Members kwakatak Posted November 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted November 8, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted November 20, 2010 Author Members Share Posted November 20, 2010 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted November 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted November 24, 2010 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted November 28, 2010 Author Members Share Posted November 28, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudy2010 Posted November 29, 2010 Members Share Posted November 29, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted November 29, 2010 Author Members Share Posted November 29, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted December 17, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 17, 2010 Members Share Posted December 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted January 5, 2011 Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 ...guess I shouldn't mention that I'm about to try my hand (no pun intended) at the "Scary Sharp" method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poppytater Posted January 5, 2011 Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 Using sandpaper to sharpen your tools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 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!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted January 5, 2011 Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted January 5, 2011 Members Share Posted January 5, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 7, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well, I don't have a chisel just yet but cutting the bracing out of an Adirondack billet is on my upcoming to-do list. I practiced scary sharp on a cheap bench plane today but I think I'm still getting a feel for working with tools in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted January 7, 2011 Members Share Posted January 7, 2011 The nice thing about scary sharp tools is when you slip the nice clean cut heals faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 10, 2011 Sorry no pictures but I got a lot done last night: - fixed the tear out in my rosette...using a razor blade, a pair of tweezers, a pair of Joe Paterno's reading glasses to magnify and some CA glue. - cut out the sound hole...four passes with the Dremel just to be safe, but otherwise I'm feeling very comfortable with using one now. Now I have a cedar coaster to match the 6 rosewood ones I made doing the rosette. - cut out the outline of the sound board...it looks like a guitar now! My friend tried to have some fun with me by saying "it's a tradition to cut out your first soundboard with a razor blade" but I think he just didn't want to swap the blade on his band saw. The outline is a 1/2" proud and will be trimmed after I close the box and route the edges for binding/purfling. Now I need to transpose the bracing pattern from my acrylic template to the underside of the plate. - cut out the outline of the sides...but I messed up and they're not bookmatched. It's mahogany so it won't be terribly noticeable. I was trying trim to avoid a couple of small knot holes which will now be sanded off when I sand the radius on the kerfing later on. - split the bracing billet...now I have an edge to work from so that I can cut the rough (pre-chiseled) braces. My friend John gave me a push on this because I was nervous about screwing up. His answer was to ask for a rusty machete and a rusty hammer with a spalted handle. I'm surprised the hammer survived and that we didn't get tetanus! - pondered what I'm going to do regarding a back strip...I was thinking of doing a strip of EIR bound by BWB purfling (to match the rosette and binding) but I'm having second thoughts. I think I may do either a thin decorative strip or nothing at all. The back has a natural pattern to it that sort of resembles a wedge. Now I'm thinking of what to do on the next two sessions. For now I can cut out the rough bracing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 13, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 13, 2011 I've been working on cutting out the rough braces here at home. Scary sharp worked great on my cheap bench plane from Harbor Freight: If all goes well they'll be glued in and I'll get to use my friend's go-bar deck to do the job. I need to tweak my mold a little but after that I'll hopefully be bending the sides too! It's starting to get really exciting! BTW, I think I'm going to stick with a thin decorative strip for my back strip. I also need to learn how to make a laminated tail block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted January 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 14, 2011 I spent a half hour today cutting and planing the remainder of the usable sections of the billet: I don't know if you can see but the grain on certain parts of the billet were really wavy: BTW, I still have a lot to learn about gluing! Look at that blotchy job on a sanding surface no less. I was worried I wouldn't have enough for the upper transverse brace but it worked out. I even got all my finger braces. ... but I fell short for enough usable lengths to brace the back: Like I said though, the back's still a ways off. Not pictured is the optional X-braced pattern which I was hoping to try but I think fate has told me "not this time." That's OK with me though. I think ladder bracing will do just fine. ...now on to figuring out how to radius all the braces but the upper transverse brace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted January 14, 2011 Members Share Posted January 14, 2011 You have to get Somogyi's book before you carve those braces.One of the interesting things he says is that the upper transverse brace is purely structural, and that's where the active part of the top stops. In other words, do not taper the ends of that brace like every other builder does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Last night sure was educational. The jury's still out on whether it was successful or not. Getting everything lined up and set up: Bring it up to 222 and caaaaarefully (and slowly) clamp everything down: Watch the temperature so that it doesn't fluctuate much between 290 and 300 and switch the heat on and off four times: Then after an hour, take it out and caaaaarefully put it into the mold. Meanwhile get to work on the other side. There was a bit of confusion on this though. More on that later, but as for that success thing - well, I learned the hard way not to fool with things: DOH! *face palm* Hopefully all is not lost. A little fast-acting CA glue on the part of Mr. Kitchen and he may have pulled my bacon out of the fryer: ...now on to the other side. (to be continued) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 I watched Charles Fox (invertor of the bending machine) give a bending demo and break a side. He shrugged and said "that happens". Probably has nothing to do with the red and white can in the background - is that what you spritzed the sides with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Originally Posted by Freeman Keller I watched Charles Fox (invertor of the bending machine) give a bending demo and break a side. He shrugged and said "that happens". Probably has nothing to do with the red and white can in the background - is that what you spritzed the sides with? LOL! *waves hand* You didn't see that! mind trick> BTW, here's me putting the side in (pre-break) on the WRONG side of the mold. I noticed that the lower bout was kinda crooked and stupidly gave it a tug which resulted in the break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy Chaos Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Wow man, this thread is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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