colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397 
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Post by colins on Sept 24, 2014 13:03:30 GMT
Don't worry Keith, you've got plenty of time yet, there is an enormous amount of work to do yet, rosette, bracing, binding, neck to make, fingerboard, fretting, bridge, endless sanding, finishing, set-up! You've got plenty of time to write a symphony! As I said when I start the finishing process then get a bit of a wriggle on, but even then it'll be about a couple of weeks to the end product.
Colin
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leoroberts
C.O.G. 
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Sept 24, 2014 13:08:55 GMT
Finish, finish, finish... It's going to be like eBay, isn't it? just me and alexkirtley until, with 11 seconds to go, 30 bloody snipers turn up... |
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Post by alexkirtley on Sept 24, 2014 14:01:10 GMT
Finish, finish, finish... It's going to be like eBay, isn't it? just me and alexkirtley until, with 11 seconds to go, 30 bloody snipers turn up... Shh... the others may have forgotten  |
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Post by vikingblues on Sept 24, 2014 15:26:50 GMT
Finish, finish, finish... It's going to be like eBay, isn't it? just me and alexkirtley until, with 11 seconds to go, 30 bloody snipers turn up... Shh... the others may have forgotten Not forgotten .... just getting sodding nowhere!  Looks like it's going to be one incredible guitar too! Mark |
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Post by alexkirtley on Sept 24, 2014 16:11:37 GMT
Shh... the others may have forgotten Not forgotten .... just getting sodding nowhere! If I can write a song, then anyone can  |
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Akquarius
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Post by Akquarius on Sept 24, 2014 16:32:28 GMT
Finish, finish, finish... It's going to be like eBay, isn't it? just me and alexkirtley until, with 11 seconds to go, 30 bloody snipers turn up... Ha! so you're one of those who start bidding on ebay before the last 60 seconds start ? I have always asked myself who for heavens sake would do this ! Now I know  |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Sept 25, 2014 16:52:31 GMT
Today's job was to inlay the rosette and thickness the soundboard. First I cut two slices of curly sycamore, jointed the edges and glued up a rosette blank. From this blank I cut a ring 10mm across and the right diameter for the rosette.  I carefully drill a hole for the circle cutter to pivot on and using my home built circle cutter carefully rout a 1.5mm deep channel into the top.  The ring of sycamore is then glued in place.  When the glue has dried, I then rout channels on the inside and outside edges rosette for two rings of black and pear purfling.  The purfling is then glued in.  When dry the top is sanded to level the rosette with the soundboard and then sanded from the back to bring the top to near final thickness, before I cut out the soundhole I like to measure from the centre of the soundhole to establish the outline for the top.  Finally the soundhole is cut out.  Having just taken a router bit into a $500 soundboard, and not cocked it up, I have a well deserved cup of tea and a custard cream biscuit to celebrate! Colin |
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Sept 25, 2014 17:05:32 GMT
Custard cream?! That work deserves a plain choc Hobnob Colin!  |
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Post by alexkirtley on Sept 25, 2014 17:32:59 GMT
Custard cream?! That work deserves a plain choc Hobnob Colin! I'm not sure, that work is pretty special, probably worthy of at least a whole Mr. Kipling apple pie  |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Sept 25, 2014 17:53:01 GMT
Custard cream?! That work deserves a plain choc Hobnob Colin! I like custard creams, they remind me of the security of childhood, in a simpler world before Hobnobs  Colin |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Sept 30, 2014 19:15:22 GMT
Time for one of my favourite parts of guitar making, bracing the plates, and the black art of plate tuning.
The plantilla of the two plates are cut out on the bandsaw.
Braces are cut from European spruce, the braces have the grain orientated vertically, this wood is very fine grained, so each 6mm brace width probably has something line 10 growth lines. After notching and gluing up the X-braces, I lay all of the braces out on the plan. With my brace system I inlet all of the braces into the X brace, so I cut a small mortise and tenon joint at all points where they meet.
The brace layout is transferred onto the back of each plate.
The braces for the back are radiused in the 15' dish and then the back is braced in the go-bar deck in the dish.
The top's braces are radiused in the 25' dish and then glued onto the plate in the dish. I start with the X-brace then add the braces from the top, towards the tail, ensuring that they are tight in the mortise of the X.
Before adding the Upper Transverse Brace I profile the A braces and the upper legs of the X-brace. Then add the UTB, as you can see my UTB has apertures for the A braces to pass through, in a similar way to the open harmonic bars of a classical guitar. I also add the bridge plate, and a small brace behind the plate, then the rest of the braces can be roughly profiled with a finger plane and pairing chisel, they'll be fine tuned once the UTB has been roughly profiled.
The finished plates, they just need a final internal sanding.
Colin
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Sept 30, 2014 19:28:47 GMT
I had a spare hour so I inlet the braces on the top into the linings on the rim. On my steel strings I only inlet the top legs of the X-brace and the ends of the UTB, the A-braces are also inlet into the headblock extension. This is a job that takes a surprising amount of time ensuring that the plate is perfectly positioned onto the rim and the brace ends marked accurately, before a mortise is cut in the linings and a matching tenon cut on the ends of the braces.  With some minor chiseling to get a tight fit, the top is perfectly located onto the rims.   I'll inlet the back braces tomorrow, then I'll be ready to 'close the box'. Colin |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Sept 30, 2014 20:28:03 GMT
I can't believe the progress you've made, Colin!  It's looking superb so far, and the documentation of the build is fascinating. I kind of wish I could write songs now so I'd have a chance...won't stop me entering the comp, though - if I submit something in time!! |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Oct 1, 2014 10:43:16 GMT
Plenty of time Martin, the rapid progress is deceptive, not a third of the way through yet. I've inlet the back braces into the rim. so now I'm ready to glue the box together.  Colin |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Oct 1, 2014 14:05:20 GMT
Well it's tomorrow already so I'd better start to close the box. The first plate to be glued onto the rims is the back, this makes it easier to clean up any glue squeeze out, which is more visible for the back, of course put the right amount of glue on and it's not a problem! The back is placed in the 15' radius dish under the go-bar deck and fish glue is brushed onto the rims.  Then the rims are inverted onto the back edge and located by the brace ends. I then add a forest of go-bars to clamp everything tight. After the first few are in place I use a wet cotton bud and wet kitchen paper to clean off any glue.   This can be one of the true adrenalin pumping moments for a guitar builder, will there or won't there be a go-bar chain reaction, when one go-bar slips hits the next and all of a sudden they are firing off in all direction! Luckily this time I didn't have to go to A&E to have one surgically removed. Top goes on tomorrow. Colin |
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Jo whoever he is.
