Members Ugaman72 Posted June 17, 2008 Members Share Posted June 17, 2008 I'm already impressed. You're already further along than I got when I wanted to build myself a flattop. I'm hooked..subscribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brahmz118 Posted June 18, 2008 Members Share Posted June 18, 2008 Originally Posted by mikeSF hey brahmz, i forgot to ask you how you are enjoying your Verri and if you have any clips you can share? I'm loving it, thanks for asking. It will probably be a few decades before I can play anything at your level , but this guitar is really satisfying for just about any style of music. I'm working on a few simple chord melody pieces that I hope to record soon. Stay tuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 ready for glue.the photo in my previous post shows multiple layers of maple spread across the neck blank as in my purpleheart project.upon reflection i decided i would do this in a more traditional manner by using only a center line maple laminate strip, due to the type guitar being built.wood has been washed with acetone to eliminate any skin oils.witness lines have been drawn with a square to expedite proper positioning of the blanks once the adhesive has been spread.wax paper prevents the neck blank from being stuck to my work surface.many clamps insure a consistant compression of the stack.small square sat against bench top & against the side of the neck blank verified that the bundle was remaining square as clamps were applied.once the wet glue is in place there is a tendancy for the pieces to squirm around as clamps are tightened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crab_Cake Posted June 22, 2008 Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 this is exhilarating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 Originally Posted by Crab_Cake this is exhilarating. i know...hope i never grow up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crab_Cake Posted June 22, 2008 Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 I have 2 questions for you Meandi, 1: why a laminate neck? any differences other than looks to a solid neck? (this is a dumb one) 2:why are all acoustic necks either mahogany or maple? do the different woods affect tone? are there other reasonable choices for neck woods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 Originally Posted by Crab_Cake I have 2 questions for you Meandi, 1: why a laminate neck? any differences other than looks to a solid neck?(this is a dumb one)2:why are all acoustic necks either mahogany or maple? do the different woods affect tone? are there other reasonable choices for neck woods? the theory is that a laminate neck is stronger & more stable to climatic/temperature change due to differences in the way the grain patterns run individualy within the neck as a whole.makes sense to me.another theory is that a good glue joint is stronger than the material on either side of it.broken headstocks on guitars i have repaired that have scarf joints at that area on the neck always seem to have broken on one side of the glue line or the other.a reason that is relevant to this project is this is my first archtop...thusly i'm building as inexpensively as possible so i don't cry over the cost of materials lost if i make a serious mistake.both the mahogany & maple in this neck are remnants left over from previous projects.lastly, i find them more visually attractive than one piece necks.maple & mahogany do seem to be the most popular.benedetto, whos book/dvds i'm using as my information source for this says he builds primarially out of maple due to tradition...most of his clients want it.however, he also says that he feels a mahogany neck on a lightweight archtop body is acoustically superior.also the mahogany being lighter makes it easier to build a balanced instrument weight-wise front to back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 22, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2008 the archtop guitar top & back plates vary in thickness from 1/4" in the bridge area & graduate to 1/8" in the area of the recurve out by the edge.this generates a definate need to accurately measure thickness at any place on the top/back plates.my son (a 30 year player & busy giging musician) has already informed me that he wants one of these once i get it all figgured out.so i decided to invest a little time & fabricate a nice measuring device that will endure.here is the layout on a piece of black walnut with the accessories.the hole for the dial indicator & the bottom pointer need to be linear, so drilled this hole first.clamped a couple of pieces of 2x6 on either side of the walnut to give a wider footprint for stability & adjusted with the square untill vertical.why spend $100 on a mfd. item when a little "yankee ingenuity" will serve just as well?glued a couple of bone nut blanks together & dimensioned them to fit the hole previously bored through the walnut.rounded to a dome shape where it is against the shaft from the indicator.bone is hard enough to last forever in this application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 23, 2008 ok, i have a neck blank.going to flatten & true the surface on the belt sander.since there is no vertical guide on this machine to keep the sides square to the work surface, i move slowly checking with a machinist square frequently to assure the side/top relationship is precise.notice the dust collecter attachment at the end of the sanding belt.i also always wear hearing protecter muffs to cut out the noise of the vacuum.save your ears for the music!!square & straight as verified with square & straight edge.have also measured & marked for fingerboard end at headstock end of neck & for the top of the heel of the neck at the other end.the heel of the neck is at a 4 1/2 degree angle to neck top.i use the calibrated angle finder to determine proper angle & transfer that to the heavier instrument for marking as it has an edge that sits securely on the top of the neck surface helping to insure accuracy.angle transfered to side of neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2008 Originally Posted by C70man Great Project!share some of your hardships/mistakes. i don't yet have a joiner in my shop...one of the main reasons is i don't know just where i would put it in my little 120sq.ft. shop room.these are the two pieces of 1"thick x 9"wide mahogany for the back plate of the guitar.they must have a straight, square edge for a proper join for glue without using excessive clamping pressure to pull them together.their isn't enough area to hold them accurately against the pull of the grit on the belt sander, as when i surfaced the top of the neck blank.so i do this procedure by hand.i squared them to the work surface with clamps & threw together a simple fixture to hold them.actual surfacing work was done with an old horse-shoe rasp left from my wrangler days.it is long & wide enough to bridge low spots & remove only the high areas... quite accurate when used with care & awareness.i then made a few passes with a long, wide sanding block loaded with 80 grit paper to give a little texture for the glue to grab.with a joiner this would have taken just a few seconds...i have close to an hour invested...jiging, surfacing & checking with square/straight edge.but it's good to go.at times there is a certain thereputic value in doing things the old way, by hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZURDA Posted June 24, 2008 Members Share Posted June 24, 2008 Nice updates, just makes me think of how hard it must be for Luthiers to part with an instrument once it's complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2008 Originally Posted by ZURDA Nice updates, just makes me think of how hard it must be for Luthiers to part with an instrument once it's complete. most of the guitars in my collection were bought needing work to make them playable.i've had offers to sell a couple of them that i just could not let them go.kinda like marrying off one of your kids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2008 vertical clamps at either end are under pipes on bottom clamps to keep the joint from buckling upward on the ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 my home-brew resaw fence.just like on the thickness measuring fixture i built for the top/back plates, i have saved myself dollars by thinking & utilizing my on-hand resources.i am cutting the strips for the sides of the body 3/16" even though final dimension will be 3/32".the blade i use on my saw is more of a utility blade that has pretty agressive teeth which leave marks that must be milled out.also when i relax my grip to get a fresh hold as i'm feeding the material through the saw it tends to wander slightly.so i'd rather cut big & give myself plenty of room to dress it down than have to trash a piece due to it being too thin.even at that, i can get 3 full sets of side wood from a 36"x6"x3/4" piece of mahogany.thats pretty good for a $10 board. at this time i'm scratching my brain to figgur out a thicknessing fixture for the belt sander that will allow me to reduce the time involved in thinning the side stock down to final dimension.see what i can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZURDA Posted June 25, 2008 Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 Originally Posted by meandi vertical clamps at either end are under pipes on bottom clamps to keep the joint from buckling upward on the ends. I guess there's no biscuits in that joint? Just wonder if dowels and biscuits are a big no, no in guitar building. Oh and is that piece for the back of the body of the guitar(post 38)? If so then that's a lot of material to remove.Thx for the update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BROLEX Posted June 25, 2008 Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 you certainly have the tools for the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 Originally Posted by ZURDA I guess there's no biscuits in that joint? Just wonder if dowels and biscuits are a big no, no in guitar building. Oh and is that piece for the back of the body of the guitar(post 38)? If so then that's a lot of material to remove.Thx for the update. i used dowels when i attached the body wings on my purpleheart neckthrough.wood for flat top acoustics is .095-.100 thick, the top & back plate for an archtop is only 1/4 thick in the bridge area tapering to 1/8 in the recurve out by the edge.not much room for biscuits.yep, thats the wood for the back.1" thick, & you are right it's a lot of wood to remove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 Originally Posted by Chuck Norris you certainly have the tools for the job! been collecting guitar tools for about 10 yrs now.adds up with time.i'm not into cars or boats or photography etc.so probably no more cost for a hobby than several other areas of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 back plate out of the clamps.time to build a carving cradle to hold it while shaping is done.solved my own delema on thicknessing the side wood when i remembered that i have a safety planer.slaps self on forehead.interesting that it leaves a ghost tool mark as it is used that is barely perceptable to feel, maby .001".i'm leaving the strips about .015 thicker than spec for sanding out tool marks & prepping for finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted June 25, 2008 Members Share Posted June 25, 2008 Geez... I want a safety planer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 Originally Posted by guitarist21 Geez... I want a safety planer. at $40.00+- a $ or 2, a good buy.i've had it about a year...bought it to surface the headstocks on my walnut/purpleheart projects...put it away & forgot it untill i was thinking about thinning the side wood for this project.in fact, i have an idea for a fixture for planeing the wood for the top plate on this guitar...see how it works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 carving cradle.back/top blanks will be lightly clamped in place for carving.high dome side is cut first.sides of cradle are deep enough to accomodate the domed area when blank is flipped for dishing into the back side.a quick tour of my little shop room.real cozy...could really use a little more room to keep me from tripping over things when i move around at times.but i'm real glad to have what i've got!working in here is great therapy plus it keeps me out of the little womans way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZURDA Posted June 26, 2008 Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 Is the picture you have pined up on the shelf in the background what your aiming for when you finish this project?http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...htop/shop1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 Originally Posted by ZURDA Is the picture you have pined up on the shelf in the background what your aiming for when you finish this project?http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...htop/shop1.jpg yes, that's my inspiration for this project.he calls it the la venezia.i like the violin type finish on it, should be easy to accomplish over the mahogany i'm using which is somewhat of a redish color to begin with.i've never been a fan of "bling" on guitars & this model has no binding on it which i find most attractive.if i were to bind it it would have to be wood rather than plastic for more of an organic, monochromatic vibe.he uses an oversized head stock on this one, i think on mine that will be replaced with a smaller one of a more traditional size.interestingly, he uses an ebony nut for this guitar rather than bone...must be using flatwounds on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted June 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 27, 2008 still doing prepratory work.thankfully, i'll only have to go through this phase once.get the jigs/fixtures done i can jump right into the next one.i'm getting antsy to actually be doing some guitar building on this thing!arching templates were included with the book & are being attached via double stick tape to 1/8" maple for longevity.f-hole template is being attached to a thin sheet of mylar as it is extremely tough & flexable & will conform to contours of top.f-hole template is laid out so that when the left edge is aligned with center line on the top plate & the horizontal line lays on the centerline of the bridge, proper placement of the f-hole on the top will be achieved.flip it over & do the other side.i'm going to have to spend some $s at this point...i need a good plane with a convex sole for dealing with the contours involved...that's $100+.i don't consider tools/equipment as cost on any particular project as they are used later on other jobs.to date, my cost on the archtop is $60 for the mahogany for the back & for the side wood.however for that price i've got 3 sets of side wood & enough material to do another back plate.so all in all, a pretty reasonably priced instrument so far.not to mention all the funnnnn i'm havin'!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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