Thread: Second build electric - American Walnut

quite a handsome guitar there ...cagsy


tht walnut sure looks real warm!

I know what you mean about those threaded inserts, I came up with a way to do them so they come out exact every time. It only works if your making the neck from scratch as the drilling and installation of the inserts is done before the fret board is glued on. I started a thread awhile back with pictures of my method and is titled A New Neck Joint. Type in my username and the title after clicking the search forum box and it should come up.Mike

Thanks mate. I wasn't sure about the Walnut however I'm glad I used it. It does give quite a warm sound so very happy with it overall.

cheers
Andrew

Originally Posted by Heartstrings

I know what you mean about those threaded inserts, I came up with a way to do them so they come out exact every time. It only works if your making the neck from scratch as the drilling and installation of the inserts is done before the fret board is glued on. I started a thread awhile back with pictures of my method and is titled A New Neck Joint. Type in my username and the title after clicking the search forum box and it should come up.Mike

Hi Mike. That looks like a good way to do it. Thanks for pointing that out. The biggest issue I had was that the inserts were apparently meant to be drilled with a 3/8" bit however I just couldn't get them into the maple. I believe I snapped the slot out of one trying to get it into a test piece. I finally used a slightly bigger bit and managed to do it whilst maintaining a decent hold on the wood (epoxy as well) however then they would start to lean because of the slightly larger hole size and that spelt disaster for lining up the bolts. Where do you get your inserts from? Have you ever run into that problem?

I get my inserts from a company called McMaster Carr, their here in the states and have about anything you can imagine as far as fasteners, raw materials, you name it and they seem to have it. I bought the hardened drill bushings in the pictures from them. I used their steel inserts that use an allen wrench to drive them in. I cut the leg off a long allen wrench and chucked it in my drill press, then spun the insert into the neck by hand using the chuck key. The insert was a 10/24 and needed a 5/16 pilot hole, I also chamfered the hole a good bit to make entry easier. Until I started using the drill press to install them I got a good bit of wood lifting trying to start them and it was tough to keep them straight. I can apply enough downward pressure with the drill press upon starting to elimate any lifting. You probably saw that I used steel bushings to locate the neck in the pocket, that's because there is no shoulder for the neck to bear against, the pickup route starts where the neck pocket ends. To further help with the alighing of the inserts I stick a bushing in the bottom of the neck, then took a piece of scrap truss rod threaded to 10/24 and put it in the bottom of the insert, that keeps everthing nice and straight and go in even hard maple like butter. This works great with the brass inserts too, but you do have to buy the special wrench made for them. The wrenches are kinda short but I was still able to chuck it in the drill press. It's hard to beat the threaded inserts for ease of assembly and disassembly, don't have to worry about the screwdriver jumping out of the slot of a tight screw and gouging the finish. Hope it helps you out, let me know if you have any more questions. Mike

Originally Posted by Heartstrings

I get my inserts from a company called McMaster Carr, their here in the states and have about anything you can imagine as far as fasteners, raw materials, you name it and they seem to have it. I bought the hardened drill bushings in the pictures from them. I used their steel inserts that use an allen wrench to drive them in. I cut the leg off a long allen wrench and chucked it in my drill press, then spun the insert into the neck by hand using the chuck key. The insert was a 10/24 and needed a 5/16 pilot hole, I also chamfered the hole a good bit to make entry easier. Until I started using the drill press to install them I got a good bit of wood lifting trying to start them and it was tough to keep them straight. I can apply enough downward pressure with the drill press upon starting to elimate any lifting. You probably saw that I used steel bushings to locate the neck in the pocket, that's because there is no shoulder for the neck to bear against, the pickup route starts where the neck pocket ends. To further help with the alighing of the inserts I stick a bushing in the bottom of the neck, then took a piece of scrap truss rod threaded to 10/24 and put it in the bottom of the insert, that keeps everthing nice and straight and go in even hard maple like butter. This works great with the brass inserts too, but you do have to buy the special wrench made for them. The wrenches are kinda short but I was still able to chuck it in the drill press. It's hard to beat the threaded inserts for ease of assembly and disassembly, don't have to worry about the screwdriver jumping out of the slot of a tight screw and gouging the finish. Hope it helps you out, let me know if you have any more questions. Mike

I appreciate that Mike. I really do like the idea of using the inserts and your feedback has given me some great ideas going forward. Maybe I will have another go for the next build.

thanks once again

regards
Andrew

Hi Andrew,
Great looking guitar, beautiful Walnut you got for your build, how did you get the wood ? and have you seen how Walnut ripens after a while into an even better colour ?

Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

Hi Andrew,
Great looking guitar, beautiful Walnut you got for your build, how did you get the wood ? and have you seen how Walnut ripens after a while into an even better colour ?

Rob

Hi Rob,

I appreciate the comments thanks for that. This particular piece came from trend timbers in Sydney as did the maple. I have another piece from a different source and will definitely use it at some stage. I didn't know that the colour would change with time. That's really interesting. Being relatively new to woodworking (this is my second official woodworking project) I keep learning new things as I go, however this forum is an absolute wealth of info.

cheers
Andrew