Making a Flamenco Blanca guitar - "El Xiprer"
Jan 26, 2016 22:28:13 GMT
ocarolan, leoroberts, and 8 more like this
Post by davewhite on Jan 26, 2016 22:28:13 GMT
Back in 2013 I helped jonnymosco complete his project of making a Flamenco Blanca guitar – “El Diamante Negro” - as documented on this thread.
Since then I’ve wanted to make one of my own – my first nylon string guitar - and in 2013 I had to have a Lawson’s Cypress tree in my front garden cut down:
Having discovered that Lawson’s Cypress is a tonewood – Port Orford Cedar – similar to Spanish Cypress used for Flamenco Blanca guitars I had the contractors cut the main trunk into sections that could be cut into instruments sets:
In 2014 Colin Symonds (colins) kindly helped me process “The Tree” – here he is in the process:
And here’s me:
And here’s the result:
That was the birth of my idea to make a Flamenco Blanca guitar using as much wood as possible from “The Tree” and my research began. Colin took some of the processed wood as his fee and used it for the top of the "raffle" guitar he made won by David Hutton (David Hutton) at the Halifax meet last September. He thought it rather good top wood so I decided to go for it.
Last October with my wife and youngest daughter I went to Barcelona for a few days where I did some more research at a luthier’s shop there:
So now I’m ready to go for it. The guitar will be called “El Xiprer” – Catalan for “The Cypress Tree”. Port Orford Cedar will be used for the top, back, sides, neck, linings and bracing with figured Bog Oak for the fingerboard, Coyote Wood (Platymiscium polystachium) for the bindings, end graft, heelcap and headplates, and Brazilian Rosewood for the bridge. Purflings will be black/ pear/ black. It will have a 650mm scale length and geared pegs for tuners. Having made a bending form for a Santos Hernandez guitar and inherited the Solara for it made by jonnymosco, this is the shape I will use for “El Xiprer”, but the bracing and everything else will be my design.
The first job is to join the thicknessed top and back using hot hide glue and the “tent” method:
The channel for the inlaid backstrip is routed out:
The backstrip is then glued in consisting of a Coyote wood central strip flanked each side with black/ pear / black and a rope purfling:
When the glue is dry the centre strip is scraped and sanded flush and the back cut close to final shape:
Since then I’ve wanted to make one of my own – my first nylon string guitar - and in 2013 I had to have a Lawson’s Cypress tree in my front garden cut down:
Having discovered that Lawson’s Cypress is a tonewood – Port Orford Cedar – similar to Spanish Cypress used for Flamenco Blanca guitars I had the contractors cut the main trunk into sections that could be cut into instruments sets:
In 2014 Colin Symonds (colins) kindly helped me process “The Tree” – here he is in the process:
And here’s me:
And here’s the result:
That was the birth of my idea to make a Flamenco Blanca guitar using as much wood as possible from “The Tree” and my research began. Colin took some of the processed wood as his fee and used it for the top of the "raffle" guitar he made won by David Hutton (David Hutton) at the Halifax meet last September. He thought it rather good top wood so I decided to go for it.
Last October with my wife and youngest daughter I went to Barcelona for a few days where I did some more research at a luthier’s shop there:
So now I’m ready to go for it. The guitar will be called “El Xiprer” – Catalan for “The Cypress Tree”. Port Orford Cedar will be used for the top, back, sides, neck, linings and bracing with figured Bog Oak for the fingerboard, Coyote Wood (Platymiscium polystachium) for the bindings, end graft, heelcap and headplates, and Brazilian Rosewood for the bridge. Purflings will be black/ pear/ black. It will have a 650mm scale length and geared pegs for tuners. Having made a bending form for a Santos Hernandez guitar and inherited the Solara for it made by jonnymosco, this is the shape I will use for “El Xiprer”, but the bracing and everything else will be my design.
The first job is to join the thicknessed top and back using hot hide glue and the “tent” method:
The channel for the inlaid backstrip is routed out:
The backstrip is then glued in consisting of a Coyote wood central strip flanked each side with black/ pear / black and a rope purfling:
When the glue is dry the centre strip is scraped and sanded flush and the back cut close to final shape:
Jo whoever he is.
