Official Luthiers Forum!

Well, I think I earned the Bonehead Of the Week award this time for sure.

I've been working on my latest customer guitar for around six months now and it is almost finished. The only thing I had left to do to the body was cut the neck pocket (ala John Mayes) and do the finish sanding. Just a little more inlay on the fingerboard and I'd be ready for nitro.

And then.....what really allowed me to win this prestigous award happened.

I began to route the neck pocket and all of a sudden my router started making loud noises and vibrating to the point of moving the jig I had securely clamped to the box. I pulled it off and looked and the router bit had been steadily getting longer to the point that it fell out and in the process cut completely through the headblock extension and took off across the top.

What happened, you might ask? Well this is where the Bonehead part comes in. I was comparing router bits and guide bushings to see which one I had used last time and finally decided which one to use. I put it all together and set the bit depth of cut. I aligned the jig carefully. Then I proceeded to route away.

Problem was I forgot to tighten the collet on the router before starting the cut.

Now I have to call my customer and tell him that some idiot has ruined his almost completed guitar.

I feel that I have earned this award fairly and have no qualms about accepting it.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Sorry Dave. If it will help, I'll come over and drink your beer until you get that new top on.   

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Sorry to hear about your troubles.  I understand all too well what you have just been through.  I routed the back binding channel on my current build and forgot to tighten the collet too.  You guessed it, the bit rode up and I never noticed it happen. After it was all routed, I grabbed a piece of binding to see how it fit, and to my horror, found the channel .1" wider than the binding material.  So, now this guitar has a .1" black strip next to the bloodwood binding.  Unfortuantely the top binding and end wedge were already done so only the back has this black strip.

I like to call it an "experimental design feature". 

Like you, I know I will never ever forget to tighten the collet again!

And some people wonder why the rear cavity cover on a Tele style I built a couple years back (no top plate for the pots) is a full 1/2 inch thick piece of quilted maple - they think its really COOL .... we know better ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]Crap happens and it happens more to those who do more and push the envelope to excel. [/QUOTE]

Just when I thought Hesh could not be any smarter, He comes up with this excellent gem! It's really true, Hesh. I should print that out and hang it in my shop.

Dave the inverse must be true also.
Success happens and it happens more to those who do more and push the envelope to excel.    Hang in there, Dave.

Oh, and by the way I had the bearing come off once while I was cutting the binding ledge on a BRW back... my router did a little "off roading"

Long

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

Well, I too must toss my hat in the the BOW award. I worked all day today to set my neck angle, which I did, twice. The original angle was overset. I worked several hours and yep, underset it perfectly...so I worked several more and set it correctly, darn near back to what it originally was. Lesson? Leave well enough alone when you think it is very, very close.

Anymore excellent work on my neck and it would have to go from being a dreadnaught to a mandolin.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

I spent my afternoon removing the back binding, routing out a few holes,
and making plugs to cover the back brace ends (which I didn't shave
down enough to be covered by binding.

But at least it's good to be back in action, lol.

[QUOTE=Dave Rector]

Problem was I forgot to tighten the collet on the router before starting the cut.

[/QUOTE]

Tssssss - teeth gritting, shiver up spine. Been there, luckily never completely ruined anything doing it. My sympathies.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Wow, Dave, what a bummer. Where's the pictures?

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Wow, what a bummer Dave.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Hello Dave,

As I was reading your post, I got a real visual on what happened. My head dropped, my stomach turned.
I know that heart sinking feeling well! I’ve made a few blunders myself. It’s kind of funny, in that
when it first happens, the whole world stops for a few seconds, and I’ll find myself staring at what
I did. Wishing that I could turn back the clock, and get a do-over! Then I do the usual self-bashing.

WHY IN THE HECK DID I DO THAT!

Then I remember a few words my Grand-pappy used to say.

“It’s not a question of whether you will make mistakes, the only question is, can you fix them?”

That’s when I put my tarnished pride in my back pocket, and knuckle down to resolving the problem.

One thing is for sure. After you get through this, you’ll be able to say to yourself-

“Yep, I know how to fix that now”

I’m wondering, and maybe you’ve already thought of this, would it be possible to plug the head block,
and re-finish the top, or is it worse than that?

Anyway, I’m sure you will figure it out, and all will be well in the end.

Robert

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

First of all, let me say thank you to all of you for letting me vent and putting things back in perspective for me. What a great bunch to have around when things aren't going so well!

Sooo, after pondering the situation for a while and one failed suicide attempt (does anyone know how much beer it takes to actually kill you?) I've decided that the box is repairable.

Maybe I can take a few pics as I go along and post them here as a helpful guide to anyone else who is up for this award in the future.

Once again, thanks everyone!

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

If I based my estimate of the amount it would take on my mis-spent youth, I think it would be easier to drown yourself in beer than to drink yourself to death with it.

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Waddy

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