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Then, with the nut back on the guitar I'll take the little razor saw I got from a friend and start the nut slots



And follow that up with nut files.



I'll file the slots down until they're close to the line I made on the nut with the half pencil. After that, I'll roughly put a radiused arch on the back of the nut with a file.
And here's the nut roughed in.



I can't do any more to the nut until the guitar is strung up. I simply wanted to get it roughly started.
A casualty.



My .013 nut file. Oh well, there's still some surface area there to work with, but I'll have to replace it later.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Very cool Mike!
It seems we are almost "Neck & Neck" in our builds - (No pun intended) I just radiused my nut yesterday... And DIDN'T get arrested!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Finished shaping the neck.






Came out better than i expected.
I was going to use a piece of walnut for a heel cap. But i got looking at it, and since the control plate cover is flamed maple, I thought I'd do a flamed maple heel cap. That will keep everything on the back matching. That is in the clamps right now. I'll take it out later and do some final shaping on the heel cap. Then, if there's time, I'll join the body and neck.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

AWESOME - nice clean lines man!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

A guitar is born!



I'll let that sit in the clamp until toorrow sometime.
Meanwhile, here's a pic of the heel cap.



And a couple of shots of the side marker dots





Once the neck sets up, I'll locate the bridge, and drill all necessary holes that remain, such as the strap buttons. Hope you've enjoyed the journey so far!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Oh man! I wish I was gluing my neck on - this is looking great - can't take it!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

I like the way you are joining the neck there, with the body going up to the heel, on the lower cutaway.
I thought it was ging to be a bolt on.
Sweet!

Thanks, Alan. It's basically an LP type mortise and tenon.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Time for some fret work. Understand, all I have is one of those little pocket digital cameras. It doesn't take great close up pics. So if you can't see something( for instance, black marker on the tops of the frets), just trust me and go with it.
The first thing I do is adjust the truss rod until the fretboard is as flat and level as I can get it. Then I mark the tops of the fret with a black magic marker and start levelling.


All you need is something you know is level that you can stick some sandpaper to. In this case, I'm using a 12" piece of an aluminum level. Move it along the fret tops until the tops of all the frets are shiney.
Nope, not yet.



Getting there.


Not quite there.



That's more like it.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

After all of the frets are level, I again mark the tops of the frets with black magic marker, and taking a fret crowning file, I crown or round the frets until there's just a barely narrow sliver of marker left on the very tops of the frets.



Then i take 400 grit sandpaper(or whatever simi-fine grit I have handy), wrap it around my finger, and using the fact that my finger is round to my advantage, I work from both the front and the back (nut side to heel side) of the frets, rounding over the tops of each fret until the crown is nice and round and even.



Then i tape the fretboard up to help protect it, and use a three corner file which I have rounded and smoothed one corner of so that it doesn't scratch the wood, I round and smooth over, or dress, the corners and ends of the top of the frets.



I really believe this is important to the feel of the edges of the frets. Just as important, IMHO, as taking a file and filing down the fret tangs at the edge of the fretboard.

This is followed by 800 grit in the same manner as before, paying special attention as I go to the ends of the frets that I just smoothed over with the file.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I follow that up with some steel wool.


If I had 1000 through 2000 grit handy, I'd use them before I hit it with the 0000 steel wool, but unfortunately right now the fnest I have is 800.
Some final shots of the frets.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I also mounted the bridge today. The screws that came with the bridge were junk, and the heads rounded out on three of them. I replaced them with stainless steel.
Here are a couple of parting shots of today's work.




Thanks for looking!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Sweet, Mike!
Looks like a geetar now.
What's next?

Thanks, Alan.
Not sure what's next. I really should start finish, but that probably won't happen for at least a couple of weeks due to finances. I have a broken automobile to attend to first,unfortunately.
I need to make a truss rod cover. Also need to drill for strap buttons. After that I could start on the nut and set up, but the same financial problems that prevent me from beginning finish work also prevent me from ordering any other parts, such as the tuners, which I need in order to do nut and set up work.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Lookin real good Mike!

Thanks, Jimmy!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Not a lot to do today. Began pore filling the neck. I use CA (super glue) to fill pores. I like it, aside from the fumes. But a good vapor mask and safety glasses takes care of that. It's really easy. All I do is put a few drops of the CA onto the wood, and use a paper towel to spread it. It's super thin, so I don't have to really push it into the pores. I usually have to do two or three applications to get a good fill, but it dries fast. I can put another application on in about 10 minutes. Then I'll sand it back(never to bare wood), and fill again if necessary. Works great under lacquer. I see no reason it won't work under poly. Oh, did I mention I changed my mind about tru-oil? I would have liked to use it, but I'd have to order it, and then wait on it to show up. I have wipe on poly in my possession already, so that's what I'll be using this time around.
Here are some pics after beginning the pore filling.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Started finish today. Here it is sitting in a little improvised stand i made for it. The little feet it's resting on sit in the pickup cavities. This way i can do the front and back all in one go.



I'm using wipe on poly. I got 4 coats on today, but I opted not to use any kind of sealer on the maple. I knew the poly might darken the maple a little, and I didn't want to use shellac or anything else that might impart an amber tint to the maple. The consequence of this is that it took 3 coats for the poly to begin sealing the maple. It is just now starting to build to a gloss. Hopefully, I'll have some more glossy pics tomorrow evening.
Also, although i'm using the gloss wipe on poly, I may end up with more of a satin look. It all depends whether the poly hardens enough to buff in the time allotted to me. If not, i'll sand smooth with 2000 grit, and hit it with some wax.
Also, the trash bags you see in the background in some of my pics aren't full of trash. They're full of aluminum cans for recycling. Just thought i'd point that out.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Dang, Mike,
you're passing me up!
Are you sanding between any coats?
I think with poly,
you can re-apply within a few hours with no sanding, no,yes?
Is that min-wax?
Looking good!

Alan, thanks. It's Minwax Wipe On Poly. I'm following the instructions, which say to sand lightly between coats with 220 grit, or steel wool(I'm using steel wool). It also says you can re-apply every 2-3 hours. I'm averaging between 2 and 2.5 hours between coats(it's warm outside). Got 4(I think) coats yesterday. Hoping for 4 more today.
I like the finish so far, but it does leave small little marks in the surface from the cloth. I'm hoping that I can get enough coats on to sand it nice and flat, then go after it with buffing compound by hand with a soft cloth. I may not get a high gloss, but I should be able to get a nice, smooth sheen to it.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Mike! Your axe is looking spectacular! Keep on keepin' on! -V

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Thanks, Virgil! I'm anxious to see how this finish turns out. I mostly use lacquer, and have only used poly once, and then from an aerosol. I'm not certain how poly works. I'm hoping I don't get witness lines from sanding through coats when I go to final sanding(hopefully my finish is laid down smoothly enough where I don't sand through).
Finish is slow work, but IMHO it's the most critical step, because all of your hard work with the construction will either be enhanced or diminished by how well the finish comes out. Here's hoping I get this and not this .

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I know this sounds like a cop out, but I decided early on to not attempt the finish on my guitar for this first build - mainly because I would hate to mess up all the month's of work I have invested into something that could potentially ruin everything - I may try on the next build, seeing that I will probably go for something much more simple - I tip my hat to you for "going for it" - and the design looks great as well!

_________________
"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

Not a cop out at all. I've been watching your build. If I had invested all those man hours(not to mention finances) in a guitar, I'd shop out the finish, too.
For me, I build simple instruments, with simple woods. This is for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I don't have much income, so I usually build with reclaimed wood or wood that was given to me. My first was built from an old cutting board and the neck was made from the center piece to an old chestnut table my mother-in-law gave me. Guitar turned out great, and I learned a lot. I was working on a similar build when the Tele Challenge over on the TDPRI came up, and I switched gears for this one.
Secondly, I'm just beginning. I'll be keeping it simple for a while now. I want to learn the basics(which IMHO include finishing) before I move on to more expensive or exotic woods. When i reach the point where I think I've pretty much gotten the build process down, then it'll be time to stretch out into nicer wood.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Got 4 more coats on today. Had to stop. It got dark on me.



Here's a couple in better light.





I know, it looks nice and glassy, right? Well, it's definately glossy, but there are imperfections my cheap camera doesn't show at this distance. That's alright, as long as they're gone when I'm finished.
Here's the back cover and truss rod cover plates.

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.