What's on your workbench right now?

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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Squirrel
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Squirrel » Fri Nov 30, 2018 4:53 am

Picked up this abused '60s Eko Ranchero at a flea market the other week for hella cheap. It's destined to become a christmas present for a friend if I can get it looking relatively decent. Some fucking idiot has scratched "fuck the norm" into the finish but luckily it's really thick poly so I'll be able to sand and polish it out. Also no, the wood isn't cracked, it's just the finish.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:56 pm

i decided to go up to a 1m pot on my jaguar along with change the tone cap. now sounds like a jaguar should.
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:36 pm

Got some major progress on the part of the garage organization that I've been looking forward to the most: the French cleat walls!
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(Note: this picture was taken as my height, not above or below my eye level. This wall will have cleats up to about 7' high)

This all started because I wanted more tool storage, didn't want a tool chest with drawers anymore, and didn't want to permanently mount things to the walls of the garage, where I'd have to fill holes whenever I move out. This is what I came up with: 2 walls with an upper board each mounted vertically, with half of a lap joint, and boards going across the width of the garage, with the other half of a lap joint in them as well. The cool part is that if and when I move, I can cut the boards going across the width of the garage (ceiling joists, kind of) shorter, make new ones, etc., but I don't have to modify the walls themselves.

Here's what I'm talking about:
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I still have to make a few more cleats, and cut the bevels on all of them, for this wall, and I haven't made any of the cleats for the other wall yet. I figured clamping and mounting the cleats would be easier as a full rectangle, than with the bevel cut already made.

Once I mounted the "ceiling joist" boards, nothing fell down, but there was still a bit of wobble. I stopped by my local hardware store and got a few things: nylon-tipped furniture feet, flange nuts, and 4-pronged threaded t-nuts:
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Installed them into the end of each of the "ceiling joist" boards:
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Then, put the boards back into their lap joint slots:
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Now, the boards are adjustable AND lockable, to adjust for level and angle, and to keep pressure on the wall. No more wobble!! I've still got a bunch of work to do, but it's getting so much better in the garage/shop by the minute. Starting to feel really awesome!
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by antisymmetric » Fri Dec 07, 2018 5:38 pm

^ Clever & sneaky thinking, nicely done!! :-*
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:48 am

Thanks dude!!!
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Sun Dec 09, 2018 8:44 am

Image
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by the older brother » Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:21 am

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Someone knows where I can find the nearest woodchipper to throw my pieces of junk into?

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by ThePearDream » Wed Dec 12, 2018 6:25 pm

My formerly green Jazzcaster is now brown. I did a fresh wiring job, implementing the two switching schemes I posted on ShadowEclipse13's wiring thread (parallel-series-series bright switch in the rhythm area and a push/pull lead/rhythm tone switch on the tone knob). I'm just waiting on a new spring claw (and a volume knob) so I can string it up.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by epizootics » Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:20 am

A fret slotting mitre box at last!

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Horrible pictures, my apologies. The blade is kept against the guide by five neo magnets and I must say it works pretty well. I built a magnetic square for my DIY lutherie workshop last week to help the guys cut straight lines with a ryoba saw and it worked so well I thought I'd reuse the concept with my fretting saw.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:40 am

Projects are so much fun to watch, but jigs and templates make my knees weak :blush: :D
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http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by odieus » Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:32 am

antisymmetric wrote:
Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:50 am
Some good stuff going on around here!
Shadoweclipse, I wish my workspace was even close to as orderly as yours. It occasionally gets clear work surfaces, but pretty quickly reverts back to bomb site. I'm hoping to spend some serious time in the holidays to do what you're doing (love those French cleats)

Epizootics, that is such a cool little thing you've made- I love the bridge and pickup, and that washer as mini pickguard also. 8) The whole thing is sort of utilitarian & minimalist along with loads of personality. For some reason it's got me thinking of a Citröen 2CV. 8)

Oid, if you're reading this, what is that on the back of the headstock on your Melody Maker? Some kind of veneer patch? Kind of hard to know what I was looking at there. Delicate surgery, I hope you keep the pics coming.

My evening's effort is this: Pickguard #2. The lipsticks are actual '60s Danos, which I've just realised means that paired together like this they'll function as a humbucker, as the magnets are reversed (apparently the reissues have magnets oriented in the same direction). The plan is to have a switch to run one as a single or both in series- I'd have done it anyway no matter which way the magnets were oriented (lipsticks seem to be pretty quiet anyway with their fully shielded covers) but it looks like I'll have an actual humbucker, however much difference that will make.
Blurry photo thanks to leaving my phone on the bench all day in my bomb site workshop...Image
This is a fantastic concept. I really like the blended aesthetic and reference to the 2CV. The Tele bridge should yield some unique tones. Sound clips
?

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by krib » Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:24 pm

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Sry, not offset :whistle:

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sun Dec 30, 2018 10:38 pm

More garage progress for now!

I got the other French cleat wall finished (no pictures), and built a work table. It's not exactly portable, weighing in around 100-120 pounds, but it's not terrible either. 6' long by just under 4' wide, with t-track, and it's sitting on two fold-up sawhorses that have a groove for 2x4's. I used 2x4's for the lower frame, and two sheets of MDF for the top (one 1/2" thick, one 3/4" thick). Really awesome so far. I still need a few more intersection pieces (out of stock at the moment), but otherwise, it's done.
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I bought some accessories for the t-track from Rockler. Those bastards are friggin' expensive. They've got some nice stuff, but damn, they're expensive. The t-track tools/accessories aren't too bad though.
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Sorry for the dark picture, but I took it after the sun went down Saturday night. I got shelves mounted for the 3 crates I built for all my oak cut-off chunks. I still need to make one for pine and the ACX plywood I use, but I don't have nearly as much of either of those around. Feels so nice getting a place for some of this stuff.
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by mackerelmint » Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:48 am

Not exactly on the bench YET, but...

I just bought a lathe? It'll take a few weeks to get here, but I guess I'm officially charging into the market void left by Staytrem's exit from global commerce. :derp:

So once I've found my legs with my cool new tool, I'll probably make a few sets as freebies for OSG folk who're willing to test 'em and give me feedback so I can make whatever refinements need doing. It's a stupid simple object to manufacture, but I'm new to this and need to get it right. Planning on making them in brass and nickel plated steel in 7.25 and 9.5 radii.

So watch this space, I guess. This is happening. :bored: :wacko: :wtf: :derp: :D
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Mon Dec 31, 2018 4:35 am

Nice!! What lathe did you end up getting?
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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