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Searls Guitars 2014


demonx

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I've been posting about the acoustic a bit lately so I'll share a few pics of some other stuff I've been working on.

A Walnut, Rosewood and Maple sandwich:

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Just got this spalt maple in the post today, looks "ok" I guess:

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Of course a little acoustic update, the contoured heel block for the cutaway:

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What kind of Walnut is that you've got there Allen?

SR

The sales guy said it was Brazillian Walnut, the guy who typed it up on the computer put African Walnut. I believe its probably African judging by the coloring.

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I was getting very frustrated by all the deep throat clamps I've bought for this acoustic piling up on my workbench as they don't fit on my other clamp trolley, so I've built another one out of scraps laying around. I just had to hunt down four casters which were $3.50 ea

There's enough space for another twenty or so to squeeze in around the twenty already on there and I'll be adding another part on the side of the same trolley to hold all my sash clamps.

I'll most likely turn the unused side into another lot of shelves like I have on my other clamp trolley as it's pretty handy to throw cauls and other blocks etc in ready to grab quickly when doing lams

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This head block is probably what I have found most tricky so far.

Being the way I wanted the cutaway to meet flush with the neck block and taper out on a curve, means the join in that one place is a 3D twist as it has the "C" curve for the cutaway on the top plane, then on the front plane it has the "S" curve of the heel block. Made it tricky to clamp and even though it looks right now, I won't be completely sure until I un clamp tomorrow and file it flush.

I think in the future if I continue to use this cutaway/neck join I might make up a 3D clamping block, but it'll have to be an exact negative of the head block.

Something for me to think about anyway

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So far it's this join that I've been most concerned about, but after a bit of a file and scrape this morning I can finally breath!

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The current dilemma as I want this in glue by the end of the day - light or dark center strip?

I can't decide!

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More kerf and a repair.

The cutaway split a little bit off the block when I accidentally twisted the side, it also split half way down the cutaway.

It was a clean split with the grain so I'm hoping its an invisible repair. I've epoxy'd a patch over the inside of the cutaway to help prevent any further damage. The patch is cut from the flat sawn trial sides I bent, so its pre shaped to the same curve which came in handy.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been busy on other builds so this one has been pushed aside for now, however I was spraying clear coats the other day and threw a single coat over an off cut from the back I'm using on the acoustic, I must say I'm impressed how it turned out, especially considering this scrap piece isn't even sanded with exception of a couple passes through the drum sander with 60 grit roll after I originally joined the two pieces

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Moving onto the neck and gluing the heel block into position:

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Moving into the back bracing:

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I couldn't help myself, had to see what it looked like:

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That scrap piece makes me think of koa.

SR

Well you'd be thinking right, Australian Blackwood is our home grown Koa, well, very damn close to it anyway. Similar specs and similar appearance. Even the trees and their leaves and flowers have striking similarities, they are both in in the acacia family.
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Yeah that grain really pops :) It looks fantastic!

How did the epoxy patch turn out on the piece that split? Looks like a real awesome build sir!

-Brett

The epoxy patch on the back prevented further split, but it was a "L" shaped split and the part I couldn't patch re broke - (I need a form correct to the cutaway shape I'm building to prevent this) so I've had to repair it yet again. It is visible and not as invisible as I'd like. I'm hoping though under clear it might blend away a lot, but I doubt it.

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