Andrews first scratchie "pine-o-caster"

Hey guys. I'm starting this thread about my first scratchie! It'll probably be me breaking things and asking questions a Google search would answer, but if by the grace of the guitar gods I come out with a playable instrument then maybe the info contained here will be useful to people like me who have zero wood working experience and want to build an axe. So here goes!

The plan for this build is a Tele body made out of bunnings finest pine with a pbg neck. I've got a bridge and pups, knobs, pots, a 3 way already from leftovers, just need a neck and tuners.

nice one Andrew, thats where I started scratchys and learnt alot and the pine is soft and easy to cut. Just be aware if the axe falls over it will dent !
Ask any questions and you have my email addy. Have you got some routing templates or are you going to make them ?
A hard tail is an easier way to start, no trem routes !
Post some pics and look forward to the build. It is much more satisfying building a scratchy

Templates made and blank glued.

nice one Andrew, oh that brings back memories. Template looks good, so will it be a string through ?
That knot bottom right might have been better on the outside ie the waste side, but will give it character.
Looks like the 2 pieces in the middle are narrower, next time go 4 x 90mm wide and it won't be so tight

Body cut out, then routed. Looks kind of like a guitar. I didn't get a pic of the next bit but I broke it already haha. Using a powered plane to flatten her out, the blade dug in on the edges in a few spots. The middle of the body was sweet though so what to do with a concave edge? Carved top Tele!

looking great Andrew, hope the planer didn't take out too larger chunks !

The carve starting to take shape. Roughed in with the plane, rasps, surforms, files and a spokesshave. It's pretty flat here so to get the arch contour I used a sanding bobbin on a drill to bevel it a bit. So far it's arched all the way around with a deeper cut for your elbow like a strat, and a prs treble horn cut out.

nice one Andrew arched top looks way cool. A tip get your neck pocket, control cavity and pup cavities routed, this is typically done before any body shaping so the router template has more 'meat' to sit on

And this is where we are as of last night. For the hardware I'm thinking single coil bridge, hb neck, Tele style bridge and control plate and no pick guard.

Looking good man. This thread will serve as a kick in the ass for me to get started.

Hey Wokks thanks for the tips. I'll be making stand alone templates for the cavity routs as the standard Tele template has the controls in a different position to where I'll be placing them. But yeah, if it was a traditional build then I'd be doing as you suggested. I just got a bit carried away haha.

Sorry Wokks, just saw your other posts. I would have loved to go 90mm all day but bunnings only had 4 lengths, 2 which were all warped and no good so had to improvise. Unfortunately the closest place I can get the wood from is a 5 hour round trip away.

Lookin good there Andrew

great effort Andrew, looks like you got most of the hardware, so you need a bridge single pup and tuners ?
You did well to make the full width of the axe with narrower pieces

Hey Wokks, nah I need tuners, a neck and the control cavity cover. The neck in the pick is for the Easter egg tl. For the size of the blank, there was barely a mm each side of the template haha.

that looks pretty cool Andrew, I like the carving and shaping.

Another reason to route first is that if you are off the centre line then you can always adjust the body shape position - but yeah, who wants to wait when you have an idea and just want to get going.

When you are done please do one in another timber, because I think that body shape is a winner!

Thanks Stan. The centre line for this is the join between two planks so I hope it lines up in the spots end. Part of the learning experience I guess and in the end, if I come unstuck, I've only broken $20 worth of trees.
I think my next build will be a pine strat to get the hang of that shape, but I'll build the neck as well. After than, 8 string carved ash Tele and a scratch neck! That's what I'm working towards, as well as an ash strat with lace sensors and a neck profile between a modern American strat and an esp neck, Clapton mid boost and locking tuners for my mate.

So cutting and routing the the edge is the easy bit, now onto the harder gubbins.
Here goes

I routed something important and didn't wreck it! Neck pocket done!

nice one Andrew, the neck pocket route probably the most important route of the whole build. You did well with that knot on the bass side. You are lucky the joins are on the centreline so you should have no drama with neck holes.
Neck and bridge pickup and control cavity route next hey ?

Thanks mate. Yep that's for tomorrow. I've made the bridge template already, just need to do the hb template for the neck.

I rather like the idea of this contoured Tele. Could one risk calling it Stratified?
Things are bouncing along nicely now by the looks.
I'm enjoying following developments on this effort.

Nice Andrew I look forward to seeing the final product

Cheers fellas.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...524a2bbc94.jpg
Pup cavities done. The pups are too close together due to the arch being in the damn way! Ah well, no biggy. Still tossing up whether or not to finish this body, or write it off as a guitar shaped routing practice piece and glue up some of that mystery wood and do that. Leaning towards the latter.