Building a lefty tele

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:39 am Post subject: Building a lefty tele

I suddenly realized I still hadn't posted my new project here... I must apologise!

Here goes;

The plan is to end up with a tele that looks like (kinda) this;

there's no ashtray in the Kisekae software I used so you'll just have to imagine it on there.

Body will be Northern European pine that getting from a table top. A heavy sucker and that pine is tough as nails.

Neck will be one piece maple, or (... if thicknessing doesn't go according to plan) maple with glued maple fingerboard.

Here's what I purchased/aquired so far;

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my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:40 am Post subject:

Rough cut and ready to be thicknessed. I'm going for approximately 45mm in thickness like my '84Tokai Breezysound. Just guessing it won't be as heavy as that one is.

This is what I'll be working with and what I hope to get to that vintagy yellow.

'Thicknessed' the wood for the neck;

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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:45 am Post subject:

Need a straight, smooth edge and since I don't own a jointer, but do have a routertable (the same handheld B&D router is in that);

^^^ This is just a known and measured straight piece, doublestick taped to the neck blank to act as a guide to straighten it up with a template following bit.

Anyone has any questions or if you need additional pics, jump right in.

This is what I'm looking for;

The truss rod channel routing jig;

Drew a line, parallel to the straight edge on the blank, put the template over it and matched up the centre line on it. Marked the outline and nut position off of the template. Put the TR on the blank and marked off where it should go. Set the edge guide on the routerbase so that the bit will follow the line I drew. Set stops in the right locations and... Channel is routed;

Here's that bit to accomodate the 'bullet end'.

Trussrod channel is routed, neck is roughed out and ready for template routing.

Routed the neck pocket;

After this shot I cleaned up the little ridge on the bottom of the pocket there. Hadn't seen or felt it after routing, glad it showed up in the pic.
back to some neck work; I'm using this TR;

Coated the threads with some candlewax to prevent it from being glued tight;

And it's in clamps now;

Maybe I better get organazized;

My bud Oigun helped me out big time by letting me use his drumsander to thickness a strip of maple left over from the neck blank to the right size use as a skunk stripe.

Albino skunk. Too bad that one grain line decided to turn left... true lefty skunk.

At least I achieved a tighter fit than I did on the first tele I did.
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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:52 am Post subject:

oops... I'll downsize my pics before I post any more..
please excuse...
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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:55 am Post subject:

On it...
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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

marcusnieman · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 6:23 am Post subject:

Nice!! keep em coming

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:11 pm Post subject:

Thanks marcus!

Premature mockup

with flash;

with ashtray;

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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:19 pm Post subject:

I finally got round to carefully drawing the tuner postions on my neck template and centre punching them even more carefully. Then onto the drillpress table to make IndexHoles;

Stick-taped the template to the neck and drilled pilotholes;

6mm for vintage tuners followed shortly after;

LUV THIS MACHINE!

How'd I ever get by without it?
_________________
va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:17 pm Post subject:

Layed out the frets for a 25"er. Need a tele that'll let me bend 11s up a whole step on the second fret without ripping my fingertips off. Or stringing up 9s.

_________________
va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject:

marked the locations for the dots;

I used a fence on the drillpress table to allow myself to exercise more control over the neck. Straight as an arrow;

I'll be glueing the dots in and while they dry I might just get started on the stringthru holes.
_________________
va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:28 pm Post subject:

Radius sanding block;

9.5" radius.
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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:33 pm Post subject:

Drilled for sidemarkers, again using a fence on the drillpress;

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va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

felixcatus · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:51 pm Post subject:

Looks good. What?s the neck shape/profile going to be like?

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:56 pm Post subject:

Not very scientific, not even very safe... Recutting fretslots;

To depth;

Two or three swipes with a triangle needle file, using little to no pressure;

Cut a piece of fretwire from a roll and bend it ever so slighty using thumbs and forefingers. I press the ends into the slot to have it seat like so;

Then lightly tap the ends with a soft hammer and work from the middle of the fret to tap it down;

_________________
va' sa' du? va' hete' du?
my guitars at LGTf; http://www.leftyguitartrader.com/forum/album.php?albumid=13

JuniorEnthousiast · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:01 pm Post subject: