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!