davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 28, 2015 22:42:46 GMT
colins "First job in putting together the ribs is to make and glue in the head and tailblocks. Mahogany for the Claro and English cherry for the English Walnut." Why the difference? There's probably a really obvious answer to this... but I'm thick! If Mahogany grows a lot in Liverpool then next time I'm visiting point me in its direction and I'll bring my axe with me  Sorry couldn't resist - I think Colin likes to match the neck block wood with the neck wood and is planning a mahogany neck for the Claro walnut guitar. |
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colins
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Post by colins on Mar 28, 2015 23:04:49 GMT
Dave knows me too well. I often match the neck wood and the neck block wood, and yes the Claro guitar is getting a mahogany neck and the English walnut guitar a cherry neck. Don't forget Leo the English walnut guitar is being made from all English wood.
Colin
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Mar 28, 2015 23:12:44 GMT
Amazing progress already!  |
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Mar 28, 2015 23:39:33 GMT
Dave knows me too well. I often match the neck wood and the neck block wood, and yes the Claro guitar is getting a mahogany neck and the English walnut guitar a cherry neck. Don't forget Leo the English walnut guitar is being made from all English wood. Colin Dear mods ... PLEASE delete my post so that people don't see how stoopid I do be LOL |
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 28, 2015 23:48:00 GMT
Dave knows me too well. I often match the neck wood and the neck block wood, and yes the Claro guitar is getting a mahogany neck and the English walnut guitar a cherry neck. Don't forget Leo the English walnut guitar is being made from all English wood. Colin Dear mods ... PLEASE delete my post so that people don't see how stoopid I do be LOL   Keith |
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colins
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Post by colins on Mar 30, 2015 16:43:29 GMT
A little progress to report, the plates were all sanded to about 3.5mm and the joints planed on a shooting board to give a perfect joint when 'candled', I actually hold them together against a window and make sure that no light is visible through the joint. Then it was time to fire up the baby bottle warmer and get the HHG ready for joining the plates. I use the 'tent' method of joining the plates, it's simple and very reliable. So, (don't you hate people that start a sentence with 'So'?) the plates were taped togther on one side, with the tape pulled tight across the joint.  They are then turned over and raised into a 'tent', HHG is then run along the exposed joint and the tent lowered onto the flat bench, I always use waxed paper under the plate to save me gluing an expensive piece of wood to the worktop.  Repeat the process for the other three plates.  United, in a way, with their rim sets.  Tape comes off tomorrow. Colin |
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colins
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Post by colins on Mar 31, 2015 16:55:15 GMT
Well the tape came off today and the plates didn't fall apart so we'll chalk that up as a success! Out with the sander and run the plates through to clean up the show face, then sand from the back to near final thickness.   Using the template I mark the plantilla onto the plates and cut out, leaving a small overhang, on the bandsaw and we have top and back plates ready for rosettes and bracing.  The piece on the left won't get wasted, I'll process the hole as part of an air guitar. The two backs.  Colin |
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colins
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Post by colins on Apr 1, 2015 18:29:14 GMT
Time to install the rosettes, my normal style is to use the same wood as the B&S, so book match some cut offs from the back sets and sand to thickness, then use the circle cutting thingamy to cut the rings that will make up the centre of the rosette.   Next carefully drill the hole in the top for the jig, then after setting the cutter, and checking the measurements three time, I cut the channel in the top for the wood ring.  The wood rings are then glued in place with fish glue.  When the glue has set, I then have to rout the grooves for the inside and outside purfling.  Next job is to install the B/pear/B purfling. This was a simple job on the claro top, but of course the purfling I use comes from Germany, so couldn't be used on the all English woods guitar, so I had to get my pear and black dyed sycamore veneer out (I checked both from England) and start cutting enough strips for the rosette, binding and top purfling . Bit of a phaff, but ended up looking fine.   The rosettes were then leveled and the plates taken to near final thickness. Before cutting out the soundhole I like to mark the brace locations on the back while the centre hole in the rosette is still there to act as one of my markers.  Last job, cut out the soundholes, and another job finished.  Colin |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Apr 1, 2015 20:19:56 GMT
Colin, Great progress and looking mighty fine. "The Tree" top looks well funky - I like that Did you have to put "wings" on the lower bout in the end? |
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colins
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Post by colins on Apr 1, 2015 20:40:48 GMT
Thanks Dave, yes I did put small wings on the lower bout, only about 5mm of them will be inside the linings when the top is in place.
The Tree looks amazing, I really love the look of it. More important though is that I like the way it feels and taps.
By the way, next time I make an all English guitar I'm going to allow imported purflings!
I will of course be using imported hardware, no frets are made in England, and there is no way I'm putting Rogers tuners on it.
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Apr 2, 2015 0:25:00 GMT
The soundboard AND the back and sides look amazing, colins. Such beautiful figuring on both instruments. Can't wait to have a play at Halifax (if ready!) |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Apr 2, 2015 7:26:02 GMT
By the way, next time I make an all English guitar I'm going to allow imported purflings! Wuss |
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colins
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Post by colins on Apr 6, 2015 14:55:00 GMT
On to the bracing. I always brace the backs first, so first job is to cut some wood. On the all English guitar I'm using some brace wood from the Tree that Dave sent me. So on to the band saw and slice up the wood. I processed enough for the top and back bracing, the claro will get my usual European spruce brace. I use Radius 25' for the top and 15' for the back. At least that is what I was aiming for when I made the radius dishes!  Once I have sanded the radius onto the braces, I make up the four X braces, marking them with their destination.  With the rest of the braces prepared, time to braek out the bottle warmer and HHG and get gluing.   When the glue has dried I like to profile the braces to near finished before gluing on the cross grain strips.  With a tap here and a tap there I check the back voice, the English one has a beautiful received pronunciation. And we have two braced backs.    Tops next. Colin |
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leoroberts
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Apr 6, 2015 15:01:25 GMT
With a tap here and a tap there I check the back voice, the English one has a beautiful received pronunciation. And we have two braced backs. So it's not just an English guitar, it's a Queen's English guitar? |
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Post by earwighoney on Apr 7, 2015 9:59:01 GMT
Hello Colin,
Beautiful pictures. I noticed the braces for the Walnut backs have the 'sunflower' pattern opposed to the more conventional straight bracing patterns; is there any difference amongst bracing patterns for the back? I read something somewhere about differences in the back being braced either as 'live' or 'reflective', I'm not entirely sure tbh.
Do you have a preferred type of Walnut as well? I've read Bastogne is really rare and some people really like it. Good old English is my favourite of the walnuts I've come across. I've seen a few guitars with Walnut necks, fairly common in the Selmer/Gypsy Jazz side of things. Walnut is generally heavier than Honduran Mahogany/Spanish Cedar, is there any particular tonal difference to using a different neck to Honduran Mahogany/Spanish Cedar?
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Jo whoever he is.
