Some of my current methods

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blackalex1952
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Some of my current methods

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:29 pm

Just thought I'd post some of my current tools that I have made and the methods I've been using. Stewmac sells similar more refined tools like this but I made these due to the usual budgetary restraints. They work for me.
Firstly, I have drilled some holes through two bolts which have allen key ends and wing nuts and washers on the other side. The string can be fed through the holes. All self explanatory if you view the pix. One disadvantage of this with both my tool and the Stewmac one is threading the string through that tiny hole from the underside of the bridge. The strings, particularly the unwound first slip through the fingers when you go to push the string through the hole if one misses. I usually thread the screw before putting it through the bridge pin hole, so don't often use the allen key these days.

The second thing I've been doing rather than buy or make the Stewmac tool is to use a piece of bent brass rod to adjust the initial intonation for the saddle rout, which I do in situ on the guitar. See pix

The other thing is my method for neck bolt attachment. I basically rout a mortice into both the body and the end of the neck. Then I place my tenon into the body of the guitar having drilled a captive top hat nut or a tee nut into the neck side of the tenon. I drill a hole through this tenon in situ on the guitar body for the head block bolt.
After that, I bolt the tenon into the headblock with some glad wrap in the mortice first. This prevents the glue from sticking to the guitar body when I glue the tenon into the neck mortice, using this trick to line the neck up with the soundboard. I place a shim in the body mortice to ensure that the tenon goes all the way into the neck mortice, allowning some wiggle room when the neck alignment is being finalised and fine tuned if needed. After glue set, I remove the neck from the guitar and drill and countersink a screw above the neck bolt hole in the neck tenon to help strengthen the glue joint. Then the neck is attached for the neck extension rout which has two bolts and tee nuts (similar actually, but smaller to clear the truss rod) which pull the fingerboard extension down onto the soundboard. The neck is attached with the tool in the last photos. The allen key socket set is readily available from supercheap auto and a few other places and fits on to a 1/8" socket drive, the proper name being "inhex sockets". For those who don't know this, HEX and Allen keys refer to the same tools. The socket goes on to a 1/8"square drive to an I don't know what it's called adaptor. The same as all the electric screwdrivers use, then the tightening rod has the same species of socket from a cheap screwdriver tip kit welded to it.
The neck extension bolts are easy to tighten as the same inhex socket will fit a 1/8" socket ratchet through the soundhole. It's easier to tighten those bolts that way as allen keys are long and difficult to manoevre from inside the guitar upwards onto the soundboard.
-Ross
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"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

simso
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Re: Some of my current methods

Post by simso » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:40 pm

Nice
Steve
Master of nothing,

Do your own repairs - http://www.mirwa.com.au/How_to_Series.html

blackalex1952
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Re: Some of my current methods

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:16 pm

It's easy enough for the intonation tools to be replaced with drill bits or even end pins on their side. I made the brass rods with the idea of continuing on to end up with a clone of the stewmac doover. But this works well enough for me followed by fine tuning the intonation on the saddle with files . Using drill bits gives a range of diameters available for different action heights.
-Ross
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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kiwigeo
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Re: Some of my current methods

Post by kiwigeo » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:49 pm

Like the bolt with the hole drilled through it for the intonator.
Martin

blackalex1952
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Re: Some of my current methods

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 4:59 pm

Martin write:
Like the bolt with the hole drilled through it for the intonator.
Is that "I like" or is it a comment on something else in my posts?
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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kiwigeo
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Re: Some of my current methods

Post by kiwigeo » Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:28 pm

blackalex1952 wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2017 4:59 pm
Martin write:
Like the bolt with the hole drilled through it for the intonator.
Is that "I like" or is it a comment on something else in my posts?
I like. Sorry..post was typed after two Monteith black beers :mrgreen:
Martin

blackalex1952
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Location: North East Victoria

Re: Some of my current methods

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:06 pm

I forgot to make it was clear in my post that the bolts with the holes and the wing nuts hold the bridge in position without having to glue it on. I drill the hole for the treble pin, put the bolt in then line up the bridge and drill the for the 6th pin. Then I drill and ream the remainder of the pin holes and mark the intonation for the saddle slot with a pencil line. The saddle slot can be routed either after the bridge is glued on or on a jig on the router table. -R
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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