Wooden Guitar Slides!

by jeremymbates in Workshop > Woodworking

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Wooden Guitar Slides!

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Today we built a wooden slide for guitar! We imitated a glass slide i already owned and went by instinct! 

Materials!

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For this project you will need:
- Natural straight section of tree branch
- Hand Saw
- Sandpaper
- Dremel tool w/ sanding bits
- Drill w/ bits
- Pencil
- Jigsaw (Optional) 

Selecting the Branch!

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You need to find a branch that is as straight as you can find and it needs to be about an inch or more thick (I am not sure what type of wood i used. It was a soft wood i found around my brackish pond in Virginia). I wouldn't get a branch thicker than an inch and a half. Once you find your section cut it off the main of the branch with the hand saw. This cut can be rough if you use the jigsaw the get a neater cut later.
This is a branch that i cut down the day i made the project and i figured that if you let your section of wood dry before starting it will be a little easier going.

Cutting the Length

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Now you can get your slide (If you have one) and pick a spot that seems to be the straightest. Measure bigger than the slide just for safety room. The length you want to measure is 2 1/2 inches to 3 inches depending on your finger length (It will go on your first finger or your ring finger depending on preference). Then i put it in my vice grip and used my jig saw to get a nice smooth cut.

Peeling the Bark!

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This step is pretty self explanatory. I peeled all the bark off to reveal the smoother wood underneath. The piece of wood i used had some worm (Or ant?) lines in it which is cool but i knew they'd be sanded off eventually.

Making the Hole

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For this step i took my drill and a 9/16" bit to drill a hole straight through the wood. Now if you have bigger bits or a drill press, by all means go ahead and make it bigger. This was the biggest bit i had so i made due with what i had. 
Then i took my dremel tool with a sanding bit and began to bore out the hole more and slowly made it pinky sized and then ring finger sized (I use it on my ring finger)
*Note* - With the wood i used still being wet my sanding bits were torn up easily and covered in wet chunks. 

Sanding and Finishing!

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Now you can break out that sand paper and begin to sand! I used a 60 grit and worked up to a 300 to give it a real smooth finish. I also recommend sanding the inside of it to let it feel better. 
Here is where you can add decoration in wood burning but to keep it smooth i did not. I haven't put a lacquer on it because i needed mine to dry out a day or so. I assume lacquer will not affect the playability too much but as of now i cannot say. 
Playing with it gives a thicker sound as opposed to a glass slide which can be...well more glassy haha. 

You're All Done!

Now you can take your hardwood picks (https://www.instructables.com/id/Hardwood-Guitar-Picks/) and your new wooden slide and wow your friends!!