DLP Mandolin - 3 - Another Day Another Template

A couple of nights ago I made a template for the body cavities.  It is made of hardboard so not particularly robust but I don't plan on using this as a routing guide.  I left a left proportion of middle of the template solid to accommodate the neck and provide a firm backing for the bridge and tail piece.

I drilled four holes in the template to accommodate my jigsaw blade and proceeded to cut out the two side pieces freehand.  I then sanded the edges smooth.  I now have 3 very nice templates.  I will not cut out the body shape in case I do decide to use this as a routing template at some point (leaves more surface area for the router to ride on).

I drilled 4 holes in the edge of the outline, I can use them to align the template with the outlook drawn on my body blank.

As I mentioned earlier, I did not intend to route these chambers out, instead I used my jigsaw.  The blank is not thick and the pine cuts easily with the jigsaw.  Also these edges will be hidden, plus it's a prototype so I'm not after perfection at this stage.

Never the less, once I had cut the 2 cavities I smoother the edges with 120 and then 400 grit sand paper so the will pass reasonable scrutiny if anyone is interested!

Thinking ahead a little I chiselled out a channel from the lower cavity to a point where I anticipate installing a pickup.  I haven't yet decided what type of pickup to install there yet however my thoughts turn to a 'hotrail' style pickup.  It means there are no pole pieces to line up or no requirement for a specialist  pickup designed for mandolins is required.

DLP Mandolin - 2 - Making Templates

I have been continuing work on my Mandolin design and have created two basic templates, one for the neck and another for the body shape.  The neck will have an angled head (scarf joint) and will be set into the body.  It will incorporate a truss rod as well.  

The body will have a top and a bottom glued to a 'skeleton' made of pine.  This will have two large chambers routed out of it to give the instrument a semi acoustic quality although it will primarily be an electric Mandolin.  The blank is joined and glued (made from 4 pieces of wood I had in the garage!) and I will make another template specifically for the chamber routing.

I have made a couple of Ukuleles and used standard guitar fret wire on the neck, but I think I need to use a thinner gauge of fret wire as it is very easy to apply too much pressure when fretting the notes making the instrument sound out of tune.  I haven't though much about a pick guard yet or if I will set the neck at an angle (probably will though) but it depends if I decide to go with the original idea of a floating bridge and tail piece or a hard tail bridge.

DLP Mandolin - 1 - Planning For Something Different

Last year I built 2 Ukuleles, a semi hollow 'Flying-V' and an electric Telecaster style ukulele.  They were both fun projects and both instruments were made primarily to practice some of the skills I was learning and to give to my two little boys.  As the weather is holding me back from finishing the other main projects I'm working on at the moment I decided to design and build a Mandolin both to pass the time and to explore new directions.

So I did a little research (half an hour on Google!) and decided I am not skilled enough yet to build a Gibson  F-5 arch top style instrument, and the same applies to the more traditional rounded back Mandolins, so I though I would create something original using my own design.  So using a large round lid from a sweet tin I set about designing the DLP Mandolin.

The plan I came up with is based around the materials I have left in the garage!  That is a piece of veneered MDF big enough for a back and front and some strips of Pine which will be sandwiched between to form the middle of the body.  I have a piece of Mahogany to use as the set neck but I'm still to decide what to use for the fingerboard, although in another project I have used Mahogany as the fingerboard so depending on the success of that project may define if I do the same on this instrument.

I plan to put in 2 of my 'signature' 'F' holes in the front so the body will be semi-hollow.  I will start by making templates for the main body shape and the body cavities.  I also plan to install some electronics because I anticipate this will primarily be an electric instrument although the body will give some acoustic resonance.  I have not yet decided if this will be via a coil pickup or a pickup built into the bridge.  The bridge will be a floating type with a tail piece to secure the strings.  I also will use my own headstock design.

The first could of boards have been glued up and left to set over night, another 2 will be added later to make up the skeleton.  I am also making progress on the template for the body.  So far this is a fun and exciting diversion and I am looking forward to sharing my progress.

DLP Les Paul - 9 - Getting Ready For Primer

I have continued working on he body of the past week or so, preparing the holes for the bridge and tail piece.  I want to get some primer on the body as soon as I can making it easier to see blemishes that may need filling.

I also took delivery of a set of Wilkinson Humbucker pickups so I was able to refine the two cavities for a perfect fit.

I was also able to drill the cavity for the pickup selector switch and carefully carve out a recess around the hole for the switch cover plate.  I marked the recess for the switch cover and then scored the live with a sharp craft knife and then carefully chiselled down about 2mm.

I also masked up the neck ready for primer, a job which took about an hour by itself.  I want to spray the back of the neck black leaving the face of the headstock and the fret board unpainted so it was a very fiddly job.

So finally I was able to spray a couple of coats of grey primer. It will take several coats to completely hide the grain so between each coat I lightly sanded the body with 220 grit sand paper.

The back is looking particularly smooth so shouldn't need quite as much work as the carved front where there is more exposed grain.

I had also coated the neck with primer.  Mahogany tends to be very porous and shows the tight grain if it is not filled before been primed so even after a couple of coats of sander sealer I can still see the grain.  It just means I have to put in a couple of extra coats of primer and spot fill were required.

DLP Les Paul - 8 - Installing The Frets

I took delivery of some fret wire last week so I was able to finally install the frets on the DLP Les Paul neck.  I had to clean out each fret slot before I started as I had put a couple of coats of Tru-Oil on the fretboard for protection and strength.  The fingerboard is made from Mahogany so I am conscious that there is a chance the frets will not hold due to the softness of the wood so each fret will receive a couple of drops of super glue to keep them in position.

I cut each fret slightly oversize so they will overhang the fret board and started tapping each one in place using a small block of hardwood to prevent any damage to the fret board.

Usually I install the frets before I carve the back of the neck so I had to be careful not to knock the frets in too hard and ensure I protected the back of the neck. Also the 22nd fret is on the overhang so I placed a block under the overhang to ensure no damage occurred and I didn't break off the end of the fret board!

Once all the frets were installed I used my side cutters to nip off as much of the overhang as possible.  I don't have any specialist tools for the job so unfortunately I just have to improvise and then put some elbow grease in with the files!

I use a flat file on the end of each fret to file them flush to the side of the neck, and then I use my home made fret level to put the chamfer on their ends.  Once I'm happy with the ends of the frets I start using sand paper to remove the tool marks until I have nice smooth fret ends.

The neck is really starting to come together now and the nut fits snug in it's slot however I can't decide if the back truss rod cover goes or not though, maybe a cream cover to match the nut and pickguard might be a better idea?

DLP Guitars Telecaster Pick Guard Design

There is nothing wrong with the pick guard on a standard Fender Telecaster, it's functional in so much as it stops scratches to the paintwork and covers the routing for the neck pickup cavity etc.  The Thinline and Custom versions have different pick guards but most modern originals copies feature the same design created 60 years ago.

I wanted to create something a little different and something that gives my guitars their own identity whilst keeping to the same basic design of the original Telecaster.  So I created my own cutout design on Thinline style guitars and also played with the idea of a different style of pick guard.

I put the pick guard design into practice on a Telecaster style ukulele i made for my son.  It incorporated the volume and tone controls as well as covering the routing for the pickup.  It was a good idea but the control knobs do tend to get in the way and need to be replaced with something a little less obstructive.  however I like the aesthetics.  

The problems with the control knobs wont be an issue with a full size telecaster as the I always planned to stick to the original Fender design.

So I have mocked up a couple of different designs out of card.  The first design below doesn't reach all the way the the edge of the guitar by the control panel and the second is longer but reaches all the way the the edge.

 I think the proportions are correct in the example above but not the overall size, it needs to reach the both edges I think.  The design below is better but not fat enough and does not compliment the original curves of the Telecaster design.

I will keep working until I get the design exactly how I want it, but i would love to hear your opinion on the design... Good or bad!

Encore Bass Refinish - 3 - Restoring the Fret Board - A Hidden Gem!

One project I haven't mentioned much is the Encore bass refinish I have been working on.  The guitar itself was purchased from a junk shop many years ago and I hardly ever played it.  

I decided to refinish the whole thing as it looked well worn the day I bought it so a couple of moths ago I stripped it down and repainted the body and the neck.  I sprayed it black but added racing stripes to the body a couple of weeks ago.

This weekend I decided to have a look at the fret board.  It was always my intention to re-crown the frets but I decided to clean the fingerboard initially.  I tried various solvents to clean the wood between the frets but int he end took some sand paper and to my utter surprise the fingerboard looks like it is made of light maple not something like the dark rosewood I assumed it was made from.

Years of use, sweat and beer must have accumulated to darken the wood leaving the impression this bass had a rosewood fret board.  I had to really work hard to get a nice even colour all over the front of the neck.

The picture below is a good example of the amount of grime I had to contend with.  There is always a chance that the wood was stained to look darker than it actually was, the white fret markers don't stand out that well against the light maple.

I used my random orbital sander to get right up to the edge of the frets and then sanded carefully across the grain with 400 grit sandpaper on some of the more stubborn marks and then eventually went over the whole neck following the grain to remove any sanding marks.

Gradually the true nature of the fret board is revealed! It's quite exciting to think that this has been hidden from me for so many years, I never suspected the neck would look so different and the light colour will fit in nicely with the ivory racing stripes I have painted on the body

Once I was happy with the fret board I masked the neck up just leaving the frets exposed ready for crowning.  I marked a indelible blue line on the top of each fret and then took a 3 sided file (with one edge ground smooth to avoid damaging the fret board) and started filing each of the frets.

The idea is to leave a thin crest or crown on each of the frets, the blue line shows this perfectly.

Once each fret had been filed to a peak I took some sandpaper and started removing the tool marks, starting with 120 grit, then 220, 400 and 600.  I then used my dremmill with a small buffing wheel and some abrasive compound to polish each fret to a nice shine.

Finally I used some Nevr-Dull to polish a really nice shine onto each of the frets.  the pictures below don't really do the neck justice.  I will post some more at a later date.

One final thing, I put a coat of sander sealer over the fret board and left it to hand and dry overnight.  I'm considering spraying a thin coat of lacquer over the face of the neck just to provide a little protection.  and hopefully keep this thing looking great for many years to come.