Es 335 Body

kenmckay@hotmail.com copyright Ken McKay For personal use only, not to be sold.
MAKING an ES 335 Style Guitar

BY KEN MCKAY
Many guitar players might be interested in making an electric archtop guitar similar to a Gibson ES 335 but dont
know where to begin. There is quite a bit of guitarmaking
information to be found on the internet, but I am not aware
of anything on making this thinline, semi-holowbody guitar
that has survived almost 50 years and countless styles of
music. The Gibson ES 335 is a real survivor! It is well balanced, versatile, good looking and cool! But I am sure I
dont need to convince you...that is why you are here. So lets
begin.
You could draw your own plan by borrowing an existing instrument from a friend and copying it, but it turns out the
work has been done by Jamie Uniden at
www.guitarplansunlimited.com. He has drawn the full scale
plan and that is what we will use, because his plans are excellent. Go to the site and purchase the ES 335 type guitar
plan. The plan is listed under Gibsonish styles. It is not an
exact copy but seems pretty darn close. We will be making a
few modifications as we go due to the fact that Jamie drew the plan without being aware that
there is a source for laminated plates. I laminate my own top, back plate and sides by using vacuum bagging technology and have found that it is not really economical to make your laminated
plates in low quantity. It can be done though and I will provide a tutorial in case you are interested. This will come later though. For now I will assume that you will be purchasing the plates
from me or another source. I am not aware of any other source though. You can see my plates
and price list by downloading the file lamplates.pdf in the files section of the
http://launch.groups.y ahoo.com/group/electricarchtop/ yahoo group that I created called electricarchtop or by emailing me
kenmckay@hotmail.com. While you are
at it why not join the group? And please
share this information by mentioning it
in any forum that you participate.
www.Guitarplansunlimited also has a
link with my brochure.
Lets get started with making the templates and mold. The first thing to do is
copy the full scale plan, I made 2 extra
copies at the local Kinkos. You will need
at least one copy of you want to keep
your original intact.
Cut out this part of the plan that includes the

body. With a straight edge and an X-acto knife,
cut along the center line so you have a left and
right half pattern. Dont be tempted to cut the
center after it is glued, that wont work. Read on...
Cut some 1/4 inch luan plywood into sections for

the half patterns.
Glue it down with spray adhesive...
So you end up with two half patterns like this.
Cut on the bandsaw, following the

outside line of the sides for the one
half pattern and the other using the
inside line.
Sand them exactly to the line.
This one is sanded to the inside line.

The linings are at the edge of the
template
While you are at it you can make a fingerboard

template, a neck side template and a peghead template if you plan to make more than one instrument.
Plywood for making the mold...
It is very important to make the mold exactly to the shape of the template. This is because the laminated sides are pressed to shape and
are not flexible at all. When we make the center block, we will clamp it into the negative space at
the neck area and the mold will function as the clamping caul. So we have the neck block - 1/8
thick rib - mold.
Make an outside mold like this.
Heres how...
Cut 2 rectangles from 3/4 inch plywood 24 inches long and 11 inches
wide. Trace the template - the one
with the sides. By placing the center
line on the exact edge like this.
Cut to the line on the bandsaw and finish with

sanders, rasps, files to get the template to fit inside perfectly like this.
Use rasps and files in the flat area at the top where
the neck attaches to get it perfectly flat.
Use a machinist angle to check your work.

This is critical.
Here, the area where the pencil is pointing and the flat both need a little sanding
so ...
It fits like this.
This line is essential to be flat and 90 degrees to

the centerline.
Now add a 1/2 thick block to the area corresponding to where the center block is to help clamp
the sides to the center block. The total thickness will then be 1 1/4 inch, which is the exact width
of the sides.
Cut the 1/2 inch plywood or MDF 5 inch

wide...
Screw it down with counter sunk

screws...
This photo shows it cut already but

is showing the screws
Flip it over and trace the line. Unscrew it

and bandsaw to the line.
Use a pattern sander or file it flush with the plywood mold.
Get the straight line perfect.
Now cut a 3 inch piece to help clamp the tail

block to the sides.
And the mold looks like this. Two hours

labor so far...
One more thing and the mold is done.
Flip the mold over and add some strips of
1/4 inch luan plywood as a spacer, so the
center block sits below the mold bottom
enough to shape it and chalk fit it. Two
thicknesses is perfect.
1/4 inch luan is not 1/4 inch, and 2 of them

is about 3/8 inch, which works out perfect
for us.
Glue them down. You can clearly see that

when the center block goes in, the strips are
well out of the way. And the ribs have a
floor in most areas.
When the sides are put in the mold, they bottom

out against the strips, but the centerblock is
lower by the thickness of the spacer strips. The
block will be shaped and glued to the under side of
the plate after the sides are glued to the block.
The finished mold!
...ready to build a Guitar?
Here are some computer animations that I drew to help you imagine the possibilities. I do have
veneer of these types in stock ready to be made into plates. These are drawn as single cutaway so
you will need to use your imagination a little for a double cutaway ES 335.
Now is the time to order a set

of laminated plates for your
guitar. You can go fancy or
plain, whatever suits you.
Curly Koa...
Indian Rosewood with mirror pickguard and silver trim, one of my favorites...
Burl woods...
Curly Maple...
Quilt maple.
Email kenmckay@hotmail.com
I think I will make one from good old curly maple and finish it kinda vintage looking with a perloid
pickguard and aged pickups... a dot neck replica with the good hardware and electronics. That
should be nice... but curly koa would be cool in a Trey Anastasio kinda way...well... Ive got some
thinking to do.
BUILDING THE GUITAR
Before we do though we need to make a

space for the excess ribs stock to go... a
slot
I cut it with a hand saw.
Two cuts for each slot leaves a little

wedge that I chiseled out with one whack.
the plywood chips right out.
Finish with little files so the rib slides in with a slip

fit.
The bottom of each rib is flat and they are

(should be) slightly wider than 1.25 inches.
That way they sit on the mold floor and they
are slightly taller than the head block and tail
block clamping blocks. Insert the ribs into the
slots at the top
Clamp at the c-bouts and at the Mikey mouse

ear tips. Use a pad so you dont mar it.
Cut the ribs at the centerline at the tail and remove the sides and cut to the line. Also cut the ribs
at the neck end so only about 1/4 inch goes into
the slot. That makes it easier to get out when time
comes.
Cut a tail block according to the plan...
Shape is so it fits and glue it in.
Cut a centerblock out of 2 inch thick maple, 5

inches wide. Draw a center line all around it.
You might need to laminate one but I have stock
at hand.
Measure the thickness of your sides and ...mark

a point that thick thickness and draw a line perpendicular to the centerline.
Put your template down, the one without

sides and trace the line. cut it out on the
bandsaw.
You could use a pattern bit, but I am doing it

by hand.
Try for a perfect fit. As I push the block into its

place it stops here and I need to sand/file more.
A sanding drum makes it easy.
Push the block in place again and try to clamp

it in ...still needs some work.
Well I guess i didnt get a shot of the perfect

fitting block, but it did fit well enough, take
my word for it. Nothins perfect by the way!
Here is the clamping operation, pretty simple

huh? One clamp!
The next thing is to plane the ribs to exactly

1.25 inch wide. This little block is 1/2 inch
thick MDF and the writing on it means nothing. It is a spacer for the pencil to sit on. The
plywood mold is 3/4 plus the 1/2 inch MDF
makes a perfect 1.25 inch. I just set the pencil on the block and trace around. Not the
best way I am sure but it worked. Be sure to
push the rib so it bottoms out while you
trace.
Plane down to the line. The curls come off the

plane easily. Another trick is to put the block
under the plane and it helps bottom out the
plane.
More planing...
Here is the block glued to the ribs, I am marking

the rib height here at 1.25 inches as I did all
around.
A a shot of the plate inside.
Trace the template on the inside of the plate so

you can draw the area where the block will go.
And have a good look at the contours.
inside the lines. It is a flat slop where I marked

it.
Draw a half line...

Measure the depth here by spanning a ruler
across the plate from flat to flat.
Do the same at the end of the block and

mark make a note of them.
Transfer the lines to the block (left).

Above showing the template we will make.
Now make some arching templates by tracing

with a compass and sanding to fit. Here is the long
template (right)
And here is the way I did the cross templates.
Take the rib assembly out of the mold and

carefully cut the rib ends flush with the end...
and we are ready to shape the block. The arching templates will help us along.
Here I start working on the front slope at

right. The assembly is turned over compared
to the photo above.
Me carving, I love to carve. I suppose a belt

sander would be a good tool for this...
follow with a block plane.
I check the line by placing the template on

the block.
Progress.
Do the same with the cross templates at their respective lines.
Carve...plane...check...a long process...

dont be in a hurry.
Now chalk up the plate inside the lines
And take a rubbing.
Scrape the high spots and chalk again.
Here is that floor scraper, a Veritas tool.

It works well for this sort of thing. Not
essential though.
Now tape some sandpaper down and rub

a lot. Try for mostly sanded but not
perfect...nothins perfect. Save your best
for the show work.
A close up of the block so far.
and It is done!
Put it back in the mold and put luan spanners to

press the block in and the C-bouts out.
Fit the linings...I needed to put a couple individual blocks where turns were tight. For the
individual blocks sand them with a little concave radius by placing sandpaper on a bottle
of the same radius, my glue bottle worked fine.
Or sand convex on a flat board with sandpaper.
Trace the template on the plate and

cut it out slightly oversized. 1/8 inch
is about right. This photo at right is
showing that I use tape so the fragile
veneer face on the underside of the
plate doesnt tear out with the bandsaw.
place the plate in place and

do a trial clamp job with a go
bar deck.
Note, the spanners are in
place to keep it spread
against the mold during
glue-up
Note the caul that

is helps distribute
the pressure more
evenly so less bars
are needed.
My go bar deck in action.
Once the glue dries, check all the edges to make sure they are stuck and if not use a spool clamp
to press them with some fresh glue applied with a little piece of veneer or a spatula. Now the
back is glued on and we can proceed to shape the front side of the center block.
At this point you will need to make a cradle to hold the guitar body while you work on it. I use the
plate mold and you will need to think of something or fashion something from materials you have
at hand
With plate belly side up, place a ruler

on the edges and draw a line on the
block like this.
This part of the block, above the

line will need to be shaped to fit
inside the guitar top plate.
Since the plates are identical
both top and back have the
same shape, we can use the
same templates to shape it.
Using a belt sander this time with a coarse

grit belt like an 80 grit, grind the block.
Start with the area from the first line to the
end in a straight slope. Be careful not to
touch the ribs. shape from side to side.
Use a block plane to get it refined if you

wish, or just be careful with the belt sander.
Grind the other end now keeping in mind the

shape of the template. Remember the end of
the block is not as thick as the half line where
it is maximum. Create a slight slope from the
half line down to the end. So you have a slope
from the two lines toward each end and a flat
in the middle. Follow up by finally rounding
the humps until the long templates fits like
this... maybe 30 minutes of dusty work.
Now you can grind across the

block. Remember it is flat from the
first cross line to the top and
domed from there to the end. Using
your cross templates as on the
back, first trace the template on
the end. It is barely visible here.
Grind away in a rocking motion
keeping control all the time. It will
take several passes. Remember the
end gets more grinding since it will
eventually be thinner. The mid line
along the block hardly gets
touched while the sander skips
over the middle to sand a slope either on one side or the other. Keep
checking those templates.
Tape some coarse grit paper on the inside of the front plate and take a rubbing. It is not really
productive to use it as a sanding block other than to do the final fitting. Dont shoot for perfect
100% just so they touch in most of the mating area. 70 - 80% for example is good. And certainly no humps.
Glue the linings into the top side by placing the ribs into the mold this time the other way. It
should fit. You probably dont need to use spanners since the back is glued.
Saw the f-holes and carefully sand them smooth before you glue the top on. I took a little liberty
and disigned my own
shape.
Note that it is sitting on
the mold for this. You
will need to make a form
to keep the rib assembly
from deforming somehow.
This is a good way to

trim the overhang flush.
Note that the bearing is
just below the plate to
avoid mishaps. There is
no room for error here
and if you gouge into
the face veneer that is

0.022 inch thick, you
will need to go to plan
B ...paint, dark sunburst.
The Box!
It has a surprising tap
tone or resonance when
bonked around
the bridge area
with my thumb.
The block is
glued in and
seems to fit
just fine. It
looks good and
solid inside and
out.
More to follow...

Es 335 Body

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Es 335 Body

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

kenmckay@hotmail.com copyright Ken McKay For personal use only, not to be sold.

MAKING an ES 335 Style Guitar

Cut out this part of the plan that includes the

Cut some 1/4 inch luan plywood into sections for

Glue it down with spray adhesive...

So you end up with two half patterns like this.

Cut on the bandsaw, following the

Sand them exactly to the line.

This one is sanded to the inside line.

While you are at it you can make a fingerboard

Plywood for making the mold...

Make an outside mold like this.

Cut to the line on the bandsaw and finish with

Use a machinist angle to check your work.

It fits like this.

This line is essential to be flat and 90 degrees to

Cut the 1/2 inch plywood or MDF 5 inch

Screw it down with counter sunk

This photo shows it cut already but

Flip it over and trace the line. Unscrew it

Use a pattern sander or file it flush with the plywood mold.

Get the straight line perfect.

Now cut a 3 inch piece to help clamp the tail

And the mold looks like this. Two hours

1/4 inch luan is not 1/4 inch, and 2 of them

Glue them down. You can clearly see that

When the sides are put in the mold, they bottom

The finished mold!

...ready to build a Guitar?

Now is the time to order a set

BUILDING THE GUITAR

Before we do though we need to make a

I cut it with a hand saw.

Two cuts for each slot leaves a little

Finish with little files so the rib slides in with a slip

The bottom of each rib is flat and they are

Clamp at the c-bouts and at the Mikey mouse

Cut a tail block according to the plan...

Shape is so it fits and glue it in.

Cut a centerblock out of 2 inch thick maple, 5

Measure the thickness of your sides and ...mark

Put your template down, the one without

You could use a pattern bit, but I am doing it

Try for a perfect fit. As I push the block into its

A sanding drum makes it easy.

Push the block in place again and try to clamp

Well I guess i didnt get a shot of the perfect

Here is the clamping operation, pretty simple

The next thing is to plane the ribs to exactly

Plane down to the line. The curls come off the

Here is the block glued to the ribs, I am marking

A a shot of the plate inside.

Trace the template on the inside of the plate so

And have a good look at the contours.

inside the lines. It is a flat slop where I marked

Draw a half line...

Do the same at the end of the block and

Transfer the lines to the block (left).

Now make some arching templates by tracing

And here is the way I did the cross templates.

Take the rib assembly out of the mold and

Here I start working on the front slope at

Me carving, I love to carve. I suppose a belt