Doin' a Jig

No, not that kind of jig.
I mean a woodworking jig.

What's the difference between a template and a jig?  I think it's flexibility.  Having never done this before - I'm just guessing.  But it seems to makes sense...

A template is for making the same thing over and over in the same way every time.
A jig is for doing the same process over and over but with variable outcomes/outputs.

When is a wooden box and a couple of clamps considered flexible?
When it's a jig.

Take this angle/router sled jig.  It's just a box made with 1x3 stock that is big enough for the guitar to fit inside and a router to fit over.  The neat bit is if you add hinges to one side.  All of a sudden you can now use the router to make all kinds of cuts.  They are repeatable but also variable.
This jig is for adding a 4 degree pitch (or angle) to the guitar bodies.  The jig is supposed to be on hinges but I didn't have any on hand when I worked on this. If I add them I could make a 3 degree or 5 degree (or 22.5 degree!) pitch.

Once again - I'm adding the 4 degree pitch down near the neck pocket.  Les Paul necks (and PRS necks too) are angled away from the body so that the strings are parallel with the neck.  Take a look at this graphic.  It really explains the mechanics around why a Les Paul needs a neck angle but a Tele/Strat doesn't.

For this jig you have to make a temporary modification to your router.  Most routers have a removable plate (usually plastic) on the bottom.  The plate has four screws that you remove and the plate comes right off.

 Because it's removable it is also replaceable.  Usually you remove it and replace it with a new one when the old one gets worn out. But you can also use those screw holes to swap the plastic one for a wooden one (or attach it to a router table).  It's best to use a piece of plywood for this - as plywood is less likely to warp.  Keep in mind you want to be able to move the router laterally and horizontally, so it should be considerably wider than the box.

Do not attempt to adjust your monitor. There is nothing wrong with your computer.  

I used clamps to keep the jig in the right place.  It took a bit of looking but I was able to find a piece of wood in my scrap pile that when placed under one side of the jig made a 4 degree angle.  Not pictured is the angle gauge that I used to determine when the angle was correct.  There is a way to do this with trigonometry if you don't have a angle gauge.  Just google it.

The other thing that I did not take a picture of is how I secured the guitar body to the box.  There are a couple of ways to do this but I chose to use wooden shims to clamp the body to the box.  

Stick a couple of shims in the jig in-between the box wall and the guitar body  (see my crappy drawing below).  I put two at the neck and two at the tail.  Then tap the shims toward each other.  The pressure will clamp the body to the jig.

This is why I don't draw any more.

Just make sure the guitar is centered and squared up to the box or all of your cuts will be a little off.

Yes, I know.  There are two lines.  Look at the one in the middle.

I then drew a line where the router blade should start digging into the wood.

Then you lower your router blade until it just barely touches that line.  Anything between that line and the front of the guitar body should be removed at a 4 degree angle.

I found it easier to go side to side (left to right in the above picture) taking off small amounts on each pass.  The first couple of passes you remove a hair's width of wood but the cuts get deeper very quickly with the 4 degree slope.

If you do go back to front - you will find your cut becomes fairly deep fairly fast.  I think it was between 1/4 and 3/8 of an inch deep at the very end of the guitar body.  That's probably too much for one pass and you should reset your blade depth.  Also for this I used the largest/meatiest straight bit I had.  It also happened to be one of the sharpest bits I own - which is always helpful.

You may find that the sliding action of the wooden jig and the wooden router base plate may not be totally smooth.  It didn't bother me but if it bothers you you can try putting some bee's wax on the jig rails to make them glide a bit better.

It's kind of hard to see if you just look at the body - but if you look at the straight board behind the body blank - you can see how much was taken off.  The pen line on the side of the body matches up with the start line on top of the body in the above pictures.  

It's now time to shape the top!

Strata

How about we put some of these templates to work?

I used some double sided tape and one clamp to attach the first template to the body blank.

Keep in mind this is the deepest cut.  Each successive cut will be shallower and each successive template will be smaller (see pictures below).  Because this cut was so deep (about 1/2 an inch) - I made it using three passes.  Same as when I was routing out the body shape - I used a template tracing bit.

My process for each of these templates/layers was the same - trace the template until I bumped into the clamp with the router base - then turn off the router - move the clamp and then finish the cut around the body with the router.  Because I made three passes on this first one at different depths - I completed all three passes and then moved the clamp.  It just seemed easier.  All of the other templates got one pass because the cuts were so shallow.

Let's be clear.  This process was not without issues and errors.  I ended up going over my work (ostensibly to clean up my cuts) and ended up making bigger messes.  See below for what happens when you tilt the router a little bit.  Those should be fine seeing as I started out with a body blank that is so thick.  But it's adding more clean-up work that I didn't need to do.

Just a little slip of the wrist

Just a little...
...oh bugger...

The below picture is after using five of the templates (only two more to go!).
It was at this point that I realized my math was a little faulty.  Each stratum is supposed to be about 1/16 of an inch.  The first (lowest) one should be a little bigger (maybe 1/8th of an inch).  Mine were all over the place.  I did use a Profile Copy Gauge to measure the heights of each layer - but I didn't start using it until the third stratum - and that made all the difference.  Long story short - I only used six templates for this build instead of seven.  At the end of the day - it shouldn't make too big of a difference - these were just to help me save time.  There was always going to be some serious sanding and scraping in my future - with or without using all seven templates.

Raggedy Man

It looks like I sneezed.
...a lot...

You may have noticed I drilled the holes for the volume pots, tone pots, and pick-up switch.  I did those on a whim.  They are in the right place - but on the next Les Paul I build - I'll wait until after I have finished the top carve before I drill them.  They didn't get in the way - but there was a chance I could have created a tear-out when routing around them.

Just remember - none of this will be here soon.

I'll be honest.  This was a bunch of work - and it didn't look all that stellar.  I walked away from this day feeling a bit down.  I was having a hard time 'seeing the whole board' and was focusing on how poorly this particular move had gone.  It's good to remember - we're working with wood.  Most mistakes are fixable.

That's some quality work right there.

Oh look, more templates!

Pictured: The Topography of Desire

Remember a while back when I said, "My thought process (if we are going to call it that) is that digging holes is probably what should be next." And by digging holes I meant the neck pocket and the pickup cavities.  My reasoning was that a flat guitar body is easier to route than a curved guitar body.  There is a sort of simple (nay, simplistic) logic to it: It's easier to balance on a brick than on a basketball.

If you have been reading along - you probably have guessed that this was not, in fact, what I did next.  As I write this post neither of the body blanks has a neck pocket or pickup cavities carved out.  I blame this development on Scott Wilkinson.

Who is Scott Wilkinson you ask and why am I blaming thim?

When I start any new guitar build - I do a fair amount of research as to the process involved.  I try to identify a few different ways that other people have accomplished things and pick the one that is most closely aligned with my skill set and current tool compliment.  Quite often I borrow a little from several approaches.  But really, I like to see how other people have tackled their projects and in what order (and why).  

Scott (also known as ExNihilo on the MyLesPaul.com forum) outlined a very clear process for how to build a Les Paul based on the classic 1950's version of the guitar.  I decided that since his approach was so well documented and lauded that there might be something to it.  The reasoning is this: it will be difficult to gauge the proper depths and placements for the neck pocket and pickup cavities until the body blank is in a semi-final size/shape.  To be clear - my build differs from Scott's in a few crucial ways but using his experience as a guide -  the next logical step for me is to carve the tops of these body blanks.

Which of course means more frickin' templates... 

Courtesy of Scott Wilkinson (aka ExNihilo)

In addition to posting his build experience online Scott also posted a PDF of the templates that he created to carve the top of his Les Paul using a router.  So, because I was having so much fun making templates I decided, "Why not make seven more?"

Not Pictured: Tons of Fun!

The PDF helps you carve the guitar top by breaking it out into unique strata that you route to different depths.  When I get to the actual routing this will make more sense but for now - each line in the drawing equates to a different template that I will use to rout the body blank.

I chose to print out one of these PDFs and cut out each individual strata.  It seems like most people print out seven PDFs and cut away what they don't need.  Both ways work.  But my way was very 'fussy' when it came to tracing them as the paper strips were pretty flimsy.

If I were to do it again - I probably wouldn't try to save the trees.  I'd spend more time saving my sanity by printing out the seven pages. 

...the tree-hugger in me died a little bit writing that sentence (but then again my hobby requires trees to be cut down so who's fooling who?).  

Regardless of the method you use - the goal is to end up with seven templates of different sizes. I used the jig saw again to cut out the rough shapes and then cleaned them up with the belt/disc sander. - just like I did with the body blank template.  This process kicks up a lot of sawdust.

Post Jig Saw but Pre Belt Sander

Now might be a good time to mention dust management / mitigation. 

You shoulda seen my shoes!

See that?  It's sawdust.  

Lots and lots of sawdust

I'm no doctor but my guess is that a bunch of this crap in your lungs probably isn't good for you.  So, I wore a dust mask while shaping these on the sander.  In fact - I've been wearing eye, ear, and dust protection for most of the steps in this blog. 

The first time you put one on you have to say, "Luke, I am your father!"
It's the law.

Since I don't have a dust collection system or air cleaner in my shop I went overboard with a heavy-duty dust mask.  The one in the above picture is really meant for spraying finishes or other VOCs.  A sanding/painters mask is probably good enough.  I like using it because it works really well at keeping dust out of my lungs and because regular dust masks usually fog up my eye protection and this doesn't.

They are your lungs - so do what you like.  But if you are going to make a habit of this hobby (and you don't have the cash for a real dust collection system) you might want to think about picking one of these up.

Guitars are like onions...
...or is it parfait?

In the end - you sand - you shape - you take your time and try not to lose your mind doing the same thing over and over.  I'll share a secret with you - not one of those templates is exactly like the drawing they are supposed to emulate.  These are just to get you to a starting point with your top.  There is a whole lot of planing, sanding, and scraping that needs to be done after the router and these templates are packed away.  Don't fuss and fret over these.  It's a long road ahead.


You may be wondering what the lines are on the above templates.  They are to help me line up the templates with the body blanks.  I'll draw a similar set of lines on the body blank and use these registration marks to lmatch everything up correctly.

As a final note:  This is just one way to carve a top.  In my research I also found a phenomenally talented (and tattooed) luthier who did this all free-hand with an angle grinder.  Go your own way!

Templates, templates, and more templates

First one who says, "I heart this" gets beaten with a bag of nickels

By this point you should get the gist.  Guitar building takes a lot of templates if you want to make things look decent and make the steps repeatable.  I'll try not to go into excruciating detail on this but here's what's cookin'.  

Almost looks like a film noir Jabba

That black piece of plastic is the control cover for a Paul Reed Smith guitar.  It covers (as you would imagine) the control cavity in the back of the guitar.  That's where all the volume, tone, and switching controls are located.  The cover makes it easy for repair persons to get at everything but also protects the delicate bits from abuse. Remember we're talking about guitarists here - this is the same group of knuckleheads that think it's 'artistic' to smash a headstock through a speaker cab.

Pictured: Close enough!

There are two control covers for the Les Paul and one for the PRS.  I'm planning on making templates for all of them.  Here's the kicker - the control covers are supposed to be flush with the back of the guitar - not sit on top.  Which means I have a decision to make - build two sets of templates for each control cover - or do some creative routing.  I'm undecided right now.

If I decide to make two templates for each control cavity one is slightly smaller than the other.  In essence you dig one big hole for the electronics and a smaller ledge or lip at the edge of the first hole that is slightly larger and only about 1/16 of an inch deep for the cover to sit on.

Which reminds me - at some point I'm going to have to get some plastic and make those covers...

Forstner Bit (aka The Hog)

One note about the above template:  I didn't make 'relief' cuts in this for the jig saw to follow.  I made relief holes at each of the corners.  I used a 1 inch forstner bit for the two rounded areas at the top and a 1/4 inch bit for the point at the bottom.  I was then able to cut from hole to hole using the jig saw and clean everything up by hand with sandpaper and a small file/rasp.  I then repeated the process for one of the Les Paul control covesr (see below).

Ever feel like you're just digging frickin' holes?

If you have slightly more money than time (and you don't have a Les Paul or PRS handy to trace the parts) you can just buy some of these templates instead of making them.  I usually buy them here.
For whatever reason (read laziness) I decided to buy the template I'll be using to route the pickup cavities.

Pictured: impulse buy!

I'll probably use this template to route a thicker template at some point - as this is both thin and small but for now it's one less template that I have to make.  Which is making me happy.

For those playing the home game - this is template #7 for these builds.
If I ever want to do this again - I'm gonna be all set!

SHAZBOT!!!

&@#%!!!

I'll be honest, a sailor would have blushed at the vigor and color of my language after seeing this development.  This crack formed soon after I unclamped the PRS - so I've known about it for a little while now.  I wanted to address it - and talk about fixing it in the same post so, I've been holding out until now to discuss it.

rassa frakin' rackin' on a rassa frackin' rackin' rack

So, what happened?  

A few things could have happened: I didn't use enough glue (or pressure) on that spot, there was a killer twist/warp to one of the pieces of the lamination that I didn't see, the temperature and humidity could have been too extreme while this was curing, or the router (being on the endgrain) may have knocked these two pieces of the laminate loose when I was routing the body.  I don't know for sure.  Looking at the crack (and you can see clear from top to bottom for the first 1/4 inch) it looks like there wasn't enough glue to hold it together at this spot and the router probably jolted the pieces apart.  Looking at the guitar top (above picture) the crack runs about 1 to 2 inches.  Looking at the bottom it runs for less than an inch.

What to do...?

The rest of the joint is strong and not moving anytime soon - so it doesn't make sense to tear the body blank apart and start over.  I need to fill the crack but also strengthen the joint in that area.  The most popular solution is to use CA glue.  Cyanoacrylate Glue (also known as Superglue) is clear, strong, and quick to harden.  Also, if you buy the right kind (for example - not the kind you find in your local pharmacy or supermarket) it will 'wick' into the crack and really seal the fissure.

Aw, come on.  I'm great with kids!

I will admit - I may have just swallowed a bunch of marketing info-babble.  But to my eyes this stuff seeped into the crack better than the contents of a regular bottle of Superglue would have.  Also, this comes with precision applicators that regular Superglue doesn't (which alone was worth the $2 premium I paid for this stuff).

The real trick to this process is not to just flood the crack with CA glue and call it a day but also to add saw dust and CA glue in layers to help fill the gap and also make it easier to hide the repair.

Did I say 'saw dust?'  I meant saw powder.

Not pictured: lines

That tiny (and I mean tiny!) pile of powder above is the result of 5 minutes of sanding with 220 grit sandpaper.  For the new arrivals - sandpaper is identified by grit.  60/80 grit is your Arnold Schwarzenegger level of paper - strong, but lacking any subtlety.  100 to 180 grit is your Tom Cruise level of paper - workman-like but lacking finesse.  200 to 400 grit is where we start to get some grace - maybe Ed Harris or Anthony Hopkins.  Somewhere around 1000 grit we hit Meryl Streep territory and after that the analogy falls apart...

So, what I'm saying is that the Yellowheart 'dust' in the above picture is closer to baby powder than wood chips.  I made three piles of powder (one for the top, one for the back, and one for the edge of the body blank).  Step one was to flood a little CA glue into the top of the crack and let it dry.
Step two was to pack the wood powder into the crack from each side.

Crack is whack

Step three was to pour the CA glue over that packed in powder.
Step four was to repeat the above steps until the wood powder/CA glue mixture was proud of the crack.

I may look ugly now - but I'm drinkin' CA glue.  And someday I'm gonna be strong!

Then we wait.  But this is superglue, so we don't wait long!
That stuff cures hard as a rock - and when you add the Yellowheart powder it has something to bond to and form around.  So, you are left with a mound of Yellowheart 'rock.'
The trick is that rock doesn't 'sand out' that well.  I ended up using a card scraper to remove all the excess CA glue and Yellowheart.  If you don't have one - I recommend getting one.  Card scrapers are great for a lot of guitar building tasks (like installing binding).

This is what is left over after you scrape and sand...

Not pictured: perfection

Pictured: Better living through chemicals

The above pictures aren't bad.  But You won't fool anyone.  You can see the line of hardened CA glue.

What happens when we wipe on a little mineral spirits to simulate a lacquer finish...?

Better but room for improvement

Pictured: not terrible

I'm going to hold off judgement until I start carving this top.  The above spot is going to be a 1/2 inch shorter after I'm done carving - so who knows how it will look.  I'm satisfied that I have stopped the crack and strengthened the joint.  I'll deal with the aesthetics when the time comes.

Making the thing that helps me make the thing - Part 2

That's a funny looking comb.

I ended my last post with two body blanks shaped and ready for what's next.

So, what's next?

There are many different answers to this question.  I've seen people carve the arch into the guitar tops next, or route the channel for installing the binding, or attach the neck to the body.  My thought process (if we are going to call it that) is that digging holes is probably what should be next.  And there's a good reason for that - the body blanks are currently flat - so the router will sit nice and level on them.

You try routing a square hole on a rounded surface - tears will be shed, vulgarities shouted, tools cast down, and alcoholic beverages consumed.

What kind of holes are we talking?

Exhibit A: holes

The biggie is the neck pocket.  Then comes the holes for the pickups, control cavities, bridge posts control knobs, and on and on.  There are, in fact, a massive number of holes in a 'solid' body guitar.
It only gets worse if you build a guitar with a tremolo system like a Stratocaster.

The smaller holes (like for the bridge posts and control knobs) can be made with a drill bit but the bigger holes need to be dug with a router - especially the neck pocket.  And if we're talking routers - then we're also talking templates.

So, it's a comb template?

I have three guitar necks - so that's why this template has three holes.  Just like underwear - one size does not fit all.   Each neck is just different enough that I can't use one generic neck-pocket template.  They have to be unique.

The thing about the neck pocket is that it has to be so many things: the neck needs to fit snug but not too snug, it has to have the correct angle (this will be a whole post in itself), it has to be the correct depth, and it needs to be perfectly in-line with the bridge or the strings will hang off of the fret board.  The neck pocket is pretty crucial to get right.  But, why?  In short, if the neck doesn't sit in the pocket correctly the guitar will never play correctly.

Add to this one other crucial element: wood shrinks and swells with humidity changes.
If you have to force the neck into the neck pocket when you are assembling the guitar - what's going to happen five years from now when we have a month of 95% humidity?  Yo guitar is gonna do the banana splits!

So, that was the long explanation for why I built the above template.  As for how I built this template...

Not pictured: power tools 

I started out the same way as all the other templates: tracing the necks and cutting the rough shape with a jig saw.  Then I just went very slowly with sandpaper wrapped around a stick (or a sharpie for the corners).  It took about 20 - 30 minutes per neck but now the templates fit those necks almost perfectly.

Not pictured: excitement

Not pictured: adventure

You literally make 20 passes at a time on one side of the template and then 20 passes on the other with the sandpaper.  Then you stop and check the fit.  It is just the kind of precision work that I was not made for.  But it is what it is.  This is one step that wood glue and sawdust won't cover up. This is my fourth (and fifth) time doing this - and I'm just now learning this lesson.

Not pictured: my forte 

Pictured: almost perfect.

So the templates are ready to be used.  Now I just have to figure out how deep to dig and at what angle.  Those will be the subjects of my next post.

You may have noticed I glossed over a couple of things:

1)  I only worked on two of the neck pockets on this template.
No sense working on neck #3 until there is a body #3!

2) How is it I just happen to have three necks kicking around?
Um... I'll cover that in another post.