redwood 00

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Kevin, thanks - it is turning out better than I had hoped

Ed
Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

So polished up everything and now for bridge installation;

1 Position the bridge with the two holes I (mis)drilled earlier, then put a 2-layer fence of tape around it

2 With a fresh sharp blade, gently cut just the finish a hair in from the 4 edges

3 With a sharp chisel, scrape the finish off down to bare wood - gently hit with 220 grit sandpaper
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1 Since the finish is a little thick, a cut a tiny rabbet all around the bridge edges to be sure the underside of the bridge makes good contact with the bare top. I glued together two pieces of 1/4" plywood to make a fence for the Dremel to make this rabbet

2 Ready to glue - Harbor Freight deep clamps with caul taped to the underside tips and homemade jig for gluing down the bridge

3 I use a piece of wood the right height to keep the bodies of the clamps parallel to the top for easy clamp positioning - thanks Hesh. So the bridge is clamped with the 2 wing nuts, the 2 deep clamps, and the wing clamps
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I can't tell you how pleased I am with this thing. The head plate is still card stock, but the same color as the sheet of Ivoroid that will replace it. Just lovely. The unbleached bone saddle and also nut blank are in place, as well as the Ivoroid pins. The neck joint turned out great.

Now on to fretwork, nut, bridge slotting and chamfering, and that cool headplate - then let's make some music
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Once the bridge glue is dry, I make a little countersink on each pin hole to keep the material from chipping while I slot the bridge

2) The I make a pencil mark to be sure I get the slots in the center of the pin holes

3) Now to slot the holes. I made some boxwood handles from a neighbor's re-landscaping and glued in a narrow and a wider saber saw blade. The handles are offset so I can put my eye directly over the top and be sure I am sawing perpendicular to the top
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) It looks like this - narrow saw blade for the right 3, wider saw blade for the left 3

2) I finesse the countersinks, and ream the holes to fit the pins

3) Ivoroid pins - Can't wait to string it up
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Ed M
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Now to dress the frets. I slotted a piece of 2X4 at 30° and a stuck a file in the slot. I tape the fretboard to help protect its surface.

2) Pass it along the edges of the board to angle the fret ends

3) I use the fret rocker to find high spots, three rows across the width of each fret. Then I gently file those spots, do it again, and again, til things are pretty flat
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Ed M
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Color the tops of the frets with a marker and gently file up and down, keeping the file parallel to the center line of the board, until all of the very tops of the frets have had the file on them. I found a nicely flat Heller file that I reserve for this step

2) I hit a 3 cornered file on my grinder to safe the 3 edges, and use that to dress the ends into a shape that will not catch your fingers as you play up and down the board

3) I mark the tips of the frets with the marker again, and use this fret file that my daughter gave me to shape the frets making sure not to remove the marker on the very tops of the frets. She's a pro and has given me a couple of cool tools and lots of advice - brooklynlutherie.com
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Ed M
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Starting with 400 grit, I work the grits to round over any flat spots on the frets. I end with 0000 steel wool

2) I previously fit the nut in the slot and cut it's lenght. I use my 1/2 pencil laid on the frets and draw an extension of the fret plane on the face of the nut blank, then I cut off the excess at about the dimension of my biggest string - .053 - above the line so I won't have to work with a lot of excess bone

3) This is my daughter's sequence for making a nut. I use an S-M fret spacing rule (gift from her) to mark my fret locations. I start with a mark a scant 1/8" from either end to locate the e and E
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Ed M
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Re: redwood 00

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Using a square, I mark the center of each string with a sharp knife. Now rub some pencil lead into the marks and sit back and look at it. Does it look right? Does it match one you are trying to copy. Easy to change it this point

2) With a 3 corner file I enlarge the knife mark making a seat for my nut files. Speaking of which - I can't believe I didn't take a picture of a nut file doing it's thing

3) With the nut slots filed I take off the excess nut height, and I shape the back of the nut leaving the face nice and crisp
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Ed M
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