A few Christmas presents ...

[BadeMillsap]

These are some smartphone quality (not so great) pics of a few Christmas presents I've been working on ...

This first two are of a "rocking horse plane" for my 7 month old grandson ... as you can see the paint job (being done by LOML) isn't quite finished but it will be ...

The second two are of a "shut the box" game I built for my 5 year old granddaughter ... she won't really appreciate the game so much but maybe in later years she can use it as a jewelry box ... I wanted to practice my double box joints ...

The next two are a guitar I built for my 13 year old grandson ... he's never expressed an interest in playing but I started about the same age. We will offer to pay for guitar lessons. I started with a "kit" and then added better tuners, a couple of Seymore Duncan high quality pickups (black) I bought back in the 1980's and never used, shielded the whole electronics so there is zero buzz and spent several hours doing a serious setup job for great play-ability. I am paring this with a Fender Mustang-1 V2 amp that really sounds great. Hope he likes it!

Next a couple of tissue boxes for the daughters of my friend that was killed in a car wreck in August.

Finally an Honor Flag Case for the widow of my friend.

(sorry for the way the pics are cropped but I was trying to get best possible from the phone pics)

[poolhound]

Love them all, but like the tissue holder idea. What is the construction?

[BadeMillsap]

... but like the tissue holder idea. What is the construction?

Thanks ... the tissue holders are really very simple ... miter every joining edge. I use 1/4"+/- 1/16" wood. I have made them from aromatic cedar (these two), oak, black walnut, ... whatever I have as scraps. Sometimes I joint up several narrow strips into necessary width.

Lay the 4 sides edge to edge on some blue tape strips, apply glue to the miters, wrap the whole shebang into the finished box (no lid yet) let it set to dry, the top edges and the top are also mitered ...drill a couple of overlapping big holes centered in the top, use spindle sander to make the finished hole shape, glue the top to the "box" ... finish as desired.

The hardest part is really getting the dimensions of the sides correct based on the actual thickness of the stock being used ... basically, measure the outside dimensions of the actual paper tissue box and extrapolate from there to determine size of sides and top remembering to take in to account the miters.

[dbhost]

Looks great...

What kit was that a Warmoth?

I have been wanting to learn a bit about Luthierie but so few qualified luthiers around here want to share information...

I personally would love to build a Fender Jaguar Bass V clone with a Jazz neck... (I play Bass too).

[BadeMillsap]

DBH... Thank you.

Since I have no way of knowing if playing guitar is going to hold his interest I decided to go as "financially prudent" as possible and still provide a reasonably playable and decent sounding guitar. I started with a 'kit' from Amazon after researching the available kits from Rockler, Grizzly, and several other online vendors... All in the $120 range. I knew the tuning keys would be pretty bad (they were) and I knew I had some good quality pickups lying around. As I expected the "setup" was intensive with a kit guitar but having built a number of guitars and mandolins just gritted my teeth and forged ahead.

The Warmoth components (necks, bodies) are of very high quality and a pleasure to work with.

I encourage you to give Lutherie a try... Very rewarding to play an instrument you have brought to life by your own hand!

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