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

[john999]

Great necks, again Ben. Like your new router as well, does it have the LED lights on top of the cutter??

[theworkoffire]

Great necks, again Ben. Like your new router as well, does it have the LED lights on top of the cutter??

Thanks John.

No, nothing fancy on it.

Andrew - it took me two or three re-frets wondering how to avoid the massive drop-off I was getting at the edges before I sussed out how to do it accurately. I'm sure I stole the idea from somewhere, probably someone on the tele forum. It's a godsend, especially having the handle on the top. You can't see it in the pics but the block is about 10" long, which helps, too.

[Mitchell?]

Looks great.

[wardpike]

Mad props. All you guys with the jigs and high skilled techniques shame an old hack like me who merely built (yes past tense) with hand tools mostly! LOL

[Con-Tiki!]

excellent necks.

I would never have considered trying to build one, but the huge amount of info on this forum makes it look possible.
At this point I may try it, just to see what happens. Either I succeed, or I learn a ton. Thanks for sharing your projects in such detail.

[crazyzeke]

You're right about the fake pearl - it looks beautiful and now the blocks are on the board you can't see any gap at all. Definately a perfectionist approach and it really pays off! I like your theme of basing cars on guitars, like an update of what Leo did.

[garyptaszek]

you're the boss Ben

[Jazzprod]

The necks are looking VERY nice Ben!!! Very cool work!!!
As always I'm uber impressed!!!

I really need to get me some of that synthetic pearl....

[theworkoffire]

Thanks y'all

Binding time. Heated it gently with my hot air gun, burned my fingers, moulded it into shape. Needed to sand the underside of it slightly - bending the sharp corners makes the inside edge wider.



Then on to the glueing, using the right stuff this time. So much better than the stuff I used on the first MOTORIK. This stuff dries hard and fast, overspill rubs or sands off cleanly, and you can mix shavings into it to make an invisible filler if you need it. Glued about two inches at a time, brushing the glue onto the wood starting at the heel, pressing the binding firmly into place and taping it, though after about fifteen seconds it can hold itself.



Shaving the excess binding off the top: chisel, razor blade and fine sandpaper.



Shaving the sides. I'd deliberately made the channel shallower so I could thin the 1.5mm binding down. Took about .5mm off. It's noticeably thinner than the binding on the JM neck now, and much closer to a vintage Fender thickness (between 1.2 and 1mm)



Once this was done I needed to repair the end of the rosewood where the router took those chunks out. Made some very fine rosewood dust, packed it down into the holes, then applied a drop of thin superglue...



...sanded it down. Just about invisible, as is the line where I glued on the extra piece where the 23rd fret should be.



Sanded the headstock transition down on a 3" drum sander:



Half way there:



Done, just about. Still need to get the line behind the nut a bit straighter. The bottom edge of the rosewood is still a bit ragged - I think it's just the pores, so that might be as good as I'll be able to get it.



I much prefer the look of veneer boards at that headstock transition. I've been having dark thoughts about attempting one next time...

[AWSchmit]

I much prefer the look of veneer boards at that headstock transition.

I do too. But these things look King Supreme. Fantastic.

[Jazzprod]

WOW!

[garyptaszek]

WOW!

+1
ben your work is outstanding

[Stereordinary]

Damn, that is some clean work Ben. Color me impressed.

[john999]

Superb neck job Ben, glad the "Weldon #16" worked on this, you have to be so careful nowadays what type of plastic is being offered. The StewMac bindings 2 years ago worked great with this but ABS ones will not bond with it, or acetone. Great repair job on the tear out, I had similar when the cutter bearing trod over my drill hole. Done the same as you did & doesnt show. Great job. Good luck & the Gods be with you on the fretting, I'm sure will work out fine for yer

[crazyzeke]

you're the boss Ben

He paid the cost to get there.