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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:43 am Post subject:
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Dave - thanks for reading!
Diablo-
Regarding Ebony -- for most of the exotics that are allergenic, repeated exposure seems to be the key to triggering a reaction. Ebony is so damn expensive that I use it only for accents, and there's just not a lot of dust generated working that small.
I wear a dust mask at all times these days in the shop. If you've been following any of my builds, you'll see multi-week chunks of time where I'm basically trapped inside with allergies and/or sinus infections.
Regarding archtops, I've got Bennedetto's book, and have been thinking about trying one for nearly a decade -- but I know that unless I commit to building more than one, I'm unlikely to get something I love, and I don't really have the time available to get serious about luthiere. Were I 25 years younger, I might embark on that journey... Not to mention that, in spite of having a well-equipped wood shop, there are still a bunch of specialized tools/forms that I'd have to buy -- expensive for a one-off.
So I picked up a Joe Pass Epiphone Emperor II last night and stuck the book back on the shelf... _________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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diablojoy
Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 809 Location: melbourne australia
Audio files: 11
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:41 pm Post subject:
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Quote: | Regarding archtops, I've got Bennedetto's book, and have been thinking about trying one for nearly a decade -- but I know that unless I commit to building more than one, I'm unlikely to get something I love, and I don't really have the time available to get serious about luthiere. Were I 25 years younger, I might embark on that journey... Not to mention that, in spite of having a well-equipped wood shop, there are still a bunch of specialized tools/forms that I'd have to buy -- expensive for a one-off. |
yeah pretty much says it all , I am of a similar mind
and position. Archtops are on a whole other level
if i had tried 25 years ago to build archtops maybe today i
could do one acceptably well but then i always find
some small fault with my work, something that should have been better.
So perhaps dont close that book completely just yet.
maybe something to keep for retirement ?
I have left off the guitar building for quite sometime now while
i do my large modular. i will get back to it but it may be more than a few years before i do and it has given me a use for all my small scraps
, off cuts and those bits and pieces that just don't make the grade
normally.hopefully i will have the first cabinet finished this year.
cheers and keep up the posting, it's great to follow this build:) |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 1:21 pm Post subject:
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An unexpectedly free Saturday == some time on the case.
I worked on the face frame for the panels today, and cut the sides of the case to final length based on the actual face frames rather than measurements. No matter how careful you are measuring something, IMO it's always better to use the actual piece as the final measuring stick whenever possible.
I'm starting out by shaping the face frame. I'm using a router bit with a 45 degree bevel to put a decorative edge on it, then a 3/8" straight bit to make a recess (rabbet) for the front panel. I use an actual panel to set the height of the 3/8" bit so that the sequencer panel will sit flush. The MFOS aluminum panels are thinner, so they'll be slightly sunken into the frame unless I use some kind of spacer washer. I think it will be fine without. I use a scraper to even out the rabbet and remove tool marks.
Now it's time to cut the mitres (the 45 degree angles that make the corners of the frame). Tip from experience: Always calibrate your mitre gauge before starting a project. I don't care if it was perfect last time, and you're using an expensive Incra mitre table (both are true here) -- check it anyway.
After cutting the first corners, I use some blank panels to make sure the size is perfect. I didn't get any pictures of the process, but there were several trips back into the house to check against the actual panels. I really, really wish I hadn't put the hardware on the panels already before starting this, it made the whole process harder. On the up side, it did indicate several areas where the face frame is going to have to be trimmed back a bit because of hardware. The Brideschamber/Scott Stiles panel for the 16-step sequencer, in particular, has a bunch of hardware close to the edge of the panel. With the help of my wife, all screw holes are marked so I know where to pre-drill later (she did, however, get silver Sharpie on my sequencer panel. I let her live.)
Much to my surprise, the face frame matches the measurements on the plan!
Finally, there are two internal shelves on the piece -- one will be the top of the drawer section, and serve as the shelf for the power supply, Ultimate and Expander PCBs, and one will be across the middle to both screw the panels into and to provide a shelf for the sequencer and FX PCBs. I didn't want to use solid walnut for something that is invisible except for the front edge, so I glued a strip of walnut onto some pine and planed it down to 3/4".
Finally, I used the top of the face frame to mark the walnut boards for the top and bottom, and crosscut them to length along with the sides.
Next up is doing the finger joints for the carcase!
_________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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diablojoy
Joined: Sep 07, 2008 Posts: 809 Location: melbourne australia
Audio files: 11
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:44 pm Post subject:
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those black and decker workmates really are fantastic , so versatile .
I've had one for over 20 years , definitely one of the best purchases
i ever made. |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:47 pm Post subject:
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Yes, they rock. This one is 15+ years old as well. In the Taunton Press book _Workbenches_, there's an entire chapter on the birth and life of the Workmate, including the patent squabbles. Mine gets used mostly as a stand for tools that don't have a permanent spot -- mitre saw, planer, small jointer, sanders, etc.
No new pics today, but I did cut down some pine to the same width/thickness as the walnut so that I can use it to do test cuts with the finger joint jig. Hopefully I'll get the carcase done by the end of the month and can start the wiring! _________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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wizardsofzen
Joined: Jan 08, 2011 Posts: 14 Location: Zion
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:39 pm Post subject:
Ultimate & Expander knobs |
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i was curious to know what make/model or where you got those pretty knobs from, i love that polished steel look. it reminds me of the mixers from early 70s - 80s dj mixers |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:35 pm Post subject:
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Keep calm and carry on!
On the up side, I got to work on the build today. On the down side, everything I did turned out to be useless.
I got a cheap bending brake from Amazon last week and some sheet metal to use for brackets. My original plan was to mount the PCBs flush on the top side of each "shelf" in the case. In the freaking *year* since I designed this, I've seen a lot of nice bracket setups, and decided to make some for this. Here's my attempt:
Started out clamping the aluminum to the front side of the panel, making sure it's square. Flip it around and mark the holes with a Sharpie. Use a centerpunch in the middle of each sharpie circle to give the drill bit something to bite, and drill out. Be sure and use a clamp -- while not razor-sharp, if the drill press picks up the panel and spins it like a guillotine of flying death across your wrist, you might have a problem (see my Mini-KB build thread for a gory shot of my drillpress grabbing a piece of wood out of my hand).
After drilling use a speed square to mark where you want to bend, ensuring a parallel line. Clamp it into the brake, and bend. I attached it to the panel to make sure everything fit, then marked where I wanted the PCB to be drilled and mounted. So far, so good...
Until I held it up against the case and realized that it was too deep to be mounted 'diagonally' (the front of the case slants, see the last picture). There's an ebony face frame, but it isn't big enough to make a difference.
This leaves me with three obvious options:
1) Stick with the original plan and mount the PCB on a shelf for the Ultimate (the rest of the boards should fit on brackets without a problem.
2) Get rid of the slanted face and build it as a rectangular case.
3) Add a 1" 'face frame' on the back.
I'm leaning towards #1, but I'm going to sleep on it.
_________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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magman
Joined: Feb 04, 2009 Posts: 363 Location: Liverpool, UK
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:28 am Post subject:
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Hi Loydb,
Don't despair, there are ways of working this out.
Without throwing away too much of what you've done already, why not make a simple hinged mounting panel.
Have a look at the mounting panel I made for my Ryk M-185 sequencer, here (the first and third pictures on the last page are the most relevant) :
http://electro-music.com/forum/post-353869.html#353869
This was just a bent panel for mounting the PCB on and two more brackets made out of the same aluminium sheet to connect this to the front panel.
If you trim down the mounting bracket you've already made and add another further down the panel, you could easily bend a panel to join them up then use a couple of screw, washer and nut assemblies as hinges. You can then mount any PCB's you want to this panel then hinge it down to work on it. If you position it right, you may even be able to shorten some of your wiring.
Hope this helps
Magman |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:23 am Post subject:
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This just keeps getting hackier and hackier, I love it.
Rather than adding a second bracket, I'm just using a 1 1/4" bolt as a standoff. I'm going to have to wire it in reverse, I think -- attaching everything to panel, then to the PCB, but it just may work. Getting my fat hands into the gap to tighten the banana jacks was difficult, but possible.
Thanks again for the suggestion Mag!
_________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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magman
Joined: Feb 04, 2009 Posts: 363 Location: Liverpool, UK
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:48 am Post subject:
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Hmm, not the way I would have done it.
But if it works for you, go at it, and don't curse me every time you catch your fingers on the sharp edges.
Magman |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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magman
Joined: Feb 04, 2009 Posts: 363 Location: Liverpool, UK
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:37 am Post subject:
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I made two right angle brackets which are held against the front panel by pots, like you started to do.
I then made a panel with a 90 degree bend at each end, to effectively make a wide U shaped tray. This was sized to be slightly wider than the space between the two panel fixed brackets.
I then drilled holes in the corner of the pieces so that the tray pivots from the two panel mounted brackets and use nuts and bolts (with a locking nut) to act as a hinge. This allows the tray to be hinged away from the panel to make working on the wiring easier.
If I were you, I'd make a tray and fix the PCB on the inside (when closed), as this would make wiring so much easier. Effectively, whilst wiring, the PCB would be at 90 degrees to the panel and you could fold it away when you are finished (with a couple of extra screws to hold the bracket closed), making a really neat installation.
This is quite difficult to explain in text, so if this still isn't clear let me know and I'll see if I can sketch something and send you a diagram.
Regards
Magman |
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ashleym
Joined: Aug 20, 2009 Posts: 181 Location: uk
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:26 pm Post subject:
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Lovely stuff.
I darent show my spaghetti wiring for fear of upsetting sensitive forum members.
I am surprised to see you are a little human and actually have a problem!!!! |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:55 pm Post subject:
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Ashley -
If you go back and read my blogs, you'll see a constant stream of "here's how I fixed this horrible mistake I made." Everything from drilling holes in the wrong place, not allowing space for hardware when designing a panel, tearout in the wood, tearout in my thumb, broken cover plates, etc. I gleefully document such things in hope that it will save someone else from the same mistakes -- or at least show them how to recover from it when they make it.
It's also a good way to hear how other people solved problems -- as Magman's ideas for bracketing illustrate.
I'd love to see your wiring, even if it's just as a cautionary tale This is going to be my first *big* wiring project, I'm a little apprehensive... _________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:06 am Post subject:
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Speaking of mistakes... Recall earlier that I got a dado blade with the wrong arbor size accidentally (go Amazon for swapping it out 9 months after the purchase!). Now that I've got the right size arbor, I set out to do my test cuts today before joining the sides of the case.
Sadly, a 6" dado blade, when taking into account the thickness of the finger joint jig, won't actually raise up high enough to cut a 3/4" deep joint. Here you can see me trying to use a test piece that has been dimensioned to the same thickness as the walnut to set the blade depth.
So, back to Amazon, this time for an 8" dado blade. I think my father-in-law is getting a 6" blade for the next gift-giving occasion...
_________________ MFOS Ultimate Expand-o-tron Build Log: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-308797.html#308797
MFOS Mini-Controller Build Log [FINISHED!]: http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-42968.html Last edited by loydb on Wed Feb 22, 2012 7:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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defog
Joined: Aug 24, 2011 Posts: 113 Location: Philadelphia
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 12:15 pm Post subject:
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Wow, this seems like a ton of work! Makes my current little home-made synth project look like a piece of cake in comparison. Also, my wood-working skills are some of the crappiest known to man. Birds don't even use the birdhouses I've built them. In fact, they just crap on them. Somehow I managed to rig together my soundlab ultimate case though.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33480248@N05/sets/72157620494189044/ _________________ The Phoenix Vertigo is my Electronic alias. Check out my songs on soundcloud : http://soundcloud.com/charles-stieg/ |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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defog
Joined: Aug 24, 2011 Posts: 113 Location: Philadelphia
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject:
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loydb wrote: | Dude, that looks great. It looks like you found it in the back of an old electronics shop... |
Great in comparison to one of the birdhouses I've built... Crap in comparison to the case you'll end up making for yours (based on your mini keyboard controller case). BTW, the glass work you did looked awesome. Nice touch! I did some of it in college, but was never very good at it. That's a real skill. _________________ The Phoenix Vertigo is my Electronic alias. Check out my songs on soundcloud : http://soundcloud.com/charles-stieg/ |
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PHOBoS
Joined: Jan 14, 2010 Posts: 5591 Location: Moon Base
Audio files: 705
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 6:10 am Post subject:
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great thread, thanks for posting all the info and updates, it's very inspiring.
went through the MFOS keyboard controller thread yesterday, great build
and that glass marble is incredible (had seen it before in the build thread,
but still, wow)
magman nice idea with the hinged bracket, I might use it sometime.
defog, nice case, I like the metal accents. _________________ "My perf, it's full of holes!"
http://phobos.000space.com/
SoundCloud BandCamp MixCloud Stickney Synthyards Captain Collider Twitch YouTube |
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defog
Joined: Aug 24, 2011 Posts: 113 Location: Philadelphia
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 6:58 am Post subject:
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Thanks PHOBoS,
I think I'm going to go steampunk-ish with the embellishments on the synth case I'm making right now. _________________ The Phoenix Vertigo is my Electronic alias. Check out my songs on soundcloud : http://soundcloud.com/charles-stieg/ |
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loydb
Joined: Feb 04, 2010 Posts: 393 Location: Providence, RI
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