Telecaster Style Guitar Build - Part 1

So the next project, which is the first for 2014, is a Telecaster style guitar with very few frills. I mentioned this back in August 2013 (see here).
As per that post I had roughly decided what hardware it was to have so bought the hardware and pickups already, I have a hunk of swamp ash left from a previous project and a nice piece of birds-eye maple.
I found some plans for the body over at TerryDownsMusic.com here  http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/tele_body_drawing_revD.pdf and it looks relatively straight forward.

I have planed and jointed the swamp ash and glued the two halves together. I didn't take any pictures of the process but here is one taken from a random picture on the internet (you get the idea by now of how to glue slabs together)

Picture from TundraMans website
http://www.tundraman.com

I have also cut out my logo from some mother of pearl.

Jewellery Box - Part 5 completed so Santa can put it into his sleigh

The Jewellery Box is completed. I finished it today 24th Dec 2013 at 1600 local time here in the UK so now Santa can pick it up and put it into his sleigh for delivery to my wife.

Jewellery Box - Part 4 nearly at the finishing line

I'm almost at the finishing line and writing this on December 23rd - talk about close to the wire!! During final finishing Elly almost came in on the build and discovered what was happening behind closed doors. But I had thoughtfully locked the shop door from the inside. She had to knock and now knows something is being built in the shop and it might be a present.

Rear plywood panel and the lid with finish applied

Jewellery Box - Part 3

Do you know how difficult it is to make something surreptitiously and keep it hidden from the intended recipient? It's very hard.
I've had a few close calls this past week with Elly coming into the shop when you least expect it. I do have a warning buzzer on the door and I can lock it from the inside. She has been in on numerous occasions and has been stood very close to the casework. I have it hidden under a black plastic dustbin liner (a garbage bag for my North American viewers) with all manner of detritus scattered all around. She does suspect something is going on though occasionally asking "what you making?". I had to reply "I'm doing some practice dovetails to hone my skills" - big fib!
Anyway the carcase is complete, the drawers are complete, the lid is made, the coving is done on the decorative trim pieces covering the hidden drawer.
Jobs left to do are:

• attach the lower guide rails
• cut out the mortises for the hinges
• mitre the coving trim pieces
• cut the trim pieces with a fancy pattern
• make internal dividers
• apply finish to the whole
• fit the mirror
• fit the felt inlay

I've got less than a week now so I need to get my skates on.

The casework without its disguise. If you
leave the area suitably cluttered
it doesn't draw too much attention