A EIR Dred in the D45 tradition

[Kevin in California]

Got the fretboard done except the frets, which I'll install after the fretboard is attached to the neck.
You'll see I used a simple wedge clamping set up to glue the binding to the fretboard.

Kevin

Yikes those pictures came out small
I increased the picture file size, they should show better now.

Kevin

[Dave Bagwill]

It looks very nice, clean and tasteful.

[Kevin in California]

Thanks Dave, I like how it turned out.
The markers are just abalone dots....2mm and 6mm combo.
I haven't yet braved routing fancy inlays......tooooooo scarrrrrrrry!

Kevin

[Kevin in California]

I spent a couple of hours yesterday and got the binding and purfling channels cut top and back.
This is a scheme I haven't done before, so I had to make the cuts in some scrap and really check the widths to be sure what I had planned was going to work. I have .070" curly maple binding, and .120" wide abalone purfling that is just .050" thick. Then I have two strips of .010" black fiber to cut for purfling lines on either side of the abalone. So I cut a .070" deep binding slot and a .210" deep purfling channel. When I test fit some pieces of the scheme into the channels on the scrap, it looked perfect, so I made the cuts. I did have an issue that I could correct however it has not happened to me before. I set up the body in my carrier making the sides perpindicular to the base, and when I made the cuts I was getting a shallow cut in the waist areas of about .010 to .015". I looked to see if maybe the router carrier on my tower was perhaps riding on the rim and holding the bit up too high.....I couldn't see this happening. I use rubber bands to give some counter balance to my router on the tower, so I took some of the rubber off so their would be more weight/pressure on the surface as it was cutting, and made another pass around. This helped, but the channels were still shallow in some areas. This was very strange and happened on both the top and back.....this is only in the purfling channel.
All I can figure is because I was cutting such a shallow channel, only .050" deep, that the cutter would loose its "bite" so to speak.
It baffled me. I used my depth gauge and took measurements around the guitar, writing them down on the top and back with chalk, then went back with a fingernail sanding board...that is what I use to clean up my channels, and took down the areas that needed it. All is well, and pretty even with a couple of thousands, but it is still a puzzle to me.
If someone has an idea what may have happened after you've read my long story, please give your input.
I've used this tower set up on two guitars before with no issue like this however I was cutting a deeper channel too.
Pics I'll try and post tonight.

Kevin

[Kevin in California]

Had to go to the office Saturday, so I only got a couple of hours in the shop.
I made and glued in the end wedge; curly Koa lined with maple purfling. I think it looks nice on the EIR.
I like to make the wedge, use it as a pattern and trace sharp lines on the sides. Then use a metal ruler and an razor knife to make initial cuts on the drawn lines. I then deepen the cuts until I'm all the way through the side wood. Then it is just a matter of chiseling out the area and fitting the wedge in. Usually I install this after I've cut the binding channel, but BEFORE I cut the purfling channel. This way I can go back with the router and recut the channel across the ends of the wedge for a nice clean perfect cut. This time I forgot that I like to do it this way, and I cut the purfling channels and then realized I'd forgotten to do the end wedge. So after the wedge was in I cut the ends of the wedge with a saw really close to the edge of the channel, and I'll clean this up with chisel.
The bindings will be curly maple, which I bent Friday night and are taped inside the mold waiting.
I'm going to do the headstock and the heel cap with some of the same curly Koa.

Kevin

[MarkAndrew1]

That's looks sweet!

[ken cierp]

Got a picture of the router guide/donut?