Union Jack cab musings

[Geeze]

I'm like the Metalica song 'Bad Seed' AKA 'Me again. Me!' I just won't go away.

After picking up a load of wood yesterday I'm contemplating what I should be doing with all of the woody treasure I have in the shop. New head shell came to mind then all of the iterations I've done over the years and none grabbed me. Then I thought what better design for a Marshall than

I would leave the blue sections open. Now comes the fun of scaling and appearance. The nominal dimensions for the flag are the height is 60% [ish] of the length. That might work on an Elmwood as they are very deep but not on a Marshall. So I drew the Jack in Autocad and estimated the ratios and widths - its art, sue me if I fudge a bit.

This is Jack superimposed on a 20"x8.25 cab - the 24" looked toylike.

The middle section isn't enclosed.

So I scaled Jack down more to allow for a 1" band on the front and rear edge.

Meh.

Then I went full crazy and looked at wrapping it around the sides as well.

The biggest issue here is finger joints - you know me - would wreck the symmetry of lines.

Curly maple for the white sections and padauk or redheart for the red sections. Possibly dyeing the non Jack portions blue. Thinking about the faceplate another Jack with the control cutout and the mighty Marshall logo milled in the cross bar.

Russ

 

[fitz]

That's insane.
I love the idea.
Get to it.

(btw, try Snip & Sketch instead of taking pics of your computer screen...)

 

[Geeze]

That's insane.
I love the idea.
Get to it.

(btw, try Snip & Sketch instead of taking pics of your computer screen...)

Thanks! Unfortunately the cad is on a Win NT box from the last automation consulting gig I had in 2001. Not connected to nothing.

Now to build a fixture for the 31° angle.

Russ

 

[BlueX]

This will be the best 60 anni amp!

Maybe finger joints won't disturb. Framed chess boards, with contrasting pattern around the checkered board, can look nice.

I like the concept to buy wood first, and then start to think what to do with it. I'm a boring guy who plans first and then source.

 

[Geeze]

I like the concept to buy wood first, and then start to think what to do with it. I'm a boring guy who plans first and then source.

I told the lady who owns my woodstore that she is my crack dealer. Lucky for my bank account it's a 250 mile round trip or I'd be there weekly rather than 4-5 times a year. I walk the aisles in the 20,000 sqft building until planks call my name. I have about 300-400 board feet of lumber in the shop.

I was taught by my acoustic building buddy that when you find exceptional wood you buy it as it will be gone when you come back. This is what I brought home.

Fiddleback maple 123"x13"

Cherry mahogany 99"x16"

Figured walnut 122"x7" and 99"x7"

Canary wood 123"x7"

The plank beneath is beech from Germany for bench frame work.

Russ

 

[BlueX]

I was taught by my acoustic building buddy that when you fine exceptional wood you buy it as it will be gone when you come back.

I see your point

 

[PelliX]

Ah, come on, who on earth would ever want gear with a Union Jack?

 

[Marcomel79]

I'm like the Metalica song 'Bad Seed' AKA 'Me again. Me!' I just won't go away.

After picking up a load of wood yesterday I'm contemplating what I should be doing with all of the woody treasure I have in the shop. New head shell came to mind then all of the iterations I've done over the years and none grabbed me. Then I thought what better design for a Marshall than

I would leave the blue sections open. Now comes the fun of scaling and appearance. The nominal dimensions for the flag are the height is 60% [ish] of the length. That might work on an Elmwood as they are very deep but not on a Marshall. So I drew the Jack in Autocad and estimated the ratios and widths - its art, sue me if I fudge a bit.

This is Jack superimposed on a 20"x8.25 cab - the 24" looked toylike.

The middle section isn't enclosed.

So I scaled Jack down more to allow for a 1" band on the front and rear edge.

Meh.

Then I went full crazy and looked at wrapping it around the sides as well.

The biggest issue here is finger joints - you know me - would wreck the symmetry of lines.

Curly maple for the white sections and padauk or redheart for the red sections. Possibly dyeing the non Jack portions blue. Thinking about the faceplate another Jack with the control cutout and the mighty Marshall logo milled in the cross bar.

Russ

If theres one person on this earth that can pull this off, its you! Cant wait to see more

 

[Geeze]

Micro movement tonight,

Two options for the top.

The top and bottom edges are unsupported - I didn't whack out the blue line.

The top model has a bit of a support issue in that only the center section would support the whole cab. I thought about dadoing in a channel on the edges for either a square aluminum rod in the white [silver] the same rod anodized black - I could probably get it in blue but it would cost me $175 extra - or a steel rod that's been nitrided [black]. Lots of extra foolery or go with the bottom and maybe dado in some hidden aluminum. Or just trust the Titebond III.

The woods to be used are red heart and curly maple [not the one shown but similar].

Russ

 

[Tatzmann]

 

[Geeze]

She must be looking at Markle.

Russ

 

[Geeze]

Built the 31° angle jig - the actual flag spec is 30.96° but this is art.

It will support the 31° and the perpendicular 59° cut needed to poke the angled sections in to the cross.

Ripped all of the strips for the flag and milled them to width.

Gluing starts tomorrow unless I get a wild hair.

Russ

 

[Geeze]

Glue up of the diagonals.

And clamps, clamps & more clamps.

The stripes laid out for gluing.

Now for dye testing.

The bottom maple has a pink hue that affects the dye. If this was a solid maple one color build I'd bleach but it's not so I'll use the whitest maple I have.

Now to choose which color - the sapphire is bluer but the royal looks better with the red heart and maple.

Russ

 

[BlueX]

Thanks for the detailed pictures!

From the picture the sapphire looks closer to what I would have chosen, but you see the real colour. Matching the other colours is of course important.

 

[fitz]

mmmm... clamp porn.
Lookin' good Russ.
Hard to judge colors from photos - as @BlueX mentioned, you've got the best view to match to your design shades.
Clear will obviously grain pop & change the hue a little too.. (not sure how much the water trick would work on the dye )

 

[Geeze]

You know that little voice that says 'I'm not sure that is the plan'? Well I ignored that voice...

I glued the red horizontal stripe and the two white stripes together.

Like this mocked up photo.

Shoulda looked like this.

Now it does. Also got to road test the 31° jig and it works as it should.

Now to figure out how much obsession I'll indulge in lining up the offside angles before !!&*#!$%^#!!! happens.

Russ

 

[paul-e-mann]

You know that little voice that says 'I'm not sure that is the plan'? Well I ignored that voice...

I glued the red horizontal stripe and the two white stripes together.

Like this mocked up photo.

Shoulda looked like this.

Now it does. Also got to road test the 31° jig and it works as it should.

Now to figure out how much obsession I'll indulge in lining up the offside angles before !!&*#!$%^#!!! happens.

Russ

This is cool, looking forward to seeing it put together

 

[Geeze]

From the picture the sapphire looks closer to what I would have chosen, but you see the real colour. Matching the other colours is of course important.

Clear will obviously grain pop & change the hue a little too.. (not sure how much the water trick would work on the dye )

I'm thinking the sapphire as well!

More clamp porn. White long strips glued.

Then the verticals.

Think I'm going to draw it out in CAD to help line up the diagonals - I like to trim to fit but I think a 31° and the corresponding perpendicular setting a jig to cut them all the same may save what little hair I have left.

Russ

 

[BlueX]

You know that little voice that says 'I'm not sure that is the plan'?

I've learned a lot from ignoring that voice

 

[Geeze]

I've learned a lot from ignoring that voice

The next words are something along 'YOU DUMBASS!!!!' as another course of action or a trip to the ER is pondered.

Well I drew out the ratios and angles in CAD and naturally it didn't agree with my field measurements so I nibbled a freckle at a time until I got within .005" and said 'Enough!' Thank God for the intelligence and sheer dumb luck [to quote McGonagall] to make a jig that allows multiple stops and clamping options as the next three were one cut and done.

The obligatory money shot, er clamp porn [I'll show myself out now...]

Spent a few minutes sanding the cup out of the maple destined to be blue.

These will form the top ends and the sides as the main horizonal stripe will wrap around the cab.

Russ