Starting a new Dred build

[BEJ]

That's some great looking B/S, haven't use IR yet but hope to some day. Sorry to hear some of your bindings snapped while bending, it's a sick feeling I sure all of us have experienced. I've been putting a wet piece of old T shirt on the hot pipe and bending on it seems the wood goes plastic sooner and with less force, still no picnic.
Doing a cut away forced me to step up the bending, did a lot of pre bending on the hot pipe and the using the bending machine to get the final just about just right. I still use the light bulbs even though am using the blanket now. Been using butcher paper, haven't tried the foil yet.

Bruce,

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Bruce when I was hand bending on my hot pipe I also used a t shirt rag on the pipe and kept it wet. It did work pretty good

I have been making progress.
Head plates front and back have been glued on and the headstock is shaped, except for the curves that will meet up with the fretboard. I pore filled the front ebony plate using Ebony Timbermate pore filler. I've also pore filled the EIR body. I've liked this product the best for porefillng if I'm not doing the shellac and sawdust method.

I used some of the last piece of Macuaba from a guitar I made in 2011 to make the back plate. It will look WILD under the finish.

Today I routed the tenon on the neck using my Simpson jig. It's not super accurate but it always works out for me.

Tomorrow I'll route the mortise in the body.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Today I routed the body mortise.
I also did most of the carving of the neck heel, and fit the neck to to the body. I also trimmed the heel and glued on a EIR heel cap.
I'm close to attaching the fretboard to the neck. Trying to decide, once again, should I fret the board before gluing it down or after it's glued down?
I've done it both ways and don't really know which I prefer. A quandry!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I have the neck fit to the body with the heel partially carved. I'll get pictures tomorrow.

I am now doing a screw down fretboard extension on my guitars so today I routed the pocket on the body that a block glued to the underside of the extension will fit into.

I use 2 T nuts installed on that block, then come up with screws inside that insert through the neck block extension under the top and screw into those T nuts pulling the fretboard down tight. This will be the 4th guitar using this system. I like it. More pics to follow as I complete it.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Fretboard is fretted and glued to the neck.

I got my screw down fixture made today and fit to the neck pocket. Everything fits fine but I need adjust the holes in the pocket a bit so the screws line up better in the extension block. I ran out of time today so I'll fix that in the morning. Then on to neck carving

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Carved the neck today. Got it 95% done. Still need to even out the surfaces a bit and then sand it smooth.

I have a nice fit to the body and the neck/fretboard is dead on center. I've never had one come out this close this easily.

I still need to bevel, level and recrown the frets

[BEJ]

Fretboard is fretted and glued to the neck.

I got my screw down fixture made today and fit to the neck pocket. Everything fits fine but I need adjust the holes in the pocket a bit so the screws line up better in the extension block. I ran out of time today so I'll fix that in the morning. Then on to neck carving

Kevin, nice work on the extension, your pics are almost a how to do it. The access to the truss rod looks a little tight, or does it just look that way.

Bruce,

[Kevin Sjostrand]

There is a clear path to the truss rod. Holes through all the blocks. I guess I didn't show them this time. My previous build I think shows.

[phavriluk]

I stole this from somewhere: 'Work fascinates me, I could watch it all day'.