. I'm hoping the fact that it's one solid piece will keep it from bending over the years under the string tension
How complicated is measuring and cutting a neck? It's like the most important part of playing a guitar so I imagine you have to get it just right.
Also are you putting in a truss rod or just a solid neck? I imagine installing a rod would be... Difficult and nerve wracking.
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ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
There are like 800 things I would love to have on a guitar.
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
How complicated is measuring and cutting a neck? It's like the most important part of playing a guitar so I imagine you have to get it just right.
Also are you putting in a truss rod or just a solid neck? I imagine installing a rod would be... Difficult and nerve wracking.
I took one look at truss rods and opted for a solid neck. The head, neck, and thru body are all one piece. Measuring the neck wasn't too bad. It's a (relatively) standard 18" with 1/4" extra for the nut. The bridge is set back 6" on the box so it's an even 24" from the back of the nut to the front of the bridge. The 12th fret is in the direct center at 12"
The toughest part was cutting the fret board. Measured down to the thousandth =P
Used a coping saw in a mitre box and it took forever.
ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
Oh, Rancid stuff, Adventure Time stuff (possibly better on a ukulele or banjolele, can you imagine an AT-themed one of those?), Terry Pratchett stuff.. stuff I like. :P
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
+1
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I'd love to make you a guitar but I have no idea where to put the strings...
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
That's looking great Xaquin. You planning on doing fretboard markers? And if so, you doing them on the edge too, or just down the middle? What shape or design?
You've got your driver's license now, you could use it to get to a community college and take some courses on stuff like metalworking, carpentry, basic masonry etc. etc.
yes lets learn that I am bad very bad at woodworking
That was a fun class that I learned I was horrible at woodworking. I could not glue nail or do anything correct that whole class
4 months of feeling dumb for 2 hours was not fun
That's looking great Xaquin. You planning on doing fretboard markers? And if so, you doing them on the edge too, or just down the middle? What shape or design?
I'd like to, but I'm also having reservations because I really really don't want to mess up the fretboard
If I do, I'll just do circles for this one and expand on others
Oh, Rancid stuff, Adventure Time stuff (possibly better on a ukulele or banjolele, can you imagine an AT-themed one of those?), Terry Pratchett stuff.. stuff I like. :P
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
My Uncle (who is actually my Great Uncle) is a retired carpenter and has taken up experimenting with instruments. He has recently started making Uketars, which is a cross between a ukelele and a guitar. He was about 1/2 way through his latest prototype when I visited last, and it looked very interesting.
+4
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#pipeCocky Stride, Musky odoursPope of Chili TownRegistered Userregular
So is it a small, six stringed guitar or a large, four stringed Ukulele?
ceresWhen the last moon is cast over the last star of morningAnd the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderatormod
Oh, Rancid stuff, Adventure Time stuff (possibly better on a ukulele or banjolele, can you imagine an AT-themed one of those?), Terry Pratchett stuff.. stuff I like. :P
An AT guitar would be awesome!
Also rancid
Either a red ax like Marceline's with an image of her from the show painted on it, or a banjo/banjolele themed for her.
You could do a PB synth, an Ice King/Simon drum set, a Jake viola that is actually Jake...
The moral of the story is that I adore how musical that show is, and how amazing that music is, and I want to commemorate those things.
And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
Fretboard needs to get cut, need to finish the head (just need to make a groove where the strings go to the nut), sand it, stain it, and apply the art I got to it
also, I need to pray it plays well
I plugged it into my amp and tapped the pickup with a screw driver .... IT MAKES NOISE!
@Typhoid Manny I had a quick and probably silly smithing question for you:
If a person were to have hunting knife used by their great-grandfather for some many years ... what would it take to have the steel hammered into a new blade? The blade itself is fine but the grip is ... uhhh ... it's got some rust along the whole length. I'm really not interested in anything super-complicated, I just want a piece of my great-grandad's steel in a knife that I can pass along, sort of an inherited hunk of metal that has stories to go with it. If I had my 'druthers about it, I think a twisted damascus effect would be pretty cool to pass along, sort of an old-with-the-new-effect, but that may be a bit expensive for the process, I dunno.
Keep in mind, this is a long term goal for me and not anything immediate, but I was curious since you are the SE++ smith around these parts.
@Darth Waiter that'd totally be doable, though depending on how far gone it is you're looking at reducing its size, potentially significantly
most likely you wouldn't even really need to bother forging it back out, grinding is preferable to forging with hardened steel, because normalizing/heat treating/tempering is a big ol' pain in the ass
@Typhoid Manny I had a quick and probably silly smithing question for you:
If a person were to have hunting knife used by their great-grandfather for some many years ... what would it take to have the steel hammered into a new blade? The blade itself is fine but the grip is ... uhhh ... it's got some rust along the whole length. I'm really not interested in anything super-complicated, I just want a piece of my great-grandad's steel in a knife that I can pass along, sort of an inherited hunk of metal that has stories to go with it. If I had my 'druthers about it, I think a twisted damascus effect would be pretty cool to pass along, sort of an old-with-the-new-effect, but that may be a bit expensive for the process, I dunno.
Keep in mind, this is a long term goal for me and not anything immediate, but I was curious since you are the SE++ smith around these parts.
I don't know a whole lot about smithing, but I know that damascus is made by welding several bars of different types of steel together and then folding and twisting them and such. To get that effect with the knife would require welding more metal to it before reforging, as far as I know. You would then either need to cut away part of it or end up with a bigger knife when you're done.
Posts
Need some stuff designed or printed? I can help with that.
I had planned on getting a large C clamp
Hmmmmm
Tough call. Large 6" clamps are $12. The tool is $25 + shipping
A cheap drill press is $76
Must.
Resist.
You've got your driver's license now, you could use it to get to a community college and take some courses on stuff like metalworking, carpentry, basic masonry etc. etc.
He also makes nerdy stuff like
And
I also totally thought that said A. J. Penis
I made a bear
also, I already had a guy offer to buy a guitar from me. I bought a couple cheap cigar boxes off him at a flea market. Didn't have the heart to tell him I hadn't made one yet much less one extra one to sell.
tomorrow, I'm hoping to finish cutting the neck, finish cutting the head, and cut the holes for the cable/tone/volume. Wednesday, I'll add the fret board and nut and let it dry for a couple of days. String it, test it and if things go well, I'll sand it, stain it, and play it!
Need some stuff designed or printed? I can help with that.
I need to drill out the tuning peg holes a bit more. I stripped one of them, though I think it'll be ok. I don't want to spend any more monies on this project lol
GED first. Then classes.
My maths are weak and puny still though.
edit: (I shouldn't say things like that until I've completed one and it's actually been played)
Just thinking about the materials plus labor hours in one makes my wallet shudder.
My electric cost me like 80 bucks shipped and I had to set it up myself (truss rod, intonation, even had to shim the nut at the headstock because the strings touched the first fret) it also weighs way to much and is made from the cheapest possible wood.
really though a nice handcrafted guitar would probably do wonders for motivating me to practice more.
the materials for the one I'm making cost next to nothing .... but the tools ....
If this one works out well, I'm going to make several. It's really enjoyable. More so to me, than playing! I've got ideas for more. I've also got a bunch of people that are interested.
I'd say that just materials, I've spent around $50
Wood box
3x3x4' poplar
1/4"x3"x4' red oak fret board
cheap prewired pickup
bridge
nut
tuning pegs
strings
fret wire
that and a few odds and ends like wood glue (for attaching the fret board) and super glue (for the frets)
I also bought a few 0.50 cent bottles of paint to make a stain from
Also, the art I'm going to glue to the box after I get it all situated was $6
edit: for my next one, I'm going to grab a bunch of old tobacco stakes and mess around with making a neck out of them.
fake edit2: I kind of worry about using poplar for this guitar as it's relatively soft. I'm hoping the fact that it's one solid piece will keep it from bending over the years under the string tension
Also are you putting in a truss rod or just a solid neck? I imagine installing a rod would be... Difficult and nerve wracking.
I took one look at truss rods and opted for a solid neck. The head, neck, and thru body are all one piece. Measuring the neck wasn't too bad. It's a (relatively) standard 18" with 1/4" extra for the nut. The bridge is set back 6" on the box so it's an even 24" from the back of the nut to the front of the bridge. The 12th fret is in the direct center at 12"
The toughest part was cutting the fret board. Measured down to the thousandth =P
Used a coping saw in a mitre box and it took forever.
This is before I cut it, but you get the idea
edit:
like what?
I'm down for ideas!
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
They are so fun and have a great sound.
That's looking great Xaquin. You planning on doing fretboard markers? And if so, you doing them on the edge too, or just down the middle? What shape or design?
It was very helpful with the basics.
yes lets learn that I am bad very bad at woodworking
That was a fun class that I learned I was horrible at woodworking. I could not glue nail or do anything correct that whole class
4 months of feeling dumb for 2 hours was not fun
It was tossed into the crowd when the band said Fuck it we're out!
It was very dirty
I'd like to, but I'm also having reservations because I really really don't want to mess up the fretboard
If I do, I'll just do circles for this one and expand on others
An AT guitar would be awesome!
Also rancid
Need some stuff designed or printed? I can help with that.
this took a really long time
hitting hot metal with hammers
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
hitting hot metal with hammers
Either a red ax like Marceline's with an image of her from the show painted on it, or a banjo/banjolele themed for her.
You could do a PB synth, an Ice King/Simon drum set, a Jake viola that is actually Jake...
The moral of the story is that I adore how musical that show is, and how amazing that music is, and I want to commemorate those things.
It would take me twice that long to get a beard like yours
Fretboard needs to get cut, need to finish the head (just need to make a groove where the strings go to the nut), sand it, stain it, and apply the art I got to it
also, I need to pray it plays well
I plugged it into my amp and tapped the pickup with a screw driver .... IT MAKES NOISE!
I can taste the music!
If a person were to have hunting knife used by their great-grandfather for some many years ... what would it take to have the steel hammered into a new blade? The blade itself is fine but the grip is ... uhhh ... it's got some rust along the whole length. I'm really not interested in anything super-complicated, I just want a piece of my great-grandad's steel in a knife that I can pass along, sort of an inherited hunk of metal that has stories to go with it. If I had my 'druthers about it, I think a twisted damascus effect would be pretty cool to pass along, sort of an old-with-the-new-effect, but that may be a bit expensive for the process, I dunno.
Keep in mind, this is a long term goal for me and not anything immediate, but I was curious since you are the SE++ smith around these parts.
most likely you wouldn't even really need to bother forging it back out, grinding is preferable to forging with hardened steel, because normalizing/heat treating/tempering is a big ol' pain in the ass
you got any photos?
hitting hot metal with hammers
I don't know a whole lot about smithing, but I know that damascus is made by welding several bars of different types of steel together and then folding and twisting them and such. To get that effect with the knife would require welding more metal to it before reforging, as far as I know. You would then either need to cut away part of it or end up with a bigger knife when you're done.