Hello everybody,
I'm Daniel and I'm a guitaroholic 🤣
Just joined the forum, wanted to say hi and then ask a question.
I want to start an electric guitar build, my first one.
I've already purchased the tonewoods and I almost have all the parts and tools BUT I have one problem.
The body blank I have is a two piece Honduran mahogany which is 47 mm thick and I need it to be 37 mm thick.
I've searched, talked with or phoned every joinery, timber yard, wood merchant around here I could think of but no body has a band saw to slice it and keep the rest of body blank as a top. there is an extra 10 mm material, I thought it would be better to keep the rest and not plane it.
I just feel bad about wasting it but I think I have no other way than planing it unless somebody could help me.
Does anybody know a place with a band saw for hardwood around here, in Tees valley?
Thanks in advance and keep safe.
Hi @dsari
Welcome to the Forum
Have you tried your local colleges. They will probably have a woodwork department and may let you in to use theirs.
Cheers,
Russ
Hey Russ,
I've actually went there and asked if this is possible but the guy responsible for the workshop wasn't there. I took his phone number but he did not answer my calls.
But that might work for me so I'll try again on Monday.
Cheers.
@dsari
Hello and welcome to the forum Daniel!
The average body blank is what, 35/37mm wide? Finding someone with a saw that has that much depth of cut will be no easy task as that would be an absolute beast of a machine! We’re talking about a massive industrial saw costing thousands!
You said a two piece blank. Has it already been joined or is it still in two pieces? If it isn’t glued up yet it would be easy to cut but even then keep in mind the few millimeters that you would lose to the saw kerf and having to plane the leftover piece (depending on how good the saw cut is).
You’re probably better off using this blank for a different project and getting a new one planed to your desired thickness.
Cheers!
Practice on scrap...
but even then keep in mind the few millimeters that you would lose to the saw kerf and having to plane the leftover piece (depending on how good the saw cut is).
The man called @mattbeels is right!
It's really not worth trying to split that piece into a thinner body and a cap. Either thickness it down to the required size (and forget the cap), or put it to one side and get another piece that's the thickness you want.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
Other thoughts ...
First, and most important, WELCOME to the forum! Hope you stick around and share your experiences with your first build. First one is always fun!
Second, we have a saying here, "practice on scrap".
That Matt chap actually says "pratice on scrap" but then he's a double foreigner so we've learned to accept his dodgy spellings.
A first build with some nice Honduran Mahogany, which probably wasn't cheap (if it was cheap, please let me know where you got it!!) might turn out amazingly well, or might turn into some not-cheap sawdust.
You don't have to use scrap for a first build, but a cheaper wood might be less wallet-painful if something goes awry with the build.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
The average body blank is what, 35/37mm wide? Finding someone with a saw that has that much depth of cut will be no easy task as that would be an absolute beast of a machine! We’re talking about a massive industrial saw costing thousands!
You said a two piece blank. Has it already been joined or is it still in two pieces?
Hey man.
Yeah, I learned it the hard way that in a band saw, the height of the blade is really the limiting factor, that being said the two pieces of body blank that I have are not glued yet, and they are about 19 CM wide. Still that is a massive problem around here. I found just one place with that kind of machine but the guy said his blade was for soft wood and hard wood would damage it, also the cut itself would be a few mm thick and as you said, it's not worth it.
That Matt chap actually says "pratice on scrap" but then he's a double foreigner so we've learned to accept his dodgy spellings.
Hahaha. I'm a foreigner too, So I get it and I misspell some stuff from time to time.
A first build with some nice Honduran Mahogany, which probably wasn't cheap (if it was cheap, please let me know where you got it!!) might turn out amazingly well, or might turn into some not-cheap sawdust.
Oh trust me it wasn't cheap. But I'll try not to mess it up. I am a perfectionist and it's a disease but this time I think it could help 😀 . Also, I used to make model airplanes and choppers .etc from scratch, so I'm good with measuring and stuff. I'll quadruple check everything.
I'll test each process with some scrap pine that I have left from an earlier project and then apply it to my precious mahogany and flame maple.
A couple of years ago I tried a few guitars in a shop. One of them was a Gibson V which I really liked the tone of. the other one was a Strandberg Boden. I think Strandberg made a big revolution in guitar design. There's been other headless / ergonomic designs before but not to the extent of Strandberg.
So I decided to make an ergonimic headless seven string guitar with mahogany body, so I could benefit from that design and some tonal characteristic of the V I tried. I thought it would be different because Strandberg used Basswood or Ash for their bodies but low and behold they came up with Boden DR a few weeks ago which has mahogany body and neck. But I can learn alot from this, and it is a lot cheaper than buying a Strandberg.
I will post sitrep from time to time and keep you updated.
Cheers everybody.
That Matt chap actually says "pratice on scrap" but then he's a double foreigner so we've learned to accept his dodgy spellings.
Some people say “Practice makes perfect.” Bah, I say “Pratice on scrap!”
Now that I see it I can’t change it, it’s actually kind of funny....
The man called @mattbeels is right!
Well at least I got something right, amirite borthers?!?
Practice on scrap...
Now that I see it I can’t change it, it’s actually kind of funny
@mattbeels now that I can see it it’s gonna bug me every post you write 😛😉
@dsari Welcome to the forum, as for:
I'll test each process with some scrap pine
…please try to avoid my system of doing the test piece perfectly then screwing up with the nice wood 😬 Looking forward to your build as you progress, sounds like a really interesting mix of ideas!
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.
I'm a foreigner too, So I get it and I misspell some stuff from time to time.
@dsari Welcome to the forum man. It doesn’t matter where you are from or where you live, everyone is welcome and will be treated the same. We are Legion. ✊
Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸
@dsari
Welcome to the forum. You could try asking David Dyke supplier if you can send it to him by courier, he’s quite helpful. Search google he comes up.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Good job I still cut wood by hand like this as I don’t have room for big machines, so have great respect for other people who do it.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.