Padauk lap steel

[Eric Banjitar]

The art-deco theme is even stronger now. It looks like it could be a sky scraper. Love it.

 

[Corey P.]

I LOVE art deco and this is an awesome execution of that aesthetic.  I think your latest mock-up nails it.  Expect requests for a Chrysler building model.  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[ramonet]

A little progress: the back of the headstock it's cut and rougly shaped. Rasps, files and a lot of sandpaper

 

[ramonet]

The headstock roughly cut. I think this it's gonig to be nice

 

[ramonet]

With a leftover piece of lam, glued to a sycamore thin lam also (to prevent cracks when sawed) I'm going to make a motif as it was a truss rod cover, following the same deco pattern of the body. You can see the final contour in the printed paper beside the lamination (in white, the black one is the headstock)

 

[Eric Banjitar]

I am loving this build. It is my favorite to watch right now. Please keep us all updated with photos.  You can send it to me for final approval when it is finished.

 

[ramonet]

Tahk you so much Eric. I keep posting, but I have not much free time, so it's going a little slow.

 

[ramonet]

It's weekend so alittle more progress. Here you can see a mock up of the false truss rod cover; I've used the same shape as the peghead

 

[ramonet]

I've thought that a wooden pick up ring it's going to be better for this build so as I have some padauk scraps I've tried to do one. This is my first time so I think the final result it's great. The first pic is in a raw stage, the second its finally shaped and with the pickup monted. The only thing left is decide the final height. I'm going to do this when the test strings are mounted

 

[ramonet]

Cutting the fret slots on the Indian rosewood fingerboard. A I don't have a mitter box I've used an aluminium angle as a guide. I attached a piece of tape to the saw blade to determine the total cut depht. The sycamore strips make a great contrast with the rosewood. In a next step I will ad the beech dot position marks

 

[ramonet]

I've used all the clamps at the house to glue the fingerboard

 

[Eric Banjitar]

Very impressive looking instrument there! The fretboard contrast is striking. I LOVE the dots. Great design and flawless execution.

 

[Cagey]

Nice! Looks very good.

I see you used More's law cutting the sycamore strips - Some is good, More's better, too much is just right <grin>

But, I'm sure it made it all easier to deal with, and it looks fine. You can't argue with success.

 

[ramonet]

A litlle progress: the fingerboard dots are in place. The contrast of beech and Indian rosewood it's really nice

 

[ramonet]

I've noticed that with a 3 steps headstock the strings are going to align badly, with an angle at the nut (Gibson Les Paul style) so I transformed the 3 steps into 4, but following the same shape. This conversion allows the tuners go mounted closer to the center line of the neck and results ina better string alignement.

 

[ramonet]

At last, the holes for the bridge and the pots are drilled. I have no pics of the control cavity and jack socket, sorry. The next steps: pickup cavity, tuner holes and nut installation, tung oil finish and thats it. Nearly finished.

 

[ramonet]

I've received the buffalo horn to make the nut. It cames in 15x15mm pieces, so I must cut it in half to make the nut. 15mm it's OK for the height because the strings must go high over the fretboard.

 

[ramonet]

The nut and the deco motif ready to be fixed on the peghead

 

[ramonet]

Routing the pickup cavitie

 

[ramonet]

The holes for the tuners are drilled