MOTORIK II - Final pics on page 21 - new owner!

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theworkoffire
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Re: MOTORIK II - block cavities routed, fingerboard clamped

Post by theworkoffire » Sun May 02, 2010 12:14 pm

Routing the binding channel - I wrapped a few layers of electrical tape round the bearing to make the rebate smaller. I want to be able to scrape the binding a bit thinner than its current 1.5mm.

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Had to finish the heel off by hand because of the protruding truss. The little piece I glued on at the end didn't survive the routing particularly well. I'll repair it once the binding's on.

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Can't imagine why I haven't done this before: I bought a set of drum sanders and made a wee jig with an old ruler bolted to the base at the far end to make a super-accurate sander for the blocks. I cut them out roughly with a hacksaw, sanded them to width using just the guide, then pushed them along the guide with the end of a ruler to keep them square while I did the ends. Perfect, and fast. I can't believe how much trouble this gave me when I did MOTORIK one, compared with how easy this was.

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The blocks waiting to be glued. I fucked up with measuring the base of my new router, and somehow I managed to rout all the block cavities exactly 2mm wider (side to side, not fret-to-fret) than they should be. If this was a Jag neck I'd be really pissed off, though I would probably have checked better. As it is, it's fine I think. It'll have to be! :derp:

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I was on a bit of a roll, so I dug out an old JM neck I started last year and abandoned when I ran out of time and couldn't find a source for thick enough MOP. I'll finish that off alongside this one, now. Could do with some dye maybe for the super-pale fingerboard.

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Satur9
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by Satur9 » Sun May 02, 2010 12:50 pm

Wow! That is really looking great! I'm jealous of your skills!

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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by john999 » Sun May 02, 2010 2:08 pm

I have only just stumbled on to this great thread and wish I had not been so wrapped up with my build, and seen it earlier. I love the different techniques you using on this one, compared to MOTORIK #1 which was also fantastic. Also been scratching my head how to cut the rectangles in the pick guard, like the idea with the router guide bush. What cutter are you using to cut the aluminium PG by the way?
Awesome work (as always) & a serious inspiration Ben. Like the drum sander jig for sanding the inlays as well, great idea :)
Wish I had "stumbled" on this thread a month ago :wtf:

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Secluded
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by Secluded » Sun May 02, 2010 6:18 pm

Great solution to the block sizing. I need to see stuff like this. Seriously helps me get past mental blockage when I run through the processes in my head.

What wood is the fretboard on the second neck? By 'super-pale' do you mean it's a rosewood that just happened to by really light? I almost think it would be a shame to dye it...would spoil a unique look.
Perhaps it's just the way the light falls...but everything looks like a target to me.
And I don't know where the gun is...but I'm certain that it's pointed at me.

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theworkoffire
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by theworkoffire » Mon May 03, 2010 12:20 am

Secluded wrote: What wood is the fretboard on the second neck? By 'super-pale' do you mean it's a rosewood that just happened to by really light? I almost think it would be a shame to dye it...would spoil a unique look.
It is just undyed rosewood. Stewmac dye theirs - when you wipe them with cellulose thinners they leave the cloth purple.

John, I'm just using normal router bits on the alu guard. No noticeable deterioration.

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ludobag1
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by ludobag1 » Mon May 03, 2010 3:45 am

nice done :)
i :-* the clear rosewood :w00t:

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theworkoffire
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by theworkoffire » Mon May 03, 2010 6:04 am

ludobag1 wrote:nice done :)
i :-* the clear rosewood :w00t:
Thanks. It's not completely unpleasant. I'm sure there are colour schemes it would suit perfectly. It would make a great SafariMaster in desert sand ;D

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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by Secluded » Mon May 03, 2010 7:37 am

Thanks...I didn't realize that (with the time I've spent in cabinet shops, I should have! :whistle: ).

I :-* it too. :freako:
Perhaps it's just the way the light falls...but everything looks like a target to me.
And I don't know where the gun is...but I'm certain that it's pointed at me.

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Ret Samzzaj
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Re: MOTORIK II - block cavities routed, fingerboard clamped

Post by Ret Samzzaj » Mon May 03, 2010 11:15 am

theworkoffire wrote: The blocks waiting to be glued. I fucked up with measuring the base of my new router, and somehow I managed to rout all the block cavities exactly 2mm wider (side to side, not fret-to-fret) than they should be. If this was a Jag neck I'd be really pissed off, though I would probably have checked better. As it is, it's fine I think. It'll have to be! :derp:
I was playing with the idea of making a template with slightly oversized Jazzmaster blocks.... you already put it into practice ;D

BTW I have the same Bosch router. Please be careful when using the guide bush on this machine, mine was 1.5mm off center. Got a new one under waranty... still off center, but not as much. For precision work I install the Trend Unibase on the Bosch.

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theworkoffire
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Re: MOTORIK II - block cavities routed, fingerboard clamped

Post by theworkoffire » Mon May 03, 2010 11:29 am

Ret Samzzaj wrote:
BTW I have the same Bosch router. Please be careful when using the guide bush on this machine, mine was 1.5mm off center. Got a new one under waranty... still off center, but not as much. For precision work I install the Trend Unibase on the Bosch.
That was the first thing I checked, and luckily it didn't seem too bad. Yet to check it in action, though. Thanks for the tip!

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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by the older brother » Mon May 03, 2010 1:00 pm

You make it look so simple, Ben....

I keep gathering guts for having a go on my first B+B neck. :ph34r:
Someone knows where I can find the nearest woodchipper to throw my pieces of junk into?

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theworkoffire
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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by theworkoffire » Mon May 03, 2010 3:40 pm

the older brother wrote:You make it look so simple, Ben....

I keep gathering guts for having a go on my first B+B neck. :ph34r:
Just go for it, J. All I can say is rout the cavities before you cut the blocks - I wouldn't like to try it the other way round. When I cut the blocks I checked them maybe 10-15 times against the hole as they got closer and closer to the right size. If you're routing the cavities to fit the blocks you have one shot, and no chance of getting the same kind of accuracy. That sander is accurate to about 1/10mm, my router just isn't (+/- 1mm with me measuring :wacko: )

I've just epoxied these into the cavities, and even though they were too tight to drop into the holes by themselves, with the adhesive they slid right in :)

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Re: MOTORIK II - block me amadeus

Post by theworkoffire » Tue May 04, 2010 8:05 am

So with the blocks epoxied in it's on to sanding them down and putting a 9.5" radius on the board. I'd rather it was 7.25 but the bridge is fixed.

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Nearly done. 120 grit in the sanding jig, then 180, then I took it out of the jig and polished it off with 320 and 500 grit wrapped round a small eraser.

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The synthetic pearl is great - I'll definitely use it again. I have enough for about 3 more necks from the £8 5"x8" sheet. No complaints at all.

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So both necks now ready to bind and fret. The JM fretboard polished up better than I hoped. I have a sneaky feeling that neck's going to end up on the BuickMaster ;D

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Last edited by theworkoffire on Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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andrewdoeshair
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Re: MOTORIK II - blocks in, boards polished

Post by andrewdoeshair » Tue May 04, 2010 8:21 am

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Andrewsmacksforehead.

As I am readying to attempt my first neck-builds, one thing I couldn't imagine was how to ensure the fretboard would be given a uniform radius. On my 2x4 test-neck I used the stewmac radius block and only hoped I wasn't twisting to one side as I pushed it down the fretboard. Sweet deal. THIS is exactly why I love the threads on OSG.

Thanks!!!
If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. - Carl Sagan

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Re: MOTORIK II - blocks in, boards polished

Post by Secluded » Tue May 04, 2010 11:19 am

Yeah, I love the jig ideas from you guys. Lots of keep it simple around here.

Blocks look great. :)
Perhaps it's just the way the light falls...but everything looks like a target to me.
And I don't know where the gun is...but I'm certain that it's pointed at me.

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