New member, new lap build!
Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:34 am
first off, just wanted to say that i've been poking around here for a while, and i finally decided to set up an account! after several years of telling myself i wanted to build a lap steel, i finally got myself into gear a couple weeks back and i'm about to start my first build in a couple days! i'll post a more thorough introduction to myself in the appropriate forum, but i figured i get this up here for now. anyway, here's how my build is going to (hopefully!) come together...
i've settled on basically a Fender Champ-style design. because i'm going to be limited to hand- and small power tools (drill, jigsaw), i wanted something with mostly straight lines, but still more interesting than the "strings and a 2x4". i'm not even going to have access to a router for this one, which is why i didn't want a design with a lot of curves. one of these days i'd really love to build an EH-150 style out of a really nice wood like sapele, but i don't want to risk spending that kind of money on nice wood without at least a router to use with a template. because the Champ shape is mostly straight lines, working with planes and rasps to square up the sides should be pretty easy (time consuming, sure, but not difficult.)
i was originally planning on using poplar because it's inexpensive and easy to work (also: i'm getting my wood from Home Depot for this one.) but when i was looking around my local HD and putting together a parts list, i came across Radiata (aka Monterey) Pine and decided to go with that. it's much harder and denser than most other pine species, and at least according to wood hardness charts that i found, comes pretty close to alder and poplar as far as working properties go. it's got a nice tight grain, isn't warpy, and is a joy to work with if my test scraps are any indication. it's also appearance-grade (no knots or splits) and comes S4S, which is another bonus. oh, and it's a little cheaper than poplar: a 1x8x6 piece is only $15.
since the wood actually measures out at 3/4" thick, i'm going to cut the slab in half and sandwich the pieces together to get a 1.5" thick body. this actually works in my favor, since i can cut out the pickup hole and have access to it all the way through for easy rasping and filing and general pickup-hole-shaping before i glue the body together.
i've already made a bridge and nut out of 1/8" thick aluminum angle from HD (they're completely finished, although i'm waiting until i drill the mounting holes before i give them their final polish.) i know this stuff is a fairly soft variety of aluminum, but it seems like it'll work for now. the only potential problem that it might have is galling from the strings, but if i have issues with it down the line i'll get some stainless steel or brass angle to replace it. i just didn't want to order metal online if i could avoid it, because shipping would cost three times as much as the metal itself. for the time being though, i think the bridge and nut will hold up just fine.
the scale length will be 23" (i rounded it up from 22.5" mostly to make my life easier in the math department), and i'll finish it off with a reverse-painted plexi fretboard. for the pickup, i was originally going to use a Tele bridge pup, but in the interest of making the route a little easier to cut, i'm just going to go with a Strat-size pickup. i haven't chosen a specific pickup yet, but i'll probably go with an inexpensive import...as long as it's got AlNiCo magnets instead of ceramic, that'll do (i can't stand ceramic magnets in single coils, and i also don't want to deal with the extra height that ceramic magnets usually add to the bottom.)
for a finish, i'm going to try a Mary Kaye white/blonde sort of thing. the Radiata pine has some really cool grain that would look nice with that color. if all goes as planned, i'll probably use the Minwax whitewash pickling finish, with Tru-Oil as my clear (it's my all-time favorite clear finish.)
at any rate, my build will hopefully start on Thursday, so i'll be sure to post updates and pictures!
i've settled on basically a Fender Champ-style design. because i'm going to be limited to hand- and small power tools (drill, jigsaw), i wanted something with mostly straight lines, but still more interesting than the "strings and a 2x4". i'm not even going to have access to a router for this one, which is why i didn't want a design with a lot of curves. one of these days i'd really love to build an EH-150 style out of a really nice wood like sapele, but i don't want to risk spending that kind of money on nice wood without at least a router to use with a template. because the Champ shape is mostly straight lines, working with planes and rasps to square up the sides should be pretty easy (time consuming, sure, but not difficult.)
i was originally planning on using poplar because it's inexpensive and easy to work (also: i'm getting my wood from Home Depot for this one.) but when i was looking around my local HD and putting together a parts list, i came across Radiata (aka Monterey) Pine and decided to go with that. it's much harder and denser than most other pine species, and at least according to wood hardness charts that i found, comes pretty close to alder and poplar as far as working properties go. it's got a nice tight grain, isn't warpy, and is a joy to work with if my test scraps are any indication. it's also appearance-grade (no knots or splits) and comes S4S, which is another bonus. oh, and it's a little cheaper than poplar: a 1x8x6 piece is only $15.
since the wood actually measures out at 3/4" thick, i'm going to cut the slab in half and sandwich the pieces together to get a 1.5" thick body. this actually works in my favor, since i can cut out the pickup hole and have access to it all the way through for easy rasping and filing and general pickup-hole-shaping before i glue the body together.
i've already made a bridge and nut out of 1/8" thick aluminum angle from HD (they're completely finished, although i'm waiting until i drill the mounting holes before i give them their final polish.) i know this stuff is a fairly soft variety of aluminum, but it seems like it'll work for now. the only potential problem that it might have is galling from the strings, but if i have issues with it down the line i'll get some stainless steel or brass angle to replace it. i just didn't want to order metal online if i could avoid it, because shipping would cost three times as much as the metal itself. for the time being though, i think the bridge and nut will hold up just fine.
the scale length will be 23" (i rounded it up from 22.5" mostly to make my life easier in the math department), and i'll finish it off with a reverse-painted plexi fretboard. for the pickup, i was originally going to use a Tele bridge pup, but in the interest of making the route a little easier to cut, i'm just going to go with a Strat-size pickup. i haven't chosen a specific pickup yet, but i'll probably go with an inexpensive import...as long as it's got AlNiCo magnets instead of ceramic, that'll do (i can't stand ceramic magnets in single coils, and i also don't want to deal with the extra height that ceramic magnets usually add to the bottom.)
for a finish, i'm going to try a Mary Kaye white/blonde sort of thing. the Radiata pine has some really cool grain that would look nice with that color. if all goes as planned, i'll probably use the Minwax whitewash pickling finish, with Tru-Oil as my clear (it's my all-time favorite clear finish.)
at any rate, my build will hopefully start on Thursday, so i'll be sure to post updates and pictures!