.... bars that is. I made a run to the local Home Depot and Lowes today to pick up some MDF and other parts to make a go-bar deck, some go-bars, and for the outside mold as well as the bending mold. I figure while I am waiting for the kit to acclimate, I might as well get started on making some things I will need. First up, a go bar deck and bars. I made the deck out of MDF, all thread and some electrical metallic conduit (it is nice being an electrical contractor, I have lots of conduit!). I made it adjustable so I can use it for both brace work, and for attaching the top and back to the sides. Next, the bars. I looked at the bars on Stewmac and LMI websites and just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for them. They are pieces of fiberglass with rubber ends, not high-tech devices justifying that kind price! While looking around Lowes, I noticed these nice little driveway reflectors with 3/16"x4' fiberglass rods for $1.96 each. In the nut and bolt section they had a bin of little rubber screw protectors that fit the ends, although a bit tightly. I bought 12 of the reflectors and 24 of the caps and walked out smiling at saving over $40 plus shipping! Once I took the reflectors off and cut the rods in half I hit the ends with a sanding drum in my drill press to thin the ends a little bit so the rubber caps fit easier.
Once I finished the go bar deck and bars, I got started on making a couple of radius boards, 15' and 30' radius. Thanks to BillM on Teds blog, I was able to easily transpose inch by inch measurements and "connect the dots" to make a curve. A trip to the bandsaw and sanding drum I had templates to use on my router table for cutting the MDF boards. I will be making a jig with these to attempt making radius dishes. We will see how this goes.......
These are the reflectors I picked up for the fiberglass rods.
I tightly taped the rods together and cut them all at once using my chop saw. It worked perfectly with no chipping or splintering.
Here you can see that the ends just pull off. Both ends of the rod were cut at a 45 degree angle. I left this angle on one end of each rod so it would dig into the top of the go-bar unit keeping it from sliding out. The rubber end will go against the guitar parts.
Here are the rods. 22" long and they are flexable enough yet they put a fair amount of pressure on the parts.
This is the go-bar deck. Not fancy but it works.
This is how I made the 15' curve. I cut it out of masonite to use as a router template.
I screwed the template to a piece of MDF the exact size of the original piece of masonite before I cut the radius.
A trip through the router table using a flush trim bearing bit and I have two identical radius boards.
Tomorrow I will build the jig out of the radius boards to make a 15' and 30' radius dish. In theory, this should work........
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