Steel Guitar Builder

Just curious how your builds are going, Ron. Making progress?

Just working away Dave, no hurry, still got parts to make and lots of polishing to do, but its a bit cold in the workshop at the moment.

Wow! Simply wow! Looks amazing.

Looking closer, Ron, I have a few questions.

I see you don't incorporate stops for the fingers plates right into the end plates. How do you do the stops?

Are your end plates bent to form the 90 degree corner? If so, how thick are they and is it difficult to bend sheet aluminum like that without it cracking?

The photos kind of make it look like the legs will splay outwards from side to side. I'm guessing that is just an optical illusion from some sort of lens effect.

Hi Dave,
The stops are incorporated in a 'comb' that separates the fingers and are screwed to the endplates and chassis/leg supports.
I get the 'endplates bent for me out of 4mm aluminium
The legs are only angled fore and aft by 10 degrees, the splaying is an optical illusion

Thanks Ron.

A few more questions, if you don't mind.

I notice in your first set of pictures at the beginning of this thread that you have a stepped top surface on the cabinet, but looking at yesterday's pics you seem to have a non-stepped underside to it. I take it this must mean that the wood is simply thicker on one side than the other. Is that right? What are the thicknesses?

I really like the idea of having the aluminum side plates to support all of the axles. I'm wondering, though, how you go about attaching your front and back cabinet aprons to the cabinet top.

I think I can see holes that would be used to attach the aprons to the aluminum frame, but I can't see in your photos how you have the cabinet top attached to it. Could you explain that please?

What are the plastic bushings that you're using on your axles?

I think I remember seeing the "comb" you are talking about in some of your other pictures. It would seem some builders use them and some don't. I guess I should be considering having one in my guitar.

I hope I'm not wearing out my welcome with all these questions.

Best regards,

Dave,
My cabinet top is 3/4" thick on the main bed and 1/2" on the pad side.
I use 'biscuit' joints and pva glue to join the sides to the top.
I make my bearings from 'Delrin'

The rest of the questions should be clear in these photos. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1139

Best regards Ron Mc

I think I see. You just have the top temporarily attached to the frame in the photos in this thread so that you can easily work on the mechanics. After that you will take it apart and glue/biscuit the aprons to the top and then re-assemble?

Yes Dave,
it is only to mark up the fixing holes for the 'pillow' blocks, the top and sides still require sanding and staining prior to gluing.
There is still quite a bit of work to carry out yet.
There is a great deal of work building a pedalsteel, it isn't 'rocket science', but it does require care and attention to the alignment of the parts and the accuracy and positioning of the changer and roller bridge especially.
I enjoy building them and engineering is all Iv'e ever done in life, retirement was a novelty at first and this gives me an interest.
It is a pity that more of the other builders haven't joined in, because there are a lot of clever members on the forum with far more knowledge than I have regarding the instrument.

But enjoy your project and keep posting.

Ron Mc

Ron, I've been studying photos you've posted of your previous builds. They are a great source of information as you've documented so much with them. However, I can't for the life of me figure out what the little device is circled in the following copy of one of your photos.