DIY electric canjo guitar

I really like making musical instruments, so I decided to make a canjo, out of an old tin biscuit box.

First of all I removed all the paint from the tin, using paint remover. Paint remover is really toxic and I used rubber gloves to handle it. One should always read the instructions, before using something like that. I applied the remover with a brush, let it act for 30 minutes and then wet sanded the paint to remove it. I repeated this process a few times.

After that I cut two spruce pieces on my table saw. I glued the pieces using wood glue and clamps.

I used a plane to flatten the sides of my pieces. I used a coping saw to round over the two edges.

Using a hand saw I made a rip cut. And then I used my v carving chisel to make a rounded cut. This way I shaped the wood to fit inside the tin box.

I then used my jigsaw, to shape the wood in the way I wanted it.

I secured the piece on my vise, and used a spokeshave to round over the back of my neck.

I made a mark using the neck, in order to make a hole on the tin for it. I used my rotary tool to make the hole.

I also marked the position of the pickup and cut out the hole to receive it. I made the hole in a way, that I can fold the edges of the tin, so they won’t be sharp anymore.

I marked the position of the pickup on the wood. To make a notch, I made several cross cuts with a saw, and then removed the material using a sharp chisel.

I sanded the piece using a sanding block.

I marked the position of the nut. I cut out a notch for it, using a saw, a miter box, sandpaper and a file.

My canjo’s scale is 60cm from nut to bridge. I went on an online fret calculator, to find the positions of the frets.  I marked the positions of the frets using a sharp pencil. I cut the fret slots using my coping saw and a miter box.

To make fret position finders, I drilled holes on my drill press to receive dowels. I glued the dowels in, and when the glue dried, I cut them flush using my flush trim saw. I then gave a sanding to the fretboard using a sanding block.

I cut the fret wire roughly to size. I placed it over the fret slot and using a piece of wood and a clamp, I pressed the fret in position.

Using my rotary tool and a cutting disc, I cut most of the excess fret wire. To even out all the frets, I sanded them flush with a sanding block.

To secure the frets in place, I added a drop of super glue to their sides.

To wire all the electric parts, I used a wiring diagram from Seymour Duncan’s web site. I used a digram for 1 hum bucker, 1 volume pot and an output jack. I soldered all the components together. 

The neck is screwed on the tin box. I added the pickup and then the guitar’s neck. I then I added the pickup’s springs. I also drilled holes for the jack and the potentiometer. For the jack I used a step drill bit.

I added the keys. I used rivets to protect the wood from the string tension.

I prepared the bone for the nut and bridge on belt sander. 

I cut a piece of hardwood for the guitar’s bridge and shaped it on my belt sander. Using a hand saw I made a slot on the bridge for the bone to sit in.

To make all the slots for the strings face each other. I secured the bones of the nut and the bridge, on a vise and cut the slots using a saw. I opened up the slots using a v shaped file.

I used two part epoxy to glue the bone on the bridge.

Using my rotary tool, I predrilled a few pilot holes on the neck and screwed in a few metal circles to hold the strings from falling over the keys,

I used my wood burner to add fret position markers on the side of the neck.

I added a piece of hardwood on my DIY drill lathe. I rounded it over using my scraping chisel and then used the skew chisel to shape a knob for the pot. I sanded the piece and drilled a hole on my drill press. I added the knob on the guitar.

My guitar was now ready. I added the strings. I used 10 gauge electric guitar strings. I tuned the guitar in EBGD from high to low. Just like the 4 higher strings of a regular guitar.

I hope you like my canjo!

How to make a jig, for making bottleneck slides

I like playing slide blues guitar. As a result I wanted to make my own homemade bottlenecks. I made this jig out of 6mm birch plywood, a few rubber casters, metal corners and a glass cutter.

First of all I made a few cuts on my table saw. I made the cross cuts using my sled.

I dry fitted the pieces and marked the basic shape of the side corners. I cut the corners on my bandsaw.

To straighten the corners a little I used my block plane.

I then glued and nailed the back piece of my jig.

I found the center of my base and screwed 6 rubber casters in place.

I then added a metal corner. I clamp the glass cutter to the corner, in order to score the bottle’s neck

evenly.

Now I am ready to cut. I position the bottle cutter and the bottle itself, at the point I want my glass to break. I then secure the back of my bottle using the jig’s back and a clamp.

I carefully turn the bottle to score it’s neck.

I then use a candle to heat the glass around the neck.  After that I cool the neck with water. After repeating that process a few times the bottleneck comes off pretty easy with a gentle hit.

To prevent myself from cutting I wet sand the bottleneck with 120 grit sandpaper.

At this point I should be ready for some blues!

DIY wooden slingshot

I had a piece of hardwood, a bicycle tire tube and a piece of leather and I decided to make a slingshot and ammo for it.

First of all I cut a wooden block to size using my table saw. For the cross cuts I used my sled.

I designed the vector template of my slingshot in illustrator.

I used spray adhesive to glue the template on the sides of my block.

I made the vertical cuts on my bandsaw. I added  few drops of hot glue to keep the pieces in place and then cut the rest of the piece on my bandsaw.

Using several sanding blocks, my drill press sanding jig and my rotary tool, I cleaned the piece from the saw marks and burns.

I cut 3 stripes of rubber from a bicycle tire tube. I cut two slots on the slingshot’s body for the rubber. I secured the rubber in place with zip ties. 

I made the nest for the ammo using a piece of leather. I passed the rubber through it and added a few more zip ties.

I finished the piece, with a few coats of teak oil. 

I took a square piece of the same hardwood and kind of removed material from the corners, using my bandsaw.

I secured the piece on my DIY drill lathe. After rounding the piece. I used the skew chisel to make 6 balls. Those wooden balls would be my ammo.

I cut the balls on my bandsaw and gave them a rough sanding.

My slingshot is ready and I tested it on Scrapy!

You can download a free vector template of my slingshot here.