With a break like this with plenty of surface area, I would just glue it without any additional supports. My glue of choice is hot hide glue, but there will be lots of opinions on that and many option…
I think that's a good move. One thing I might do to kick things of is to hit the area with some ultra thin master glue so it wicks under the area and prevents more chipping from potentially delaminate…
Hi guys, I finally managed to sort the problem out. Seens like was a simple issue that I cant see in that moment. I took the whole bridge apart and did a complete setup from scratch. I read somewhere…
This is precisely why Leo Fender developed the insideless guitar. A compromised neck block is super hard to come back from and when I see something like this, it leads me to believe that it's the tip…
Chris, can I add this for the council of elders show ? Also, we are going to have @member on pretty soon to talk about a job about this dramastic. Here's a link to the live show co…
i use chalkboard erasers & diff grit sand paper for edges..i also use this method for rounding over edges on new guitar necks after frets are installed & before leveling
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Well, fwiw, I could not find a roundover bit that would work with the curved sides. Back to the cornering tools with self stick sandpaper on the 1/4” end is doing the job slowly. The router with multiple bits just didn’t do the job and I had to build up a couple areas back up with mahogany dust and CA. THANKS AGAIN for the cornering tools tip. Hopefully slow and steady will win the race. Will post some pics later.
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Need some more help guys. The cornering files did not work. The 1/8” roundover bit won’t hit the radius as the sides are not totally flat, they’re rounded, so the bit doesn’t come in contact with the edge radius. Should I try maybe a 3/16” or 1/4” roundover?
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1/8” bit shows I must have really sanded the edges. It’s perfect in some spots and pretty off on others where I must have oversanded. The top seems spot on but the sides must need more sanding? And yes, I need a manicure.
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If you look for a set of these on ebay they are usually pretty cheap. They can be very very helpful for judging radius...is.
Veritas Cornering Tools are edge rounding tools that cut a fixed radius curve on an edge—rounding it off. The kit is comprised of two tools with a cutter on either end—one tool cuts 1/16" and 1/8" radius and the other cuts 3/16" and 1/4" radius. The tools or cutters are ground with limiting fences that prevent them from cutting past the desired radius and gouging into the edge of the board. Both tools are made from tool steel hardened to Rc48-52 for excellent edge life and cut on either the pull or push stroke. They come accurately ground but require honing before use.
Features:
Round the edges of wood
Cut four radiuses - 1/16", 1/8", 3/16" and 1/4"
Includes sharpening guide
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Great tip, thank you!
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I forget where I found these rounding tools many years ago. One is a Stanley, the other Veritas. The radius is 1/16 and 1/8 on one and 1/4 and 3/8 on the other. They work best in a straight line on straight grain, but if you’re careful, you can work on a curve. They do have a tendency to pull up grain when you’re not paying attention. But looking at these, I’ll bet that I could affix some thin abrasive paper and avoid the tear-out issue.
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These would make a great item to 3D model and print for your sanding idea.
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I tried affixing some 120 paper with double stick tape and it works after a fashion. There’s not enough surface area to keep it in place. But, 3D printed forms(one straight and one arced) might work well.
Where this really worked nicely was using the blade to do the initial scraping and then the sandpaper to refine it. Here’s the result on some random fir (1/4” radius):
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↪ Private memberSo you got the sandpaper to stick enough to do the job?
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↪ Private memberBarely. As it worked, the paper retained the curve a little better. Then, of course, it rapidly clogged. Getting the initial shape dialed in with the blade and then refining it with the sandpaper seemed to work pretty well.
I’m looking at your photo and I am skeptical about how well the rounding tool would work on the end grain at the tail of the guitar. I suspect that abrasives would be a better choice there. I thing I’ll play a little more in the basement and let you know.
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↪ Private memberSometimes we overthink these things. I just attacked the end grain of some purpleheart and some ‘brown’ wood that was in the bin. I started out by scraping, then I wrapped the paper around the end of the tool and held it in place with my index finger. Voila! No 3D printed mold or adhesive required. And it worked easily with 80 grit.
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↪ Private memberThis is great, thank you! Did you sharpen the tool first? Website says it needs it upon receipt. Curious how you did that if so!
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↪ Private memberI never did sharpen them. As far as I can tell, you would need a round diamond file or slipstone. Still, after many years of occasional use, they work nicely.
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↪ Private memberI just found a video on YouTube of someone using these on a Gibson style build. His came with a honing tool. Thank you for this great tip!
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Good eye! You can always see a refinish when the round overs are all screwed up, especially on a Strat. I would practice on scrap with (like you said) an 1/8" and 3/16" to see which one looks right. It will be tricky to run a router around that body with the recurve of the carved top. You'll need a really shallow foot on the router base, but I think you've got the right idea. And, obviously you won't be able to get close to the neck, so yeah Ian's idea about a sanding block for the hand work is useful. Let us know how it goes!
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Thank you, Dave! I'm going to try on some scrap like you said. Hoping to do a mix of router and then hand sanding close to the neck, etc. I'm hoping to match the current roundover which is still there around the tight curves, I mostly overdid the sanding on bottom area where the bottom strap button is. That's the area that needs the most clean up. And if I mess up I'll get practice grafting in some mahogany! argh! This is my test bed guitar that's been through the ringer. Planning to shoot it black.
I like having a few different densities of foam around. This type of thing I really like that white foam that's used for packing in boxes. I put some sticky sand paper on it and it conforms to the edge nicely. Still have to be careful though.