Page 9 of 30
FINALLY DOING SOMETHING - SHAPING THE HEADSTOCK
Well, maybe I found one more way to delay any kind of commitment. As you have probably realised, power tools aren't exactly something I would claim any level of experience with, and as cutting our 'design' into the headstock of the guitar is a bit of a one-chancer, I thought that perhaps a bit of practice on our Homebase bit of wood may be in order.First of all, the question 'where to do this?' popped up. Our garage is full of junk, and our house isn't exactly the place I want to sever any limbs, so finally, I decided the cutting would have to happen in the back garden (can you get blood out of sandstone tiles?) and that I was going to have to invest in a workbench. Looking in the Argos catalogue, I realised that the Black and Decker was a bit out of my price range, and so went for the own-brand 'Challenge' model, reserved it on-line, revved up the Astra and nipped down the road to the Superstore.
All very rock 'n' roll, my life.
Now, I have to say I was a little concerned when a long thin box was handed over, and I hadn't exactly realised I was going to build the thing before I could use it, but an hour or two later and there it was done. OK, it looked twisted and one leg was shorter than the rest (or maybe three were longer) but it had a vice-like grip and it would have to do. I could put the leg on the right way another day.
So finally, block of wood, Challenge jigsaw plugged-in (no instructions to be found, but I managed to work out how to put the bit of hacksaw blade in) and an outline drawn on our scrap of wood, and guess what? It wasn't quite as hard as I thought. Well, I say that, but after a couple of tries I soon realised that keeping the saw flat on the wood helped and that the arrow on the front was actually pointing 1/4" to the left of where I was cutting, not straight down the line, but it got better. It took a few goes, and then a couple more and if I wasn't exactly proficient, I was looking less likely to kill myself or total the guitar.
And so next, I finally bit the bullet and went for it. Bugger it, I thought, I can always buy another neck. Though I will admit that briefly I did wonder about taking DIY Guitars up on their offer, as for £12 they will carve the headstock for you. But no, I needed to get over this... and maybe I could turn it into a Tele headstock if it didn't quite happen right.
And so I did - the first cut - and you know what? Yep, he blade broke on the jigsaw and nearly took my eye out.
Maybe it is a sign, but I'll still go and buy some new blades in the morning. When Peter at DIY Guitars said that this guitar building was addictive, I think he might have meant in a masochistic kind of way.
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