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Work as restarted

After a significant break - around 12months ive started working on the guitar again.

Its closed

(Above - Closed up and ready for trimming)

(Above - Trimmed, ready for bindings)

I had minor issue with tear out on the soundboar lower bout. Actually it was really just a split and all that was required was a small drop of glue and small bit of tape to glue it back into place (you can see the tape in the photo).

After trimming the guitar I noticed that the base of the guitar curves in ever so slightly where it joint is on both sides. Im guess this is beause I didnt radius the end block and have forced the curved ribs onto the flat end block leaving the humps. Another lessons learnt.

Next up is the bindings and im still deciding on whether to do it by hand using a purfling cutter and chisels or use the router. If I use the router Ill have to purchase a bearing set and make a jig for the router.

Im also having troubles working out what bindings and purflings to use as I have a few that I have purchased:

Bindings: Black (plastic), Maple w/ BWB
Purfling: BW (Plastic) and chequered (wood)

I think the decision will be easier once I have cut the binding channels so I can see how each combination looks.

Almost closed....

I had planned to get the 'box' closed this weekend but due to the hot weather tomorrow you wont find me out in the workshop.

Everything went reasonably smoothly. The linings could have been done a bit better as there were a few spots which werent flush to the ribs because I was just using standard close pegs which didnt have the required force to do the job. I ended up having to reglue a small section and reclap.

I will be purchasing a bunch of mini spring claps/clips to do the linings next build.

I spent a good hour getting the ribs to fit nicely over the harmonic bars and double checked the measurements across upper, lower bouts, waist and length to make sure I was going to have a symetrical guitar. I was shocked to find only measurement out was on waist on the treble side 2mm short. I fixed this by gluing an extension to the harmonic bar to push the ribs out the required 2mm. All other measurements checked out perfectly.. Pure accident.!!

I made a huge mess with the glue (on going problem I seem to have) but there was no way I was having my ribs staved of glue. After clapping them in place and knocking the wedges into place I madly got to work cleaning up all the glue.. I really need to work on my gluing before my next build.

 

I could have done a better job with the wedge shaping as there are a few gaps but regardless of the gaps both wedges are extremely tight fitting. Im not crushing the ribs but there is sufficient pressure to create a clean 'join' with the heel. 

Due to my initial failed attempt at thicknessing the back it left one side with some minor 'pits' that I couldnt sand out. To make matters worse the bulk of these 'pits' were under the soundhole. To make it look a bit better I filled the 'pits/holes' with a mixture of epoxy and Indian Rosewood dust, sanded it back and applied a coat of  some 'French Polish' I found in a cupboard. The inside will look smoother, its still not fantastic but a big improvement on what it was.

Ive given up trying to meet deadlines.. The guitar will be finished when its finished.  Too much work has gone into this to rush things now and screw everything up.

Excellent resource

I purchased a copy of  Ervin Somogyi - "Voicing a Guitar' DVD which is packed full of useful information.
It is not a how to build a guitar DVD nor is it a how to brace your soundboard , Ervin looks at how the guitar works, the structure of the guitar and how they influence sound . I found the DVD whilst answering some questions, it has also opened my curiousity and now want to learn more (dipoles, mono poles, tripods..etc) and experiment more.

If your new to guitar building it show be on the top of your shopping list.

Assembly Begins

Finally all those pieces of woods I order a few months ago are now starting to look like a guitar.

I spent nearly two days working on the bracing for the soundboard. By the time I cut the braces, sanded them, glued them (1 by 1) , shaped them, recorded tap tones and triple check measurements nearly two days was taken up. The measurements (stiffness, density, weight..etc) will be useful data to do comparisons against future builds.

Those who are formilar with the Bouchet plan will notice a few changes:

1. I did away with the circular soundhole reinforcement as I didnt have enough spruce to make a circle. Instead I went for 2 vertical grafs either sides of the soundhole.

2. The 2nd and 4th fan struts are supposed to pass through the lower harmonic bar in the plan but with the removal of the circular soundhole reinforment which these bars joined to I made an executive decision to stop them before the harmonics bar just like the others.

Its basically a tradional 5 fan braced design with the Bouchet bridge bar.

Before I could glue the neck to the soundboard I had to sharp the heel , make the wedgs for the rib joints and final shaping of the headstock. Big tick for all of those tasks. 

I dont really like how the headstock came out, its certainly not what I had in mind. I considered just rounding off the top with a dome as I found it difficult to get symetry. I managed to get it reasonable close, next build I will use a router and create a template.

The shape of my heel is a bit chunky but making it nice and slender would have meant reducing the surface area for the ribs to glue to.. For my first build I wanted to err on the safer side hence the chunky heel.

(Photo: the ruff cut wedges are there to protect the back of the heel when carving.)

Gluing of the neck and soundboard was uneventful. Everything stayed inline and is held in place with glue and 3 tiny nails.

I had hoped to get the linings glue onto the ribs but I didnt have enough claps/pegs to do the jobs.

 (Test run - checkin everything fits and lines up).

Everything is in order for next weekend, when if all goes well I should have a closed "box"..

Neck complete

I havent had as much time to work on the guitar as I had hoped so progress has slowed.

Finally, I have the neck at a stage that I can start assembly. I will eventually do a bit of fine tuning of the headstock design but that can wait as Im eager to get the assembly process underway.

 

As you can see from the pictures I have decided to use Romanillos' '2 wedge' method, rather than the tradional spanish method. Why? I wasnt confident in getting a nice 2mm cut at the correct angle. I practiced various methods but due to inconsistent results changed to the wedge option as it gives me room to make adjustments (file, sand, chisel..etc) to make a nice firm fit for the ribs. The tradional spanish method doesnt allow the freedom to fix any mistakes easily.

Also, you I discovered that the heel block I was supplied had a piece lamenated on the side. You can see the glue line and different grain pattern in the right hand side of  heel (photo - above left). Fortunately knowone will see this so its no big deal.

I also, vanished (sealed) the end of the heel to make it look better (as it is visible through soundhole) and reduce moisture absorption.

Another small but important job I managed to get out the way was cutting the soundhole.

Bracing of the soundboard has also started. I have glued the soundhole reinforcement strips and the 3 upper bout struts. I still need to finish cutting the rough fan struts and bridge bar/strut. Once I have all the struts in place I will start shaping them.
 
In preparation for gluing the fan braces/struts I made 2 claps that will reach across the solera into the middle of the soundboard (lower bout). Very simple design using an L shaped bracket, scrap pine and a few screws.
I need to making another 2 so I have 4 claps across the length of the brace as they need to be force into the dome in the solera. 

I mentioned previously that I had issues getting the right shape for the ribs i.e. middle bend.  Well not anymore.

My first attempt failed simply because I was worried about marking the wood or cracking the wood if I heated it too long. After watching a couple of youtube videos on bending again I realised I wasnt letting to wood heat up long enough to achieve the extra bend required for the tighter angle. Ive since been able to successfully complete the ribs. Now the ribs sit pretty much right on the plantila outline +/- 2-3mm..

Its more than likely going to be a couple of weeks before I work on the guitar again.. Im still hopeful of getting a closed box before Feb.