A student reflects on their ambitious project of building an electric guitar, a task they embarked on after completing a cutting board. Despite doubts about finishing the guitar by semester'
During the construction of my cutting board I learned to dress stock, and with this, learned the proper means of operating a thickness plainer, table saw, mitre saw, and jointer. After learning of a dado cut and how to properly execute one (With a specially set up table saw with two blades), I was able to glue the four side and one composite top together. This was an interesting experience because we had to glue them all together at one time. I found this to be quite a challenge, and did not particularly enjoy it (My project turned out a little lop-sided). After the tedious task of gluing the pieces together I was allowed to use a router, which I had, had previous experience with, and was taught to change the bits on said router and how to alter router and fence height. Afterwards I sanded the top flat and was informed on the process of laminating a vinyl top to the body of the project using contact cement, which I was currently unaware of. After the sanding of the wood to a finer grit, I finished the wooden parts of the project with 9 coats of finish sanding between every three coats.
I learned many highly useful skills during the time spent in the shop, including the multiple uses and applications of the machines contained therein. Some of these skills included, but are not limited to, the proper functions of a band saw, scroll saw, thickness plainer, and table saw. Thanks to the repeated exposure to the machines, facilitated by the necessity to complete numerous projects I obtained the confidence to operate such machines without complacency. Which leads me to the safety aspect of the curriculum, not only did we, as students learn to use the machines required to construct items, but, we learned to do so safely, with care and respect for the machines.
Earlier in the semester we learned how to properly plot projects using the isometric drawing method. I found this to be a useful lesson because was easily applicable to almost all of the projects that I attempted during class. Learning to plot from three points of view is a valuable tool because it allows us as designers to envision the end result in all three dimensions.
I learned several useful concepts and skills over the course of the semester that I spent in this construction tech class. I learned the proper ways to work with and exploit materials to their full potential and also learned to safely employ the services offered by machine and also where to apply such services.
What I Learned
Nailing (Toenailing), Screwing, Cutting, Fastening, Clamping, and gluing, and CONSTRUCTING different items.
Different methods of:
Plywood (The different types), wood nails (sizes), wood screws (what a shank is… hahaha), Different Wood joint types (ie. Rabbit, lap), and glue
The proper application of:
A Thickness plainer, Jointer, Table saw, Mitre saw, Band saw, Router, Drill press, And Belt sander, And also how to laminate ( the cutting board), and finish.
Thanks to this opportunity, I learned:
How to use:
Guitar
This is as far as I have currently been able to reach on the guitar. I am uncertain of by ability to complete it before the end of this semester. As a result I will have to complete it during the summer holidays. With this being said, the opportunity provided to me by this class to work with the technology, allowed me to learn skills and gain confidence in relation to the operation of these machines that I would not have obtained otherwise. I feel that the opportunity to work on our own projects is a valuable one because it allowed us to learn construction methods while actively applying them to our current situations/ Projects.
Finally, all the wooden components of the guitar were in place, leaving it up to me to apply the small details to the body such as electronic cavities ( using a drill press and a chisel), and the top bevels ( using several files and grades of sand paper. This was a long, but gratifying task because it took 210 minutes, but was very personal because it contributed to the unique, overall aesthetic of my creation. It was during this process that I learned to confidently use a drill press properly- The use of the chuck and depth locks and gauge. This was also the stage that I rounded the neck. Using an old style spoke stave, and a make shift sanding block with coarse grit paper, I removed the required material to create an even gradient or slope, effectively rounding the neck.
Using a coping saw with an incredibly small blade, I slotted the 1/8” thick maple frettboard for twenty four frets, and laminated it to the neck, which had already had a truss rod installed using a router to carve the trench. During this task I learned to take precise measurements using a caliper, which took me almost three classes to get right, which in turn taught me the value of patience when attempting to take accurate measurements.
While on a safari of sorts to the back of the shop, I found a prized piece. A worse for wear tablet of maple, from which I would derive the side pieces or “wings” of my project. I cut and laminated the piece in a similar fashion to as how the neck had been created and forged myself two solid blocks of maple. I cut the “cutaways” on the band saw and then proceeded to glue the sides of the guitar to the neck creating a solid, three piece guitar. After the gluing of said pieces I continued to cut the body lines on the band saw (I got a lot of time in on the band saw.), Until a complete shape had been revealed, one with a slightly elongated bass bout ( based on the Ibanez body shape of our model,).
The immediate Day after the completion of the cutting board, I started the plotting of my next project, which I admit, was a tad bit “ambitious”- an electric guitar. I have been personally studying the workings of the electric guitar for about three years; this aided me when I was starting to sketch out the basic dimensions that would soon become a full sized electric guitar. First I needed a model to base my subject off of. For this, I decided on a 25’’ scale Ibanez RG, owned by the schools music department. After measuring the exact specifications of the model, I was ready to start cutting stock. I added the overall amount of each type of wood species needed to create the project; I did so using the cutting list that I had written out earlier. I dressed the neck pieces by breaking an 84’’ piece of mahogany into four pieces and laminating them together to form one solid block from which to carve the one piece, neck and body center piece. After gluing the neck laminates together using seven tension clamps, I used an electric scraper to remove the excess glue, after which I used a thickness plainer to smoothen the proportions of the final block of wood.
