Make your own lap steel why not?
Thu May 29, 2014 1:10 pm
There have been some threads about making lap steel guitar recently so I though I might post some ideas that may help?
The pics are of 1. a bridge sunk into the body; 2. the head of the guitar showing the angle ali, nut mentioned later, (it could have simply gone from side to side and painted over - I was being "clever" by routing it inside the edges
Making your own is a good way to go. The neck thro' body can be a plank of anything solid and at least 1.5inch thick. You can start with a straight plank for neck through to bridge and add "wings" for the body; That's what I've done here. With a bandsaw I could make curves, but it doesn't have to be guitar shaped and straight lines in the body will do, like the "New York skyscraper" styles.
The bridge and nut can be made out of angle metal (ali, brass, steel ....) using a hacksaw and files. You used to be able to get ali offcuts from those guys that make window frames. I got loads of stuff from one; angle as above, narrow channel for PSG knee levers, wider channel for knee lever mountings and also for lap steel bridges*. All free as they were too short for him to be bothered and not heavy enough to weigh in.
The bridge needs suitable "nicks" (for the string ball-ends) in the edge of the part that sits on the guitar top and you might need also to rout a grove in the body for them (like in the gold-top pic).
If using *ali channel, you can drill holes for the strings in the back edge (cut it down from the height of the front "bridge" part). That type can be screwed straight down without routing the guitar if you like.
One other tip if you use angle stuff for the nut, screw it down with the return under the fretboard rather than towards the tuners. Saves space and looks neater although you need to rout out the housing for it.
The other pics show another homemade (it doesn't matter that they're 7 stringers) and you can see the head is a simple router job after planing it back to a slight angle at the front. The other shows the bridge/tail, this time right at the end. Both pickup and bridge covers are bits of thrown-away Fender bass covers (who uses them
) The fretboards are black/white/black plastic sandwich, scraped through the black top using a standard guitar as the template (starting from the first or second fret to shorten the scale) and that star position marker is a "Blick" sticky meant for kids exercise books! 
The pics are of 1. a bridge sunk into the body; 2. the head of the guitar showing the angle ali, nut mentioned later, (it could have simply gone from side to side and painted over - I was being "clever" by routing it inside the edges
Making your own is a good way to go. The neck thro' body can be a plank of anything solid and at least 1.5inch thick. You can start with a straight plank for neck through to bridge and add "wings" for the body; That's what I've done here. With a bandsaw I could make curves, but it doesn't have to be guitar shaped and straight lines in the body will do, like the "New York skyscraper" styles.
The bridge and nut can be made out of angle metal (ali, brass, steel ....) using a hacksaw and files. You used to be able to get ali offcuts from those guys that make window frames. I got loads of stuff from one; angle as above, narrow channel for PSG knee levers, wider channel for knee lever mountings and also for lap steel bridges*. All free as they were too short for him to be bothered and not heavy enough to weigh in.
The bridge needs suitable "nicks" (for the string ball-ends) in the edge of the part that sits on the guitar top and you might need also to rout a grove in the body for them (like in the gold-top pic).
If using *ali channel, you can drill holes for the strings in the back edge (cut it down from the height of the front "bridge" part). That type can be screwed straight down without routing the guitar if you like.
One other tip if you use angle stuff for the nut, screw it down with the return under the fretboard rather than towards the tuners. Saves space and looks neater although you need to rout out the housing for it.
The other pics show another homemade (it doesn't matter that they're 7 stringers) and you can see the head is a simple router job after planing it back to a slight angle at the front. The other shows the bridge/tail, this time right at the end. Both pickup and bridge covers are bits of thrown-away Fender bass covers (who uses them
) The fretboards are black/white/black plastic sandwich, scraped through the black top using a standard guitar as the template (starting from the first or second fret to shorten the scale) and that star position marker is a "Blick" sticky meant for kids exercise books!
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Thu May 29, 2014 5:46 pm
nice, any full body pics? (of the lap steel, of course) 
I was wondering... why 7 strings and not 8? I find the eigth string really useful for minor chords on C6? or are you missing the G string? (no pun intended)
I was wondering... why 7 strings and not 8? I find the eigth string really useful for minor chords on C6? or are you missing the G string? (no pun intended)
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Fri May 30, 2014 11:30 am
I use C6th on lap steel but have a high G on the top string so (lo - hi) CEGACEG. Most 6 string tunings omit the 5th tone (G) on top so they can keep the tonic (C) as a root on the bottom string. I have both, it's that simple (actually there are a number of licks/tags using some open strings and working off the 7th fret that need that top G string)
I've posted pic of the gold one before, but I'll post again when I have photo-ed the white one.
Both of them started with a planed plank of mahogany, off cuts from a timber merchant's yard but long and wide enough to take the machine head, pu/p and tail arrangement, and the body shape was added as a "wing" to either side. Those were made from available stuff, I think the white one was part of a pew from a disused church, I remember getting some mahogany that way years ago. The shapes happen to be guitar-like only because I have a bandsaw and there was sufficient width of wood to cut it out. I have made an 8st. out of a plank with no frills. I've posted a pic recently to do with painting them, but I'll seek that out too.
There's two pics ofthe white one, the gold one in the homemade case, and the 8st. "plank" about 1983 (unfortunately I'm in the picture too - did I really have a belly like that
putting it down to posture, much better now 
I've posted pic of the gold one before, but I'll post again when I have photo-ed the white one.
Both of them started with a planed plank of mahogany, off cuts from a timber merchant's yard but long and wide enough to take the machine head, pu/p and tail arrangement, and the body shape was added as a "wing" to either side. Those were made from available stuff, I think the white one was part of a pew from a disused church, I remember getting some mahogany that way years ago. The shapes happen to be guitar-like only because I have a bandsaw and there was sufficient width of wood to cut it out. I have made an 8st. out of a plank with no frills. I've posted a pic recently to do with painting them, but I'll seek that out too.
There's two pics ofthe white one, the gold one in the homemade case, and the 8st. "plank" about 1983 (unfortunately I'm in the picture too - did I really have a belly like that
putting it down to posture, much better now
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Fri May 30, 2014 11:37 am
very nice builds Tony
I use the bottom A for minor chords a lot and find myself a bit lost when I'm playing on a 6-string lap steel...
lamb's navy rum t-shirt, how cool is that?!
I use the bottom A for minor chords a lot and find myself a bit lost when I'm playing on a 6-string lap steel...
lamb's navy rum t-shirt, how cool is that?!
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Fri May 30, 2014 3:00 pm
Thanks Charlie, kind of you to say that. It just shows that, if I can do it, most people can. I mean that 8st. plank actually worked and there was very little"woodworking" involved. In those days I even "routed" the pickup housing with a mallet & chisel!
I used a low A too, on that guitar and howked it up to Bb sometimes for the 7th. T.
I used a low A too, on that guitar and howked
it up to Bb sometimes for the 7th. T.
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Sat May 31, 2014 12:27 pm
8th up to Bb, very interesting....
I'm having one built by a friend, 8 stringer (white sparkle), this is what it looks like right now:
I'm having one built by a friend, 8 stringer (white sparkle), this is what it looks like right now:
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:28 am
With the A raised to Bb in the bass, isn't that the so-called C13 tuning favoured by the (amazing) Junior Brown?
Re: Make your own lap steel why not?
Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:02 pm
Great topic.
Is it OK to post a link to my post here? viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4057
You may have seen my posts re my 6-string self-build. I'm starting to think about my next build now, maybe an 8-string, maybe 2-neck job... Maybe its just a way to avoid learning to play properly...
Is it OK to post a link to my post here? viewtopic.php?f=34&t=4057
You may have seen my posts re my 6-string self-build. I'm starting to think about my next build now, maybe an 8-string, maybe 2-neck job... Maybe its just a way to avoid learning to play properly...