davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 16:35:50 GMT
Over the last three months I'm made a "Samhradh" with a European spruce top, Bubinga back and sides and Black Limba bindings. This is a remodelling and replacement for my “Samhain Cheltenham” model with a shallower and different shaped cutaway and slightly modified bracing pattern. The mahogany neck from the original “Samhain Cheltenham” made for the first Cheltenham Acoustic Guitar Show in 2007 never really made a visual match with the Black Limba back and sides and I recently replace it with one made of matching Black Limba and the original neck will be used on this guitar. Samhdrah is the Gaelic for Summer and is pronounced Sow-roo or Sow-ra. This guitar will be the prize in the “Young Acoustic Guitar Musicians Competition 2013”.What do you do when you have a spare neck . . . make a new guitar around it of course:  Making the Rim:The mahogany neck block is drilled for the bolt holes and for the 6mm carbon fibre rod flying buttress braces. The fingerboard support is then glued in using hot hide glue:  The sides are thicknessed and then bent in the Fox-style bender using a heating blanket. The cutaway is bent on the hot pipe:  The cutaway side is cut and the cutaway piece shaped on the hot pipe. An English Walnut block is made and the main part of the side glued to it. Then a piece of Black Limba binding is glued on to the block next to the small cutaway part of the side using fish glue:  The neck block has two pieces of Black Limba binding glued on and a piece of bwb purfling is added where the cutaway side will be:   The cutaway side is then glued on to the neck-block using fish glue:  Then the Black Limba end graft is glued to the mahogany tailblock using hot hide glue:  The treble side is then glued to the tail-block with a bwb purfling strip in between the side and end graft and this is repeated for the bass side.   The bass side is then glued to the neck-block:  Here’s the rim-set in the mould:  The sides are then profiled to fit the back curvature and the bass side Black Limba reverse-kerfed linings glued on using fish glue followed by the treble side:   The sides are then profiled to fit the top curvature and the bass side Black Limba reverse-kerfed linings glued on using fish glue followed by the treble side:   The mahogany side braces are notched into the linings and glued in using hot hide glue:  The 6mm carbon fibre flying buttress braces are then glued in:  That completes the rim-set. |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:04:46 GMT
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:16:46 GMT
Making the Top:The European spruce top plates are initially thicknessed, jointed and glued using hot hide glue and the tent method:  The rosette channel is routed out using the circle cutting jig:  The rosette is carefully fitted and glued in using pva glue – it consists of inner and outer rings of bwb purfling around a central Bubinga ring:  The European spruce soundhole re-enforcement is glued on in the go-bar deck using hot hide glue:  The soundhole is then routed out using the circle cutter jig:  The European spruce X braces are profiled to a 13’ radius, notched and then glued on one at a time:   Then the two A frame braces are glued on:  The upper transverse brace is glued on after notching to span the A frame braces and having a hole drilled for the truss rod adjuster:  Next the Bubinga bridge-plate is glued on using hot hide glue and a caul in the go-bar deck:  The brace behind the bridge-plate is then glued on:  The spruce X brace cap is glued on using hot hide glue:  Then the first tone bar is glued on followed by the second split brace:   The treble side finger braces are then glued on followed by the bass side ones:   The braces are carved and the top “voiced”. Then the top is signed and dated:  Here’s the “voiced” top: 
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:25:28 GMT
Closing the Box and Binding:The linings are notched to accept the brace ends and the back is glued to the rim-set using fish glue:  Here’s an inside view:  The linings are notched to accept the brace ends and the top is glued to the rim-set using fish glue:  The Black Limba bindings are taped together with the side and top/back purflings and are then bent to shape in the Fox-style bender:  The hole for the strap pin is drilled and also the hole to mark the centre of the side soundport that will be cut after the body has been bond:  The top binding and purfling channels are cut using the binding jig:  The top purflings are then glued in followed by the side purflings and bindings:   The back binding/purfling channels are cut and then the back bindings and purflings are glued in:   When the glue is dry the bindings and purflings are scraped back and then the side sound port is marked and cut out: 
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:30:43 GMT
Making the Neck:The neck needs adapting as Samhradh’s body is slightly deeper at the neck than the old guitar so the heel is cut off on the bandsaw:  The hole to take the fingerboard extension support is routed out of the top and the fit of the neck checked:   The new heel block is then glued on using hot hide glue:  The threaded inserts are then fitted:  Then the heel is shaped and the two holes for the 6mm carbon fibre rod stiffeners are drilled:  The carbon fibre rods are then glued in using fish glue:  The Black Limba heelcap with b/w/b/ veneers to match the side purfling is then glued on using hot hide glue: 
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:35:03 GMT
Making the Bridge:The Macassar Ebony bridge blank is sanded on the top to match the top’s curvature:  The bridge slots are then routed using this jig:   The rear of the bridge is ramped and the bridge-pin holes drilled:  The bridge-pin holes are then counter-sunk:  The rest of the bridge is shaped and the bridge carefully positioned on the top. The outer two bridge-pin holes are drilled through:  Here’s how it looks: 
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 26, 2013 17:41:35 GMT
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Post by ocarolan on Mar 26, 2013 17:50:29 GMT
  Wonderful! Really excited about hearing/playing it ! Fab thread Dave - thank you. Keith
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Post by jonnymosco on Mar 26, 2013 23:13:14 GMT
That really is fantastic Dave - the things you get up to in that shed!
Love the variation on the florentine cutaway.
Jonny
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Mar 26, 2013 23:32:34 GMT
Art and science In harmony. Fascinating stuff: thanks.
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 27, 2013 9:49:19 GMT
Keith and Jonny - thanks. Art and science In harmony. Fascinating stuff: thanks. Brian, That is so very true. It is definitely a "craft" in the sense of that word before it got devalued and frowned upon by the art snobs. I recently came across this quote of Bill Cumpiano that I really relate to: "A master is someone who has made more mistakes than you, has made mistakes you haven’t made yet, and has learned how to embrace them--thus learning to see them coming before they happen. So you go towards mastery one mistake at a time. How many mistakes can you stand? As many as it takes to be a master. The master has persevered past the errors until he's made all of them." |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Mar 27, 2013 10:10:50 GMT
Dave, your builds have to be the most well-photographed and descriptively annotated of any I've ever seen, and this one is just incredible. You're really not far short of being able to compile a 'how to' book out of your build threads. Wonderful work, and thanks for the insight into how the magic happens  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 27, 2013 10:18:49 GMT
Martin,
Thanks - it's a pleasure sharing all of this.
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Post by markthomson on Mar 27, 2013 10:42:12 GMT
That looks stunning Dave! Fabulous work, this will be a particularly special prize for the eventual winner, you deserve a huge amount of credit for what you do / have done for many of us! The gift of music is such a special one and your instruments and your attitude are so very inspirational. |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Mar 27, 2013 11:29:42 GMT
Mark,
Thanks. It's as inspirational to me to hear music being made with the instruments I make - that's what it's all about really. My "Baby Boomer" generation has well and truly stuffed things up for the young generation and it's time to start giving back. They and their music is all of our future after all.
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Jo whoever he is.
