davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 18, 2017 8:03:34 GMT
Bad news, good news - pretty much an everyday luthiers' life  The sides proved unsuitable for bending but I'm determined to use the back wood from the bureau. So I "phoned a friend" - Bob Smith of Timberline - who has sorted out a set of Old Cuban Mahogany sides for me from the same source as the neck wood. The good news is that the Road Trip "An Féa Caol" doesn't need to be a cutaway any more  That's what I like to see: that nothing-will-stop-me attitude shared by all guitar-makers, best summed up by the old Def Aoite (Dave White) adage: "No fears! I am going to! I can't fail!!" (Níl a fhios! agam cad tá tú! ag caint faoi!!). That's me - the Wild Man of the Woods |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 18, 2017 17:14:26 GMT
While I’m waiting for the new sides to arrive I’ve started work on the neck. The Cuban Mahogany neck blank has been thicknessed and 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:  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 19, 2017 16:00:06 GMT
The Cuban Mahogany sides have arrived and are really nice – here’s how they look after they have been thickness sanded:  Then it’s into the Fox-Bender with the heating blanket one side at a time. 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 When the temperature gets to 150°C the waist is cranked down about ¾ of the way down, the lower bout bent, then the upper bout and then the waist tightened fully down. I leave it hot for a couple of minutes to drive out the moisture then switch off and let it cool. I then give it another heat and cool cycle:  Here are the sides in the mould after being cut to length:  |
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colins
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Post by colins on Oct 19, 2017 16:04:22 GMT
That's one buttock clenching job out of the way. I've still got a B&S set from that tree. 
OK, now what are the numbers on the table all about?
Colin |
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R the F
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Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on Oct 19, 2017 16:22:41 GMT
Anthea Kool takes another step (or two) in the right direction. The unobliging bureau sides are already a distant memory.
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 19, 2017 16:37:17 GMT
Colin - The sides bent pretty easily thank goodness. The numbers are to help this old luthier fart remember where to fix holders for the body when I route the binding channels. Rob - indeed they are, but the bureau back lives on in all its glory and to complete a pretty good day the top and back were jointed using the "tent method" with hot hide glue:   |
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on Oct 19, 2017 19:28:29 GMT
This must have been a pretty classy bureau if the "back" is worth a second look. It's usually just a bit of old pine! Is it genuine 18th century, do you reckon?
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 20, 2017 7:19:42 GMT
This must have been a pretty classy bureau if the "back" is worth a second look. It's usually just a bit of old pine! Is it genuine 18th century, do you reckon? Do you mean the Bureau or the Mahogany? The Bureau is Edwardian - late 19th early 20th century. There was a lot of veneer covered pine on it but the sides and top shelf were solid. The mahogany from the sides was lovely - one displaying some quilt figure and the one for this guitar some nice flame figure. |
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R the F
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 1,135
My main instrument is: bandsaw
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Post by R the F on Oct 20, 2017 8:26:29 GMT
My mistake. I thought "bureau back" meant back of the bureau rather than guitar-back made from parts of the bureau. Now it's all becoming much clearer for me...
Incidentally, tables rather than bureaux (on ebay) are the way to go. lovely big sheets of inch-thick mahogany with nothing nasty to avoid. Unfortunately my bandsaw isn't deep enough to allow me to slice it easily for backs and sides and I lose a lot on my table-saw even using a narrow-kerf blade.
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 20, 2017 16:02:29 GMT
Incidentally, tables rather than bureaux (on ebay) are the way to go. lovely big sheets of inch-thick mahogany with nothing nasty to avoid. Unfortunately my bandsaw isn't deep enough to allow me to slice it easily for backs and sides and I lose a lot on my table-saw even using a narrow-kerf blade. Rob - I've got a bandsaw so if you get a mahogany table and need it processing bring it over and we can give it a go. I'm happy to accept my fee as some of the wood. A more leisurely day today working on the neck and tail blocks. The mahogany neck block is marked out and then has the bolt holes drilled:  Then 6mm holes are drilled for the carbon fibre flying-buttress rods:  The slot for the fingerboard extension support is cut and the fingerboard extension support is glued in using hot hide glue:  The lime tail-block has the Madagascan Rosewood end-graft glued on using hot hide glue:  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 22, 2017 12:15:40 GMT
The sides are then glued to the tailblock together with black / white/ black purflings using hot hide glue:  The sides are then glued to the neck block using fish glue:  Here’s the rim-set in the mould:  |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 22, 2017 15:37:20 GMT
As it is such a small narrow guitar I want to do something different with the rosette. The soundhole is going to be “bound” with mahogany. Firstly a Cuban Mahogany soundhole patch is cut to shape and glued on using hot hide glue and a caul:  Then a rosette channel is cut in the top down to the soundhole patch:   The Cuban Mahogany rosette ring and black/ white/ black outer purfling are test fitted and glued in using white pva glue:  Next a step is routed in the inner edge of the rosette and then the soundhole is routed out. This gives the look of a totally bound soundhole and the fingerboard edge will finish at the beginning of the step to give a complete Cuban Mahogany ring around the inner edge of the soundhole:  Here’s the result and the top has been cut close to the final shape:  |
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colins
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Post by colins on Oct 22, 2017 17:19:49 GMT
Very neat Dave I'm going to steal that idea. Love the figure on the top.
Colin
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Post by robmc on Oct 22, 2017 17:35:37 GMT
Having read that a few times I THINK I've got it  Looks great though, the Cyprus is a stunner |
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Oct 23, 2017 8:29:04 GMT
Colin - steal away Rob - Yes my description was a little confusing and I realised afterwards that without a step I could have finished the fingerboard a little short to give a full ring of mahogany. The step gives a 3D effect to the rosette - a tip of the hat to lute and early guitar rosettes - and should draw the eye more to the full mahogany ring - that's the theory anyway |
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The sides proved unsuitable for bending but I'm determined to use the back wood from the bureau. So I "phoned a friend" - Bob Smith of Timberline - who has sorted out a set of Old Cuban Mahogany sides for me from the same source as the neck wood. The good news is that the Road Trip "An Féa Caol" doesn't need to be a cutaway any more 
Jo whoever he is.
