gonna build myself an archtop

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by MahaloVision

Tap and flex, and remember that everything changes once it's on the rims, then continues to change throughout the scraping of the recurve, sanding, and finishing. If you're up for losing your hearing, annoying your neighbors, and bouncing glitter, then you might want to dig up some of Al Carruth's articles in the GAL's "American Lutherie".

 

not much flexing yet, as i still have the back side to hollow out.

yea...the recurve...that's the part that makes me nervous as i think ahead.

at that time both plates are glued to the sides & i will have lost the ability to mike the parts for thickness.

bob said one of the most common mistakes with rookie builders is making the plates too thin.

as he's tuning the plates after the glue-up he's putting thumb pressure on the bridge area checking for flex.

coolest thing tho...when he was done with the body, but before fitting the neck, he had it sitting upright on a bench tapping on the bridge area & the sound coming out of that thing was just huge!!!

i will check out those articles.

a question...i don't have my top wood yet.

i don't want to spend $150 on primo spruce for the first one for obvious reasons.

i've been unable to find any red cedar locally in the dimensions needed.

i've read that some builders use poplar on some of their builds...i have found this wood in adequate size.

i had a 2nd piano that i basically gave to a friend just to get it out of the way.

wish i had it back, i'd seriously consider breaking it down for the spruce in it's soundboard.

any suggestions?

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by Samilyn

Threads like this make me feel totally ignorant.

But then again, I already knew that I am.

 

one of my main theories in life has been...if i can't dazzzel em with brilliance, i try to baffel em with b.s.

[MahaloVision]

 

 

 

 

 

i don't want to spend $150 on primo spruce for the first one for obvious reasons.

 

 

 

 

You might as well. You're going to invest tons of time and effort into the project anyway, so you'll feel foolish skimping on the top wood when your'e done. If anything, just settle for lower grade spruce. Check out Alaska Specialty Woods - I've ordered from them before, and they always turn out great.

[Ugaman72]

I've used Alaska SpecialtyWoods before. Great people. Here's a link to their archtop tonewoods. Great prices. Even have some yummy cedar or A grade spruce.

http://www.alaskawoods.com/products....ry=Non-figured

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by Ugaman72

I've used Alaska SpecialtyWoods before. Great people. Here's a link to their archtop tonewoods. Great prices. Even have some yummy cedar or A grade spruce.

http://www.alaskawoods.com/products....ry=Non-figured

 

thanks!

grade A non-figured sitka wedges for $35.

that's way cheaper than anything else i've found.

[meandi]

i was thinking about up-coming tasks for the archtop while working on the final contouring of the back plate.

although i consider benedetto pretty much the definative authority on the archtop in it's current evolvement, i've been doing research online & found this idea for a heat source for side bending.

if it works ok i have saved myself $180.00 on the cost of a commercial bending iron.

felt compelled to make a trial run to determine it's effectiveness.

pipe is leftover from the carving cradle.

industrial heat gun is a remnant from my automotive days.

that's definately hot enough to convert water to steam for the bending process.

i know the wet wood is going to absorb heat from the pipe & if it gets too cool to be effective, i figgure that by shortening the pipe (reduce the mass) to the width of the side wood i can produce more heat for the process.

if it gets too hot on a shorter pipe i can then turn the heat gun down.

[MahaloVision]

I've got a side bending machine that I use when I can. For others, I just stick a propane torch inside a thing I made from some black pipe and a nipple from Lowes. Basically the same thing you see in the Cumpiano book.

[meandi]

feeling pretty good about the configuration of the back plate.

i've worked it to fit the templates quite closely.

although there will be some final shaping as the recurve is scraped, after the plates are glued to the sides.

this is now the reference for hollowing the inside of the plate.

lotta time invested right here!

layout showing location/size of the neck/tail blocks & perimeter area which will remain flat for gluing to the linings around the sides.

pointer on fixture will follow closely the contours of the plate as excess material is drilled out.

set the depth stop on the drill press & go to it...

leaving this.

excess material can now be quickly removed with a chisel & mallet.

then back to the palm plane, scrapers & the thickness indicator previously built.

[meandi]

just came from the piano.

when i was in the early stages of carving the outer arch it was tapping a muddy G# above middle C.

at this point it is a B below middle C, & the tone is cleaning up a lot.

it is becoming quite flexy when held on the center line at the neck & butt end.

when flexed across the center line it is still pretty stiff.

still have where the tip of the pilot point drill bit was in the wood...so a good 1/16" to go on that.

where the bit did not cut into the wood just inside the perimiter line, the wood is less than the 1/4" thickness that the drill stop was set to, but greater than the 3/16" thickness of the edge flange.

[Davgar97]

This is looking great so far, thanks for sharing you progress.

I attempted a build a couple of years ago but it didn't go well, I gave up half way through the build because I wasn't happy with the progress I was making. But following this almost makes me want to have another go.

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by Davgar97

This is looking great so far, thanks for sharing you progress.

I attempted a build a couple of years ago but it didn't go well, I gave up half way through the build because I wasn't happy with the progress I was making. But following this almost makes me want to have another go.

 

you can do it if you want to badly enough!

in my signature there is a line that goes: education...how ya gonna know what to do...unless ya know what to do.

in one of the early posts in this thread i mentioned that i have been studying benedettos book & dvd series, off & on while i was working on other projects for a year before i began to build the thing.

i acquired some materials & tools i knew i would need to acomplish this task during this time of study, but my focus was primarially on establishing a clear mental picture in my mind of what i wanted to do & how i was going to do it.

even with a clear picture there have already been times in this project where i have had to stop, step back & take another look.

good example...using the palm plane on a piece of wood where, by the very shape of it, there is end grain exposed everywhere.

i'm having to learn how to work with the wood in the carving operation rather than against it.

go for it!

[meandi]

am in the mood today for something other than sitting static with the tedium of carving/checking templates.

so decided to cut the truss rod & the carbon fiber chanels in the neck ...something to do so i can move around a little.

i've been using this jig concept in one format or another, depending on the neck, on every neck i've ever performed this procedure on.

the angle steel not only pulls the 1x4 platforms straight, they also act as cutting guides for the router.

on longer necks i employ a 3rd set of uprights under the platforms for added stability.

dig out some router bits & it's ready to go.

[melandy]

 

Originally Posted by meandi

...so decided to cut the truss rod & the carbon fiber chanels in the neck...

 

Howdy. I have a couple of questions about the carbon fiber rods you are going to use...

Do you always use the carbon fiber rods, or does it depend on how much string tension the neck in question will have to support? Does the thickness and width of the rod vary with the guitar, or do you stick with a standard size?

Thanks,

-A

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by melandy

Howdy. I have a couple of questions about the carbon fiber rods you are going to use...

Do you always use the carbon fiber rods, or does it depend on how much string tension the neck in question will have to support? Does the thickness and width of the rod vary with the guitar, or do you stick with a standard size?

Thanks,

-A

 

by volumn they are stronger than steel.

they add no discernable weight...i can't feel the weight of a pair of them in my hand.

they don't react to climatic/temperature variations...that's one of the phenoms of the carbon fiber acoustic guitars now on the market.

in my experience, given these two plusses when installed along with a double action truss rod, they help produce a stable, strong neck than is very controlable.

it has taken less truss rod adjustment added to every neck i have built this way to compensate for string loads.

i own necks that, once set up, have never needed further adjustment.

so based on all of this, i use them in every neck...whether scratch built, or those i have removed the fingerboard from for repairs.

the rods are available from stew mac in a couple of sizes, but i use the .200" x.250" size.

[meandi]

since i'm going to veneer the headstock, i decided to run the c.f. rods through the volute area into the headstock for added strength.

[meandi]

this is the neck extension that will be attached to the body end of the neck after the dovetail has been cut.

the neck joins the body at the 14th fret...the extension will support the fingerboard over the body from the 14th throuth the 21st fret.

i think this is the headstock shape i'm going to use, it's simple & somewhat linear in it's design.

has the traditional look without all the gingerbread & curliques that i see on a lot of headstocks on this type guitars.

it is also dimensionally proportinate to the size of the instrument without being overwhelming in it's size.

that's the one thing i really don't like about the la venezia model which i'm using as my inspiration for this project, is the oversized headstock.

[reachjkh]

The backplate's looking great! I can't wait to hear this guitar.

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by reachjkh

The backplate's looking great! I can't wait to hear this guitar.

 

thanks for the compliment...i appreciate it.

[meandi]

in one respect this post has nothing to do with building a guitar.

on the flip side it has everything to do with the building process.

if your tools are not sharp, you're dealing with a massive exercise in frustration!

the palm plane is the first cutting tool i've owned that doesn't have a straight cutting edge.

after cutting the arch on the back plate & some work on the inside of the plate it became obvious that the edge on the plane needed to be refreshed.

i found a couple of fixtures for sale for radiused edges, but wanted to find a way to keep it sharp without spending $50/$75 to do so.

found a multi-page web site on sharpening where the author suggested what i've illustrated in this set of photos.

i don't have unlimited funds to play with, so anytime i can save a dollar on something it leaves that dollar available for something else...fingerboard/top woods etc.

used the french curve to cut a radius in the block that matches the edge of the plane blade.

used double-stick tape to attach a piece of 2000 grit paper to the block.

notice the complete contact of the blade edge with the paper.

dressing the back side of the blade.

the 2000 grit actually is more of a polish on the steel, as it leaves no marks... just a burnished sheen.

works well...it'll shave the hair off my arm & that's sharp enough.

[MahaloVision]

That'll work. For the palm plane iron, I just do it freehand. For the violin planes, I made a crude blade holder that allows me to rock it side to side when sharpening. Otherwise those blades are too small to hold while freehanding.

[meandi]

 

Originally Posted by MahaloVision

That'll work. For the palm plane iron, I just do it freehand. For the violin planes, I made a crude blade holder that allows me to rock it side to side when sharpening. Otherwise those blades are too small to hold while freehanding.

 

on the dome side of a plate the radius in the waist is too tight for the palm plane, i'm thinking one of the smaller finger planes would be the ticket for that area.

how'd the guitar show go that you were prepping the V for?

[meandi]

every trace of where i drilled out the back is gone.

that was a safety net of sorts in that as long i could see vestages of drill bit, i knew i was still in the safe zone.

i'll measure the entire plate with the thickness guage & mark the readings on the plate.

the drill stop was set at 1/4"...final dimension other than the recurve is 3/16".

measure, mark, scrape etc....carefully.

i'm way too deep into this piece of wood to not do it cautiously & correctly at this point.

there is a feeling of satisfaction in having gotten to this point...to have manifested the patience to do it right without cutting corners.

[meandi]

the projects for the weekend are to build the jig for tapering the back of the neck with the safety planer, the router jig for cutting the dovetail on the end of the neck & the router jig for cutting the rabbet joint for attaching the neck extension to the neck.

all of these procedures require that the 4 1/2 degree angle from the neck top to the heel of the neck be accurate & that the face of the neck heel be 90 deg. to the sides of the neck.

so that is the immediate project.

checking to verify that the angle of the platform to the sanding disc is at 90 deg.

also re-verified the angle on the angle guage as well.

looks good.

looks good as well.

[meandi]

tapering jig has a block glued to the end where the neck heel buts up to it for location.

hard maple was sized to fit snugly in the truss rod channel for side to side location.

standard neck taper is 3/32" between 3rd & 10th fret.

i located those, transfered down to the jig & drew a line from 3, which is the edge of the bottom side of the jig, through 10 which is 3/32 up & on through to the end.

i put it on the belt sander & cut it to the line.

the truss rod is 7/16" deep in the neck & for strength requires 3/16" of neck material beneath.

i located the nut location & marked for 5/8" as the cut line from the top of the neck, put it under the safety planer & cut the taper with the wedge shape of the jig giving me the desired taper from one end of the neck to the other.

one step closer to stringing er up.

[meandi]

progress on the dovetail jig.

base wood is a hard maple table leaf that my wifes mom had when she was a kid...50 yrs ago...well seasoned, no doubt.

no idea where the table went but this piece has been in my 40% humidity shop for a couple of years now, just waiting for the right use.

mostly made up of narrower strips laminated together.

hard maple locater tabs as on the tapering jig.

this will be the router platform at the end of the neck.

there was one section that was suitable for neck blanks so i salvaged them for a future build.

beautiful quarter sawn grain orientation when in the vertical position.

thick enough to mill the old finish off & still have plenty of thickness.