Before I was building cutting boards, I was building guitars. I have played music most of my life, and at some point playing them was not enough. I wanted to know how one comes together. This one, a solid-body electric with a padauk body, is one of my favorites, and it uses a lot of the same wood and the same techniques you will find in the boards on this site.
Why padauk?
African padauk is hard to miss. Fresh off the saw it is a bright, almost glowing red-orange, and over time it darkens toward a deep reddish brown. It is a dense, stable hardwood that machines cleanly and takes a finish beautifully, which is exactly what you want in a solid-body guitar.
It also has a reputation. Padauk dust gets everywhere and stains everything it touches orange: hands, clothes, the shop floor and any lighter wood sitting nearby. A good dust mask and dust collection are not optional with this one.
Gluing up the body blank
The body started as a glued-up blank: padauk on both sides with a maple stripe running down the center. It is the same kind of glue-up behind many of our cutting boards. Flat, square stock, tight joints and a lot of clamps. The contrast between the pale maple and the red padauk is a big part of why I like this wood combination so much.
The headstock inlay
The headstock got a feather inlay in abalone. The pocket is routed into the headstock, the shell is cut to fit, and everything is glued in and leveled flush before finishing. It is slow, careful work, and it is the detail people notice first.
Finishing and hardware
Padauk does not need much help to look good. The finish is mostly about protecting the wood and bringing out the color and grain. For electronics it got a pair of humbuckers.
From guitars to cutting boards
Building instruments taught me a lot about wood: how it moves, how to glue it so it stays put, and how much a little contrast between species can do. That carries straight into our boards. Padauk and maple show up all through the collection, like the Long Walnut and Padauk Stripe Serving Board.
You can see more of my guitars and other projects in the Gallery. And if you like this combination of woods, you can put it on your own board in the Board Designer.