Follow a build – da Cruz Guitars

Currently on the bench
I recently completed a black walnut, no-scratchplate Telecaster-style guitar, and I am in the early stages of work on a Thinline Tele built from mahogany and soft maple. For something different, and to keep my housemates happy, I also recently built a Noguchi coffee table.

Follow the build below, or on Instagram.

dacruzguitars

Slow luthiery — handcrafted guitars and accessories

Wonderful surprise came in the post today from @wa

Wonderful surprise came in the post today from @watersandacland, an amazing fine furniture workshop and school in Cumbria (if you want to see how amazing, check out the incredible output of their students on their feed). It’s a trough plane from @workshopheaven (another great woodworking resource) that I’m going to have to learn how to use 😀. Thanks @watersandacland and @workshopheaven!

First steps towards a Stratocaster-style electric

First steps towards a Stratocaster-style electric guitar: sawing blanks of beech, gluing up the body, flattening with a router planer, and making a Strat body router template.

Fine sanding, testing tung oil on a walnut sample,

Fine sanding, testing tung oil on a walnut sample, sanding over oil to seal the wood — first coat done.

It’s getting there. Drilled holes for the alignm

It’s getting there. Drilled holes for the alignment rod, cut off a bolt head to make the rod, and did some final cutting and shaping of the horn ends. I’ll sand and finish the two pieces in a few days, and hope I manage to source a good glass top.

Some more router work, this time with a round-over

Some more router work, this time with a round-over bit to shape the edges; also cut the ‘horns’ to an equal height.

Cleaning up the edge after rough sawing with a ban

Cleaning up the edge after rough sawing with a band saw.

Glueing up the boards and rough-sanding the joint

Glueing up the boards and rough-sanding the joints.

Making a router template.

Making a router template.

A short new project (not a guitar). This will be a

A short new project (not a guitar). This will be a copy of the iconic Noguchi coffee table, made from American walnut.

Resawing a maple board to make a 1/4" cap for the

Resawing a maple board to make a 1/4" cap for the body.

Routing the cavities and bringing them to the righ

Routing the cavities and bringing them to the right depth. All was fine until the router caught an edge and bit off a chunk of wood from the last cavity. It’s always operator error in these cases — probably rushed a bit at the end. I’ll clean that up, and once I put the cap wood on it will never be seen again. But thought it important to share a mistake along with the progress.

Roughing out one of the body’s cavities

Roughing out one of the body’s cavities

Routing the body

Routing the body

Rough cut guitar body and sand.

Rough cut guitar body and sand.

Sawing, milling and gluing up two mahogany boards

Sawing, milling and gluing up two mahogany boards into a body blank. The smell of this wood is wonderful.

Restoring my father’s Stanley #4 plane: flatteni

Restoring my father’s Stanley #4 plane: flattening the sole and sides, honing both sides of the blade, re-edging the chip breaker, setting the lateral adjustment, and taking a couple of test strokes on a rough mahogany board.

Road testing the two 🎸 with my friend Mo

Road testing the two 🎸 with my friend Mo

Cutting and milling a piece of maple. Not sure if

Cutting and milling a piece of maple. Not sure if this will become one half of a guitar body, or something else — maybe a pedalboard? The answer will probably come to me in a dream 😀

Instagram post 18061915930306700

Instagram post 18061915930306700

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