GGJaguar
Reverential Member
The braces remind me of saltwater taffy.
AHG octave mando build
- Thread starter AcornHouse
- Start date
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Router bit me again.
After getting everything setup to rout the channel for the truss rod, centered carefully with the 1/4" bit, only taking a 1/4" bite for the first pass, I started in. Everything's going smoothly then it starts to get harder and harder and it starts to push against the side guide. I shut it off and the horrible truth is revealed.
Ok, I can inlay where it got pushed off the line and reroute.
Then I noticed the bit.
Unbeknownst to me, the reason it got difficult was that the bit had been working it's way down, despite being wrenched in. It's still tight in the collet, just more than 1/2" further out than it should be. Below where the neck would be carved.
After ruminating overnight on the best course of action, I decided to flip the neck blank over and start again. Another option would be to cut through where the truss rod goes and make it a laminated neck. Back to the drawing board.
I think I can cut the carbon fiber reinforcements out and reuse them.
But I may do the truss rod channel at the table saw. It means filling in where the channel should stop, since the table saw us a through cut, but it's safer.
After getting everything setup to rout the channel for the truss rod, centered carefully with the 1/4" bit, only taking a 1/4" bite for the first pass, I started in. Everything's going smoothly then it starts to get harder and harder and it starts to push against the side guide. I shut it off and the horrible truth is revealed.
Ok, I can inlay where it got pushed off the line and reroute.
Then I noticed the bit.
Unbeknownst to me, the reason it got difficult was that the bit had been working it's way down, despite being wrenched in. It's still tight in the collet, just more than 1/2" further out than it should be. Below where the neck would be carved.
After ruminating overnight on the best course of action, I decided to flip the neck blank over and start again. Another option would be to cut through where the truss rod goes and make it a laminated neck. Back to the drawing board.
I think I can cut the carbon fiber reinforcements out and reuse them.
But I may do the truss rod channel at the table saw. It means filling in where the channel should stop, since the table saw us a through cut, but it's safer.
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Yikes. I felt that in my gut.
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Ugh.
My thoughts exactly.Ugh.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Redrafting done, bottom (now top) and side( now upside down side).
It's painful thinking about the lost labor, but good to see you can at least save the wood. Thank you for a fascinating thread!
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
I cut the channel for the truss rod out on the table saw this time, creeping up on a tight, but not binding, thickness. Which meant I needed to glue in a stop block to fill the channel where the rod ends.
Then the fun began. The low profile double action rod I chose require a triple step where the nut is. So, back to the router. (With the well behaved 1/8" router bit, not the traitorous 1/4" bit from Hell!) Again, a creepy approach was called for since I don't have a fancy computer controlled milling machine.
I'll glue a filler piece over the barrel adjustor where the nut goes when the time comes. Once I do that, the rod is in for good.
Next, to reroute for the carbon fiber.
Then the fun began. The low profile double action rod I chose require a triple step where the nut is. So, back to the router. (With the well behaved 1/8" router bit, not the traitorous 1/4" bit from Hell!) Again, a creepy approach was called for since I don't have a fancy computer controlled milling machine.
I'll glue a filler piece over the barrel adjustor where the nut goes when the time comes. Once I do that, the rod is in for good.
Next, to reroute for the carbon fiber.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
And, after cutting out the carbon fiber from the ruined side, you can see just how evil the 1/4" bit was. This is 5/8" down. That hole would be through the neck.
Glad you recovered from your router failure, Chris, and that you were able to preserve the neck lumber... That's such a pretty block of maple.
Is there a reason why the bit came out of the router like that? I've never used one so I don't know what its pitfalls are.
Is there a reason why the bit came out of the router like that? I've never used one so I don't know what its pitfalls are.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2009
- Messages
- 23,418
- Reaction score
- 19,283
- Location
- NJ (The nice part)
- Guild Total
- 112
I love watching you recover from a problem. I'm pretty sure I would have walked away in frustration and the unfinished neck would still be on the workbench a year later.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
I don't know. The collet was still tight when I changed bits. There may be some defect in that bit, or it was too dull, or it just doesn't like me.
It shan't be used again.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
Had a very uneventful routing of the channels for the reclaimed carbon fiber reinforcements.(Hurrah!) When I cut them out of the ruined part, I had left the rough maple attached at the (now) top to allow a surface to thwack with the mallet while gluing in (medium CA glue).
After allowing an hour to dry (I hate using accelerator. Besides; I'm out.), I planned off most of the maple. There's a little left to fine tune since the strips are just under flush with the surface of the neck. But a nice stable neck should be in it's future.
After allowing an hour to dry (I hate using accelerator. Besides; I'm out.), I planned off most of the maple. There's a little left to fine tune since the strips are just under flush with the surface of the neck. But a nice stable neck should be in it's future.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
(Taking care of family issues for much of the week.) In the meantime, StewMac started carrying European Spruce soundboards and had a special to introduce it over the weekend. I had to pick up a set to try out. Just the AA grade, but it looks and sounds quite nice.
I count 21 lines per inch.
I count 21 lines per inch.
AcornHouse
Venerated Member
And the lovely clear creaminess of the set. Not as yellow as Sitka tends to get but not as stark white as Englemann.
