davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 28, 2012 11:42:32 GMT
Or not  First get the bits you will need together:  Then thickness the East Indian Rosewood sides:  The sides are bent in the Fox-Bender with the heating blanket. The wood is given a very light spritzing of water, wrapped in brown paper and then put in the "sandwich" of slat, wood in paper, slat, blanket, slat. Turn the blanket on and let the wood get to around 140˚C then screw the waist down 2/3 of the way, bend the lower bout, bend the upper bout and finally fully screw down the waist. Then let it cook at 140˚C to drive out the moisture. Let it cool and heat it up for one more cycle:  Take the sides out of the bender, touch up the shape by hand on a hot pipe, trim to size and and place in the mould:  |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Nov 1, 2012 20:51:18 GMT
Looks really really easy, Dave, thanks for posting   Actually, I'm really looking forward to seeing how this progresses from start to finish. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2012 21:02:58 GMT
Brilliant work, Dave. Gotta build me one of those benders...I'm still using the hot pipe!!
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 3, 2012 14:37:59 GMT
Martin - thanks. Sam - hot pipe is a great skill to have but a heating blanket and from is a luxury. Next make an English lime tail-block and glue on the curly Australian Blackwood end graft and black/white/black purfling strips using hot hide glue. Glue the bass side is glued to the neck-blockagain using hot hide glue.  Repeat with the treble side:  The mahogany neck block is drilled for the bolt holes:  Next the sides are faceted and the holes for the 6mm carbon fibre flying buttress rods drilled. The slot for the fingerboard extension support has also been cut:  The fingerboard support is then fitted and glued in using hot hide glue:  Then the treble side is glued to the neck-block again using hot hide glue:  Finally the bass side is glued to the neck-block:  Here's the end-graft after tidying up:  Here's the rim-set in the mould:  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 9, 2012 12:19:04 GMT
The back of the rim-set was profiled both for the back curvature and for the reduction in height from the tail-block to neck-block. Next the mahogany reverse-kerfed linings are made:  Then the back linings are glued in using fish glue:   Then the top linings are glued in using fish glue after the sides have been profiled to match the top's curvature:   The linings make the rim-set rigid and it can come out of the mould. Next the mahogany side linings are notched into the linings and glued in with hot hide glue:  Then the carbon fibre rod flying-buttress braces are fitted and glued in:  Here's the completed rim-set:  |
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Nov 9, 2012 17:53:13 GMT
this is looking so good .... I can't wait to hear it! I've always fancied a mandocello which is, I know from conversations with Dave, a similar beast ... possibly brought to mind by, not just these build pics, but also that I'm off to see Show Of Hands tomorrow evening at The Lowry |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 16, 2012 22:03:16 GMT
Leo - yes they all have multi-course paired strings, just different scale lengths ;D The East Indian Rosewood back plates are thicknessed to around 3mm, the edges planed and the plates joined using the tenting method and hot hide glue:  The back is thicknessed to close to the final depth, cut close to the final shape and the bracing positions marked. The East Indian Rosewood central strip is glued in using hot hide glue.  The first European spruce X brace is then glued in in the go-bar deck using hot hide glue after notching and profiling the bottom surface to a 10' radius, followed by the second X brace:   Then the ladder braces are glued on in the go-bar deck using hot hide glue:   The East Indian Rosewood cap over the X braces is glued on using hot hide glue:  The braces are carved and the back "voiced" - basically I'm wanting to hear a clear musical ringing all over the back wherever I tap it and will remove material from the braces with a chisel and sandpaper until I get this:  The back linings are notched to accept the brace ends and the back is glued on using fish glue:  When the glue has dried, the back is trimmed flush with the sides using a laminate trimmer. Here's a view of the inside:  |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Nov 17, 2012 1:01:08 GMT
Lovely piece of rosewood, Dave I like the rosewood cap on the brace too. |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 27, 2012 9:02:11 GMT
Martin thanks. Now for the top. The European Spruce top is joined using the tenting method and hot hide glue:  The channel for the rosette is routed:  Then the rosette test fitted. The centre is an East Indian Rosewood ring made from off-cuts of the pack and this is flanked with bwb purflings. The rosette is glued in using white pva glue and when dry it is scraped and sanded flush:  Next the spruce soundhole patch is cut to shape and glued on using hot hide glue:  When the glue is dry the soundhole is routed out:  The European spruce spruce braces were prepared to just over 6mm wide. The top X braces were then profiled to a 13' radius, the notch cut in each brace and the braces glued in one at a time in the gobar deck using hot hide glue:  Then the Kingwood bridge patch is glued on in the go-bar deck using hot hide glue and a caul:  The A frame braces that are inlet into the neck block are glued on using hot hide glue:  The upper transverse brace has the hole drilled for truss rod adjustment access, is notched to go over the A frame braces and is glued on:  The spruce cap over the X brace is then glued on as a rub joint using hot hide glue:  Then the brace behind the bridge-plate:  Then the first tone-bar . . .  . . . then the second split tone bar is glued on:  Then the finger braces are glued on:  The top is "voiced" and when I am happy I signed and dated it:  Here's the braced and "voiced" top:  The notches for the brace ends are cut in the top linings and the top glued on using fish glue:  |
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Post by andrewjw on Nov 27, 2012 9:42:52 GMT
I've been following this detailed build thread with real interest...great pics and commentary..thanks for posting Dave. |
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Nov 28, 2012 17:36:46 GMT
Grrrrr.... And it's SO nearly Christmas... If I could just get a decent offer on one of the kids...
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Post by ocarolan on Nov 28, 2012 20:02:34 GMT
Grrrrr.... And it's SO nearly Christmas... If I could just get a decent offer on one of the kids... ... I believe they sell better in pairs Leo.... Keith |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2012 0:57:24 GMT
Grrrrr.... And it's SO nearly Christmas... If I could just get a decent offer on one of the kids... The market's fallen through since they closed the mills. I tried to sign the boy on as a midshipman, but no luck. He looks good in the sailor suit the Memsahib knitted for him though. Looks fantastic Dave. The world of fine instruments is a place I'll never tread, but I can still appreciate your craft and artistry. |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 29, 2012 9:41:35 GMT
Andrew and Pete - thanks. On with the binding. First the sound-port is cut and shaped and the hole for the fingerboard extension is cut:   The black/white/black side purfling and Curly Koa bindings are taped together and bent in the Fox-style bender:  Then it's out with "The Scutter" to cut the binding channels. The channels are first cut on the top the width of the linings and the depth of the linings plus side purflings. Some scrap pieces of the side purfling are stuck onto the top at the end graft with double-sided tape. The router rides on these to cut the rest of the binding channel. The channels are tidied up with a chisel and the side purflings can be mitred.:  Then the back binding channels were cut using the same process:  Next the router is set to cut the top purfling channels and these are routed out. Then the long task of making sure that the bindings and purflings fit in the channels and the channels adjusted accordingly with test fit after test fit until they do:  The top bindings and purflings were first glued in using fish glue:  Next the router is set to cut the back purflings and these are routed out.:  The back bindings and purflings are then glued in using fish glue:  Here's the box after the bindings have been scraped and sanded flush:  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Nov 30, 2012 8:46:58 GMT
On to the neck. The Mahogany neck blank has been thicknessed and now the scarfe joint for the peghead is cut on the bandsaw. The headstock pieces are trued and then glued using hot hide glue and this clamping jig:  The next job is to route the truss rod slot.:  The two-way truss rod is checked for fit in the slot and is then glued in with a mahogany cap using fish glue:  The next job is to route the slots for the carbon fibre bars:  The carbon fibre bars are then glued in using fish glue:  The East Indian Rosewood headstock veneer has the nut edge sanded at an angle to match the headstock to neck-shaft angle and then it's glued on using fish glue:  The East Indian Rosewood back-strap for the headstock was bent on the hot-pipe and glued on using fish glue:  The headstock is drilled for the tuner holes and shaped:  Next the pieces for the stacked heel are cut and glued up using hot hide glue:  Then the after routing a rebate slot where the threaded inserts will go the stacked heel was glued on using hot hide glue:  The neck heel is sanded to fit the body, then the positions for the threaded inserts are marked, the holes drilled and the inserts fitted:  The heel is cut on the bandsaw:  Next the Ebony fretboard is thicknessed, the fret positions marked out and the fret slots cut:  Next the sound-hole end of the fretboard is cut to match the soundhole (after allowing for binding) using my circle cutter jig:   The fretboard is going to be bound with Curly Eucalyptus with a black/white black side purfling and the soundhole end binding was bent on the hot-pipe and glued on using fish glue:  When the glue is dry the binding is trimmed flush with the sides and then the side bindings are glued on:  The neck is screwed on to the body and the alignment checked together with the fingerboard fit. Then he initial shaping of the heel is done and the sides of the neck checks made flush with the body sides. Then the fingerboard is glued on using fish glue:  The heel is cut ready for the heel-cap. Two 6mm holes are drilled for 6mm carbon fibre rods to be inserted to stiffen the heel. The rods are glued in using fish glue:  Now it's one of my favourite parts - neck carving. First the overhang is trimmed flush with the fretboard and then the neck is marked into three facets per side. Here the primary facet on each side has been carved using a spokeshave and cabinet scraper. The other facets are then carved and the neck bootstrap sanded with a sanding belt off-cut:  The next step is to make and fit the East Indian Rosewood heel-cap with black/white/black veneers to match the side purflings:  The fretboard is levelled checking for straightness with the straight edge. Then the frets are pressed in:  Here's the fretted neck tested for fit on the body:  |
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Jo whoever he is.
