I began the build with a 30 inch length of 2 by 2 (nominal size) sapele mahogany.
This is 'finished' timber which is actually planed to a slightly smaller size so the real thickness was 1.75" by 1.75".
Here's the cutting pattern for the blank.
It takes only a few minutes to cut this out on a hobby quality bandsaw.
Note that it is a two-step process (see the pictures below).
Although, it may look a bit tricky, the two thin side-walls for the body are actually very easy to cut at a thickness of 1/8th inch which makes them very flexible.
The key to getting this part right is a sharp blade, (preferably new), don't apply heavy pressure, let the saw do the work.
Even a cheap bandsaw is capable of doing this job. You may have to clamp blocks of wood to the table in place of the rather ineffectual guides sometimes supplied with these saws.
A chunk of 2 by 2 clamped firmly to the table and shimmed accurately parallel to the blade helps a lot. In this way you can slice off wafer-thin veneers if you want to.
Some more stripsWhile the bandsaw was still set up for slicing those thin side-walls, I ran off a few strips for use later. These pieces will be used to deepen the body and as kerfing strips. |
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