New to forum and to building... in planning stages of first build

[Mike Koss]

Hey guys, been lurking for a while now so I figured I'd go ahead, register and introduce myself. I'm 31, and a machinist by trade currently employed as a plant foreman in an induction tooling manufacturing facility here in Michigan. I've played guitar since I was 12, playing most genres but always leaned more towards metal. I've done quite a bit of woodwork and general "around the house construction" as me and my wife have bought a couple fixer uppers over the last few years. I've found that my knowledge in precision machining and assembly has been quite an ally while trying to tackle whatever project comes my way. I'm quite the perfectionist and have a very discerning eye for detail. Anyhow, where I'm going with all of this is that with my love of music, playing guitar, and building stuff, I think my decision to build guitars was pretty much inevitable.

For the last few weeks ive been sketching up some concepts of guitars I'd like to eventually build, but theres one in particular that I think would be perfect for the first. It will be a les paulish shape, most likely neck through construction. string through, with a TOM bridge. Single EMG 85 bridge pickup with a tone and volume pot. Id like to make a laminate neck with maple and mahogany to get some cool stripes going on, and probably a solid mahogany body. Id like the finish to be a sunburst high gloss... one thing i dont know much about at all is finish and paint... The most wood finishing I've done up till now involved Minwax polyshades "bombay mahogany" and polyurethane lol.

I've got the EMG pickup and a set of grover rotomatics. still need just about everything else. Ill probably buy an ebony fretboard but maybe not... I'm undecided there. I also need to source a large roll of some graph paper to make some full size drawings (any help on a good cheap place for this would be appreciated). As well as all of the wood for the build.

As for tools- I currently own a tablesaw, handheld jigsaw, handheld router, router table, da sander, clamps, files, various handsaws,chisels and whatnot. I have levels, squares, straightedges and just about any kind of precision measuring tools id ever need for this kind of project. I might be trading a bass amp for a real nice delta bandsaw off a guy at work. I have 24/7 access to a full scale machine shop, but would really like to build this as much as possible by hand in my own garage. 2 things I'd really like to get for my workshop is a planer and a drillpress... a large beltsander would also be nice. I've always looked at tools as an investment so I really don't mind throwing out some coin on things that will make jobs easier and turn out better. I do like to try to wheel and deal with used equipment off craigslist whenever possible... I've found you can generally stretch a dollar a lot further that way.

Any feedback to anything I've said so far is appreciated. At this point I'm completely open to opinions and suggestions about any and every part of this process.

-Mike

[Chad McCormack]

Hi Mike. In my experience, a drill press is the second most frequently used power tool next to a router when building electrics. I'd make that my first acquisition if I were in your shoes. I find my drill press indispensable for operations like Tuner holes, electronics holes, T-o-M style bridge and tailpiece bushings, hogging out cavities/chambers with forstner bits, Prepping neck blanks with the Wagner Safe-T Planer, and more. Welcome to the addiction, Mike!

[Mark Swanson]

Welcome Mike, I am a Michigan guy myself.

[Eric Baack]

the router is probably one of the most useful tools in my mind. I'm looking to get a drill press one of these days and have a band saw that needs a new tire. I'm fortunate to have access to a nice mill and lathe at work that they let me borrow from time to time as long as I clean up my mess.

Full scale drawings really help, I have drawn mine up using 3D CAD in Solidworks and print out the templates in full scale. I'm currently in the planning for a 3 axis router mill that can be retrofited to a CNC setup eventually. I used a router attached to a stand to hold it so the bit points down to rough out the shape of the carve in my latest build.

As far as finishing goes, the forum has some good tips, you will likely want to investigate grain filling for the mahogany. There are lots of tips on Youtube that are quite helpful. I used Varathane wood filler thinned down to a soupy pudding consistancy to fill in the grain in the walnut and it turned out very nice. I used a 2 part urethane clear over it for durability and gloss. It's not perfect but it's my guitar and it plays really nicely. Enough so that I don't like the first guitar that I built as much anymore!

[Mike Koss]

Thanks for the replies guys. From what I've gathered in my lurking is that to make the neck I want, Id need to saw a few lengths of wood, plane them, then glue and clamp them togeather, then let it sit for a month or two so that the wood dries? Is this correct? If so Id like to get that started as soon as possible so that I can be aquiring shop equipment while it dries. I'm not trying to say I know what needs to be done, only what I've read so far.

Mark, thanks, and I'm glad to see a fellow Michigander, nice weather lately ehh.

Chad thanks for the tip, would you suggest a freestanding drillpress or would a benchtop one be just fine?

Eric- I lurked a bit at your equator build and my hat is off to you, very fine job! I'm assuming in your post you were talking about a bridgeport? I've always wanted one too, but wiring up 480 3-phase in my garage for weekend warrior projects always seemed a little overkill lol. As for cnc, I could easily write a program at work and start spitting out solid bodies, but I'd like to stay away from that completely for this project. In my mind that would be taking away from the term "hand-made"

[Alan Tobler]

Hey Mike, a planer and drill press would be a good addition to your shop. I would definitely go with the floor models(16" drill press, 15"- 20" planer) not the benchtops. Look at the helical cutterheads if you get a planer. A drum sander is invaluable too especially if you are final thicknessing backs and sides for acoustics. A Powermatic 25" dual drumsander makes that job a breeze. A 14" bandsaw will suffice for most of what you are cutting out(necks, bodies). I fabricated a riser block for mine which increased the resaw cababilities from 6" to 12 1/4". A necessity if you are milling out your own backs and tops.
As you mentioned tools are an investment. The only regrets I've had are buying cheap ones or too small for the job.

[Eric Baack]

I didn't do the equator build myself. mine was the walnut with the laminated neck. You shouldn't need to let the neck set after gluing the boards together. As long as the lumber is sufficiently dry to begin with then you should be good to go. Glue it up, let it set overnight and cut the profile a day later.

We don't have a bridgeport at work, it's a nice mill but I don't know what brand off the top of my head. My plan is to build a router based 3 axis mill out of 8020 and aluminum plate. I can use it as a planer, joiner, etc. maybe add a spindle to it and I have a lathe too.

the drum sander is nice on figured woods as you won't get the tearout that is possible with a planer. I had a bit of tearout in mine that shows up with the grain filler when I used my router in a home made box to plane the top down to the proper thickness for my neck angle.

My garage has 230 single phase but I haven't really used that yet.

I'd say a drill press will be one of the best investments. You can get by with a jigsaw for cutting out the body, though it won't be fun. An oscilating spindle sander is nice for final shaping of the side of the body, but you could do a lot of that with rasps too. Or you can put a sanding drum into the drill press for the same purpose. I've been watching craigslist for a drill press myself.

[Mike Koss]

I didn't do the equator build myself. mine was the walnut with the laminated neck. You shouldn't need to let the neck set after gluing the boards together. As long as the lumber is sufficiently dry to begin with then you should be good to go. Glue it up, let it set overnight and cut the profile a day later.

sorry i had your build and chads builds confused. both very impressive to say the least. the more i think of it i think I might utilize the bridgeport at work as much as possible to buld the neck... The gears in my head are turning lol.

[Eric Baack]

The neck is not difficult to shape by hand. I used a router to rough out the shape but hogged a bit too much out and had to do a bit of patch work. But a good set of rasps and maybe a spokeshave will get you through it quickly enough.

[Gordon Bellerose]

I would agree with Alan on the tool purchases. I too have bought tools that turned out to be insufficient for the job I wanted to do. After I found out they were too small I had to turn around and sell them and buy bigger/better. Wasted some money in the process.

1. A floor model drill press is nice, but not absolutely necessary. A bench top model will do, but when it comes to heavier work such as hogging out a semi-hollow body, or control cavities, it is nice to have the extra power. And like Chad said, it is one of the most used tools in the shop.

2. A bandsaw is the next tool I could not do without. Whether you're making templates, or guitar parts it is the next most used tool. Again, for larger pieces such as bodies, the larger models work better. Mine is a 14 inch floor model and works well.

3. The next thing you should think about is sanding. Sanding the flat top and bottom of the body is not really an issue, as you can use a flat sheet sander for that. Where the problems arise is that most of the time you have to buy lumber at 8/4's, or 2 inches. Most guitar bodies are 7/4's, or 1-3/4 thick. That's A LOT of hand sanding. You should have a planer, or a drum sander to make this operation easier. I am fortunate to have both but I find myself using the drum sander more often, as it does not chip out the surface as the planer sometimes does.
OR have access to the gear in a local shop.
OR rent as required until you decide what you need. A spindle sander is also very nice, but again not absoltely necessary, as this too can be done by hand.

4. Routing is probably the next big item. As you said you do have a hand held, and a router table, so you should be covered there.

5. Finishing is the area where some of us struggle. It really is an art, but one that can be learned. It is also the largest source of both pride, and frustration for me.
I live in Alberta, Canada and our laws ban finishing product that contain VOC's. [volatile organic compounds] Of course this means very few Oil Based products are available. So I use only waterbase products with great success. Much safer to use, [no fumes or flamability issues] and easy to clean up. Waterbase products have come a long way in the last 10 years. Look into it. WAY better for your health and the environment.

A decent HVLP spray gun with a compressor is nice. BUT you can finish with rattle cans, or even a brush if you have to.