Acoustic Guitars

[kwakatak]

Originally Posted by Freeman Keller

If you can wait a couple of days I can send you some (I assume you are talking about the teflon). I'm at work right now and can't send it until tomorrow, overnight FexEx would have it to you wednesday or thursday at the latest. If you want to do that PM me your snail mail addy.

That was always a big frustration for me - I would get to the point where I needed something and have to order it with fast delivery - sometimes the shipping was more than the price.

Well, this is a diversion from my true frustrations so no big deal really. It doesn't look like I'm going to get to this before Friday so I'll PM you the details.

[kwakatak]

Not much else to report other than I wanted to take some time to pat myself on the back. I'm finally getting the hang of that little band saw.

The other day I screwed up a 32" long template (for the side) when I got carried away with a sanding spindle on my hand drill. Technically it wasn't too big a deal since the template is a guide with area marked off where the wood will be sanded off anyway but I'm a perfectionist and I know where to score acrylic scrap so I decided to do the template over. The night before last I got a piece big enough and traced the template out again. Then yesterday while I was home alone with my 3 year-old (who's very needy and curious) I managed to sneak away and trim it on the band saw.

It took 5 minutes and came out nearly perfect - maybe 1/32" in a couple of places. Nothing too bad to risk the freehand sanding rig anyway. I may take my cheap little hand-held belt sander and carefully trim the areas flush - then again maybe not. I'm thinking it's close enough.

Meanwhile it's almost time to start thinking about cutting up some spruce billets for bracing. That band saw is going to see more use and I'm not afraid of it anymore. In fact I'm glad I have it. I could use some clamps though.

[10ae1203]

One can never have enough clamps.

[kwakatak]

After the grand rosewood rosette fiasco a week ago John snapped some pics:



Yes, I have a set of coasters, but what I really have plans for is that ring. I'm pretty happy with that western red cedar top too though!

He's either proud that we gouged up his $10 postal office table or perturbed. I can't tell:

[kwakatak]

Well, it's been a couple of weeks but I I finally made it back out to the official Kitchen Guitars workshop. His day gig has kept him busy and my life is literally insane. It felt good to get back though because the wind was just about out of my sails.

We didn't do anything worthy of reporting other than to say that I had to redo my rosewood donut because the first one wasn't all that clean. This time I went with a fatter thickness to the ring and gave several passes with the dremel adding a little more depth each time so that I got a cleaner cut. It took a long time but I feel better-acquainted with the tool and hope to get back soon to finish the rosette and cut the soundhole - which I'm told takes several passes in a similar fashion.

In the meantime, I have the outline on my top marked and have a starting point to go from with my rosette. It's not much, but it's progress nonetheless.

[kwakatak]

10+ days since my last entry. Nothing new to report other than shopping for wood for my neck and body binding. I made and bought some clamps from Harbor Freight and may go back for some cheap tools to at least do home improvement stuff.

[kwakatak]

Bump.

3 weeks now 'n I'm gettin' antsy. I've been making luthier clamps (I made 4 of them with 12" oak shafts) and picking up cheap tools at the local Harbor Freight. You builder types weren't kidding about this being a sickness.

Somewhere out there knockwood is building his 000-18. I wonder how it's going?

[kwakatak]

Probably a waste of time but I bought a piece of Honduran mahogany from a local lumber yard today. I figure it's big enough and the grain is good enough that I can get a couple of outlines of the neck cut out for the main part of a laminated neck:




Meanwhile, here are some pics of those luthier clamps I made out of red oak. I did most of the cutting with a gents' saw and that cheap yellow miter box but when I had to use my band saw to cut the slot for the jaws it was nearly too hard for the blade to handle without scorching the wood. Note that I made handscrew versions. I tried to do the type that uses a quick-action cam but the bandsaw wouldn't cooperate for my first attempt and the subsequent attempts required less measuring. Live and learn.



Anyway, they seem to work well enough. Just a few twists and they hold pretty firm:


BTW, I had a little help today:

[kwakatak]

I was over at Kitchen Guitars last night and got the rosette half-done. There was a little tear out with the Dremel but nothing too bad. I got the outer ring installed and just have to the main ring with is a rosewood donut framed with BWB purfling strips.

[cloudy2010]

Originally Posted by kwakatak

I was over at Kitchen Guitars last night and got the rosette half-done. There was a little tear out with the Dremel but nothing too bad. I got the outer ring installed and just have to the main ring with is a rosewood donut framed with BWB purfling strips.

Kitchen Guitars ? Interesting for sure.

[kwakatak]

Originally Posted by cloudy2010

Kitchen Guitars ? Interesting for sure.

Yeah, that's my friend's name and he's starting up a lutherie business on the side. He's letting me use his tools - under close supervision. I still have all my fingers - so far.

[kwakatak]

I got to do a little more work on my rosette last night and it's still not done. I have to sand the purfling flush to the soundboard and go back and fill some gaps. We'll see how it looks once everything's sanded down. Worst case scenario is that I have to redo or add more purfling strips. Sorry no pics. It ain't pretty anyway; I went a little overboard with the CA glue (aka superglue) but I should be fine since everything was already coated with shellac; when wood absorbs it it tends to cause a "halo" after the finish is applied.

BTW, I've been thinking of resawing that board of mahogany that I bought locally. Even though it's rift sawn the grain is close enough to quarter sawn on one half of it that I could use it as the shaft for a neck blank and cut a scarf for headstock. All I'd need would be a block for the heel.

[DeepEnd]

Originally Posted by SaniyaW

Wow. A handmade guitar. I wish I could build one too.. I just bought my second guitar recently along with other stuff using the cash advance I took out. And that guitar is pretty costly. I think building an instrument from scratch is way too awesome. I should have thought of this. Whew. Anyway, good luck on this project.

Wow. First post and it contains a link to a cash advance outfit. Reported as potential spam.

[kwakatak]

It's been slow going because of the holidays but the rosette is 99% done. There's just a little bit of filling to do; the cedar tore out on the outer ring where the bit dug into the grain.

[Queequeg]

Originally Posted by kwakatak

Yeah, that's my friend's name and he's starting up a lutherie business on the side. He's letting me use his tools - under close supervision. I still have all my fingers - so far.

I worked my way through college for a builder in southern Ohio. We built small houses and duplexes. I did rough carpentry. Which is to say, I didn't lay brick, didn't do electrical or plumbing and didn't do roofing. An old timer there told me that I couldn't call myself a carpenter so long as I had all ten fingers.
That was my last construction job.
Be very careful, Kwak.
Django notwithstanding, you'll need all of those little guys when you finish this project.

[kwakatak]

...guess I shouldn't mention that I'm about to try my hand (no pun intended) at the "Scary Sharp" method?

[poppytater]

Using sandpaper to sharpen your tools?

[kwakatak]

Yeah. This video shows a brief demonstration on a bench plane blade before he puts it to use:



I'm going to experiment with the results on a kitchen table that my kids have ruined with silverware. It's been a pet peeve of mine and I want to do something to show my wife that I'm a real man (arr arrr arrrrrr!)

[guitarist21]

My internet is lousy and I can't see any of these pictures or videos! I am totally making a trip to the public library this afternoon.

[Freeman Keller]

Originally Posted by poppytater

Using sandpaper to sharpen your tools?

Yeah baby! A scary sharp chisel is a joy in the hand and watching the shaving peel off of a brace is really fun.