This section has only
just been started. It may seem a little disjointed
at some stages.....
I am planning to go through the stages 'as
I go - one at a time' and then at the end edit
it all, adding particular points,
pictures
and references
I may have missed.
Please Treat this Section as Incomplete.
PLEASE NOTE
Disclaimer.
All I'm going to be doing is to give
you the information that you need to be able to
construct something with your
own hands using both hand
tools,
hand-held power
tools and some Industrial
type tools when necessary..... I will Not
be responsible for any
disasters
during the project(s) and I will Not
be responsible for any
injuries
that may occur - although I have cut myself on
countless occasions over the years, I am
still fully intact
(touch wood), and if
you are careful
and use tools correctly
you should have no problems on that score. If you have any
doubts, please refer to the
relevant
manuals or seek
advice from a professional
near by. I'm sure they wouldn't mind lending you a hand.
Take Care
and Mind Your Fingers.
( Tools are Potentially,
Extremely Dangerous
and can cause Serious Injury
or Death.)
YOU MUST WEAR the
Appropriate Protective Equipment when using all tools.....
Especially when using Machine Tools - including Ear & Eye Protection, Dust
Mask
or Respirator.
Kev.
Important Note.
Before
you consider starting this project you really need some sort of
experience
with tools
including hand
tools, machine
tools and working
with materials.
If you do not have the required knowledge, you will
need
help
from someone that has.
This is a 'Likeness'
of the planned Angel and Case
outline.....
.....done full size on paper.
* *
* * * * *
* * *
THE MATERIALS
This photo above gives you a basic insight into both the materials and the patterns used to cut the wood to the correct shapes - once you've decided what you're going to do.
The Wood for the Guitar
At the Top-Left
is a Body 'Blank' cut from Brazilian Mahogany,
with a Scratchplate Pattern on top.
At the Top-Right
is a Neck 'Blank' again cut from Brazilian Mahogany
with nearly finished Fingerboard on top.
In the Middle is a 4" x 3" Piece of Brazilian Mahogany
from which at least Two Neck 'Blanks' can be cut. Lying on top is a Template
for marking out the Neck length
& Headstock angle needed for that
particular guitar type.
Below these towards the Bottom is a 1 1/2" (38mm) by 16" (410mm) board of Brazilian Mahogany from which Two Body 'Blanks' can be cut. On top is a 'thin ply' Body Marking Template with 'exact' dimensions, but also allows for at least two different types of neck joint.
To the Right
is a Ebony Headface with a Headstock Pattern on top, which also
shows an optional 'truss-rod' cover.
Below that is a Rosewood Fingerboard
'Blank' with a Fingerboard Pattern on top, with the 'exact'
dimensions.
These are the 4
Major Components of the Guitar.....
Body, Neck,
Fingerboard & Headface.
The Wood for the Patterns
1/8"
(3mm)
and 1/4" (6mm)
or 3/8" (9mm)
Pattern Ply
(if possible) is needed to make the Patterns.
Pattern Ply differs from normal ply as it
is very high quality
and has many thin laminates.
Normal ply is fine if you have it available, but patterns do not last as long
when made from the normal variety of ply.
The 1/8"
ply is used to make the initial Templates
which are made by hand.
The Final Patterns
are routed from the Templates
into the 1/4" or
3/8"
ply.
( Hopefully
this will all become clear as things progress ;0)
NB..... The 'mm'
sizes are approximate.
I have always used Imperial measurements
for all my Templates,
Patterns
and Jigs,
so I've done Metric
conversions
as well, were I can, to make things a bit easier for the reader.
Scale Length & Fingerboard Taper
I'll deal with the details of Scale Lengths
and Jigs to be able to cut them accurately in a
later Section.
I'll also be looking at the most popular Fingerboard
Tapers..... The change in width from Top Nut on
down to the End of the Fingerboard - and Jigs
to make those as well.
For the time being, the
important thing to understand is that for this particular guitar a 24
3/4" scale length will be
used.
Essentially this is the distance between - the
line of the 'Top
Nut' and the
line of the 'Bridge',
moreover
the last point of contact
where the Strings "break" over the Top
Nut and the first
point of contact with the Bridge
saddles.
The positions of the frets
are calculated by
a mathematical formula,
but there are jigs and
patterns
available that can simplify the process of working this out.
The position of the 12th fret
on the fingerboard is half the scale
length (12
3/8")
and therefore half the distance from the Top
Nut to the Bridge.
(
Another common Scale Length is 25 1/2", and in this case, the distance from
the top nut to the 12th fret
would be 12 3/4".)
The guitar is designed
around the scale length
and the number of frets
(most
commonly 21, 22 or 24)
and the positions
of the bridge
and pickups
and in consequence the controls
etc are all governed by this.
Also related to this topic is the balance of the guitar and how it will hang
on a strap. Normally this is not too much
of a problem, but in the case of an 'Angel' is actually quite
critical, and the design
of the body and weight
of the wood and hardware
components have to be taken seriously into
consideration.
I will go into the Scale length in more detail later, but for the time being to help work out patterns etc.....
The Scale Length is 24 3/4"..... which is the distance from the line of the Top Nut to the line of the Bridge.
The Top Nut is 1 5/8" across.
The Fingerboard has 22 frets, and from the Top Nut to the Body End is 18 3/16" long. It is 1 5/8" wide at the Top Nut and 2 1/4" wide at the End.
With these dimensions you can
get a feel for the way the guitar will be, and it's worth at this stage making
just a paper
or cardboard
template
of the fingerboard.
* *
* * * * *
* * *
Most Important
The Centre-Line must be visible on all
the components at all times
until final sanding.
The Centre-Line is the Most Important Part
of the whole project as it helps 'line' the parts
up.
* *
* * * * *
* * *
The 'Paperwork'
Scattered around the bench in the picture
above are various Paper
Patterns, usually done on 'Grease-proof paper' and a few items that are
used throughout the construction process.
These paper patterns are used to create the Thin Ply
Templates for marking out on the boards of wood. From these templates, Router
Patterns are made for the Body, all the
various 'Cut-outs', Neck
joint, Headstock and Scratchplate
etc.
This is just a starter for you to see just some of what is involved in both Designing and Building a Guitar.
(This particular process is common to all these type of projects and is also the way the 'Master Patterns' are still made for all the Guitar Models that are mass produced in factories the World over. All the computer controlled machines are 'set up' from these 'Master Patterns'.)
At the end of the project I am hoping to have full scale drawings with notes available !
The Next Few Pictures bring all the Major Components together 'roughly' in Sequence.
1.
The Wood
All the Wood - as it is available in 'Board or
Blank' form,
plus the 'Patterns' for
marking out the required shapes.
The 3 Neck Component 'Blanks'.
The Neck Components
-
Wood for the Mahogany Neck
'Blank', Rosewood Fingerboard
'Blank' & Ebony Headface 'Blank'.
TRUSS RODS
Making a Standard Type Adjustable Truss Rod
In my opinion, an adjustable Truss Rod is an essential component of any modern guitar - Electric, Bass or Acoustic and even Classical - although 'some' may disagree.
Essentially, the 'task' of a Truss Rod is to work against the 'pull' of the strings, preventing the neck from bending and keeping the neck in, if possible, the 'best' position or near to 'ideal' position as possible, so the strings can sound clearly on every fret with the lowest possible 'action'.
The Truss Rod can be adjusted to allow for different gauges of strings which alter the 'pull' on the neck and also to allow for local climatic conditions which can also affect the way the neck 'behaves'.
If the Guitar does not have an adjustable Truss Rod - you cannot do the above.
Adjustable Truss Rods can be
bought cheaply enough from part/component suppliers, but I've always made my own
as I was taught to by Chris
- my old Boss..... They work very well.
Chris originally
designed This
System with These
Components..... which was the subsequently
copied
by most of the guitar manufacturers
worldwide !
What you need to make
one.....
These truss rods are lightweight and strong and do the task they are asked to do and they
are relatively easy to make with just a few
tools, a bit of wood,
aluminium channel,
mild steel rod
and some nuts.
If you want to have a look - and see 'how to make one'..... Please Click on the Link below.
Making a Truss Rod
(
Will be up soon I hope.)
* * * * *
Two Way Truss Rods
Truss Rods that are adjustable in two directions are also readily available. I've never used on of these so I can't really comment on their performance - but I would say..... that if the guitar is made correctly, a two way adjustable truss rod is not necessarily needed and would only come in handy if the wood of the guitar neck was 'unstable' or had been exposed to extreme conditions or hadn't been stored correctly for a long period of time. I would think that in the vast majority of cases a two way truss rod would not be needed.
* * * * * * * * * *
(
As there are Pictures, the pages below will take up to 30
seconds at 56k to download.)
Cutting and Preparing the Neck Blank
Trimming the Headstock to Shape
Drilling the Machine Head Holes
Thicknessing the Headstock
Preparing the Neck for Jointing to the Body
Making the Truss Rod
Fitting the Truss Rod
( As there are Pictures, the pages below will take up to 30 seconds at 56k to download.)
Gluing the Fingerboard to the Neck
Profiling the Fingerboard
Inlaying
Stages in Fretting
CUTTING AND INLAYING MOTHER-OF-PEARL/BRASS
WARNING.....
M-O-P / ABALONE DUST IS A CARCINOGEN
When working with Mother-0f-Pearl, Abalone or any other
'Shell',
a Dust Mask/Respirator Must
be used
( As there are Pictures, the pages below will take up to 30 seconds at 56k to download.)
Filing Mother-of -Pearl
Cutting Brass
Filing Brass
Cutting the 'Relief'
Inlaying Mother-of-Pearl
Inlaying Brass
Finishing-off Headstock Surface
Finishing-off Fingerboard Surface
3.
The Body
Cutting the Board in Two.
Mark the outline of the
bodies using the 'body pattern' and a pencil.....
then the board can be cut.
This job is best done using a Jig Saw of some kind - well 'set up' with a
new blade suitable for cutting Hardwoods.
4.
The Body
The 2 Bodies Cut.
The bodies are then cut out using preferably
a Band Saw, or a Jig saw. If using a Band
Saw, a narrow blade,
1/4" is
good, is needed for getting around the 'V' behind where
the Bridge will be and the 'cutaways' by the neck
joint. It is important to remember that at this stage, to cut slightly
'wide' of your 'pattern line'..... Wood can
be taken away but not added !
The body on the left was cut close to the line. The
pattern was 'shifted' slightly for the body on the right..... the 'original
position' can be clearly seen.
The next stage with these is to 'rough sand' the bodies front and back with 60 grit, or there abouts, abrasive paper and using an orbital sander, making sure they have a 'flat', level and even surface..... then the final 'outline' will be achieved with a router pattern and portable router using a flush cutting 'bit'.
At this stage, I'm going to detour to another page dealing with routing the body outline and the edges.
* * * * *
Marking out for the Neck Joint and Hardware
Once the body has been routed and sanded and has the centre line marked on again, it can be marked out for the positions of the neck joint, the pickups, bridge, controls and scratchplate (if required).
* * * * *
Making a router pattern is
quite a complex procedure,
and needs quite a bit of time and patience.
It starts off on 'paper'
then progresses through the 'template
stage' to the final 'pattern'.
( This
procedure applies to pretty well all router patterns.)
So at this stage I'm going to again detour to another page with more detailed info and pix.
Making a Router Pattern for a
'Rear Mount' Control Cavity
( This page has not yet
been loaded.)
Making
a Router Pattern for a Front Mount Control Cavity
(
This Page may take a while
to fully load as it contains several
pictures.)
ROUTING CAVITIES USING PATTERNS
Routing for a Rear Mount Control Cavity
Routing for a Front Mount Control Cavity
* * * * *
5.
All The 'Woody' Bits.
The Four Blanks - Body, Neck,
Fingerboard & Headface.
The body has been sanded with an orbital sander
using 60 or 80 grit
Garnet Paper, then trimmed with a router
cutter..... remembering to 're-mark' in the Centre Line is critical.
The Centre Line must be visible
on all
the components right up to the final sanding stage.
6.
Starting to look like a Guitar.
All Lined Up..... Body, Neck, & Fingerboard. The Headface has yet to be cut.
* * * * *
7.
Nearly there.....
As you can probably see, there have been a few changes from the 'plan'..... another 'V' (chevron) has been added at the 1st fret and the pair at the 12th has been changed to a single to match the rest.
To this stage..... The Body has been
shaped, routed, sanded and nearly completed. The Neck has been
'basically' made with the Headface glued on, the Headstock shaped
and the machine-head holes drilled and then the Neck has been glued. The Truss
Rod has been made and put in position. The Fingerboard has been cut,
slotted and tapered and glued into position. The Fingerboard has then
been profiled, the Inlays made and inlayed and the profile checked again.
The next stage is to again check the Fingerboard, making slight
alterations if necessary, to make sure the profile is right and then the Frets
will be put in.
* * * * *
8.
Fretting etc.
9.
Shaping the Neck & doing 'other
bits'.
10.
Finish Sanding & Grain Filling.
11.
Spraying & Polishing.
12.
Fitting Up and Testing
* * * * *
Royale Angel 'V'
Serial Number 001
So, here she is.....
A change of colour and a couple of other minor changes from the original spex,
but she's 'up and running'.
So, from a drawing at the top of this page we now have a completed item.
I'll fill in the gaps in the
'headings' above as soon as I can to complete the process, as
much as possible. This may take some time as I've loads of pictures to sieve
through.
* *
* * * * *
* * *
There will be other Sections
on.....
.....Tools,
Abrasives,
Adhesives, Paints
and Lacquers
etc.
Please 'Pop' back for a Visit every now and again, as I should be Up-dating the site every 2 weeks or so.
Thanks.