guitar_player

I have, nothing fancy but it works great. I used a router for the first one and and the 2nd one a tablesaw since the blade was just the right kerf for both the insert and the spade bit with a couple shims which are just a couple pieces of thick paper. Here's a pic, I make a new one for each radius and the last time I made one I made the cuts on a longer piece of maple so all I have to do is glue in the insert and drill a hole for the spade bit. Here's a pic ou should be able to tell how I made it from it. It works great the actual one couldn't work much better.

Wow, that was fast.

Yeah, faster than I was thinking and I guess a lot faster than my girlfriend was thinking

My stewmac order came today so I was able to build the mold. It's solid mdf.

It will have cherry back and sides, sitka spruce top, striped ebony fingerboard, no fingerboard inlays, one piece mahogany neck, body joint at 12th fret, and a slotted headstock. I will start when I get the plans and a few parts from stewmac in a day or two. Here's pics of the wood, I had 4 tops, 3 backs, and 2 sides to choose my favorites out of. Sorry the pics aren't that great.

sides (sap wood will stay and will be on the top side closer to the neck):

back (there is some quilt figure in it finishing should bring it out some more):

soundboard:

Bummer! What do you think happened? Did you take pictures? I'd be curious, from a learner's perspective.

I didn't take pics, I will when I bring it home from school since I turned it into a woodworking project there. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't touching all the sides of the mold closely enough and I wasn't careful enough about that because where it wasn't touching the mold on one side I think it was on the other causing the whole thing to be twisted I think it wouldn't have been too bad except when I glued the back on I'm pretty sure it got worse. In my current build I'm planning to use sticks to hold the sides against the mold until the top and back are glued on and I'll take them out after. I may have to use a small saw to cut them to get them out but it should fix the problem.

I used a thin saw for a rough start and a 2mm gouge and small files I have. It worked ok. I made the nut out of ebony though, I don't know if that makes it easier or harder.

I usually use corian because I have a bunch of it but I did a couple electrics with ebony and it was harder to shape. I used to use small saws and files but wasn't very happy with the results so I bought a nut slotting file set from warmoth for $64 and it's great kind of expensive but if your planning on building guitars often it's well worth it.

There's some plans in mimf's library here's the links you may need to be a member to view them.

http://www.mimf.com/library/sargent_duplicarver.pdf

http://www.mimf.com/library/sargent_duplicarver.htm

That sucks man. So much effort down the toilet. Atleast you have a good outlook on it. Good luck when you decide to build another acoustic.

-Marshall

Yeah, I'm going to make it into a table lol. I'm already buying the parts for the next one so it should start soon. I could just start this over but I'm gassing for a triple 0, classical, and a 12 string kind of what is making me keep going at it.

The whole bodies messed up the sides aren't straight and the mold put a big dent in it so it's unsavable at the most I could get the braces from it. At least I've learned a lot from it. Soon I'll have a cherry triple 0 with a slotted headstock and 12 frets to the body. I'll save the neck for a dreadnaught whenever I do one again.

I cut the tenon and cut out the neck, routed for the truss rod, trimmed the soundboard, glued on the back, and glued on the headstock veneers.

Neck cut out and truss rod routed:

gluing on back:

gluing on the walnut veneer with a thin maple one under it:

I've been a little busy lately but I got the top glued on and started the neck. At first I tried using big rubber bands to clamp it but that didn't work very well. Looks like I'll be able to start finishing next weekend if all goes well or sometime next week.

laying out neck:

SO who out there just presses their frets in. and who uses glue? and why or why not?

do you use titebond? or super glue or hide glue? what works best when frets need removed?

I just press them in with a jig I made for my drill press I see no reason to change it since it works perfectly. Hammering in the frets left a lot to be desired.

I shaped the back profile, glued in kerfing on the back, glued side struts in, and glued a shims on top of the tail and head blocks because there not high enough.

Besides stewmac does anyone know where I can find a 1/16" router bit for a dremel. I could use one for routing rosettes but all I can find are grout removal bits and the stewmac ones are overpriced.

So, I'll be back up to where I was tomorrow. The sides came out great clamping each in half the mold works great, with barely any springback at all and this way I can do 2 at once. I got the head and tail blocks glued on and the kerfed lining glued on.

I made a full mold today, would have preferred it to be solid plywood but I don't want to use up all that I have left. I cracked the side trying to take the kerfing off so now the sides are all over my shop lol. I bent 2 more sides today and have them in the molds.

One half of the mold:

The sides are flaring out at the top and not matching the template so I'm going to try making a full mold and removing the lining and tying to get it to fit.

Gluing on braces and bridge plate:

Finished soundboard minus sanding:

cutting kerfed lining:

Once the top is on taping it will not help from what I have been told (I may be wrong). Initially you are not looking for a note more like a sound, like tuning a drum. You also feel the top by bending to see if it is loose or stiff (hard to bend or easy). All of these techniques take time to master, or you can have have a Master teach you. I see there are books and a few videos on the subject.

Best thing here is to finish it up and if you don't line the low or high end create another post and ask more experienced builders here what you can do to change the sound by modifying the braces. Most likely you will be a happy camper unless you are an experienced guitarist who is very picky.

It sounds like a science all in itself, I'll look into it more if I do another acoustic. There was a program on the BBC here in the UK last year about the history of the guitar and there was a guy from the states Henderson maybe can't remember but Clapton had to wait 10 years for a guitar from him, he got an amazing tone from his tops

I just started reading the book called Clapton's Guitar, it's about Wayne Henderson and his guitars it's great.

Gluing on x brace:

Gluing on more braces:

Head and tail blocks and some kerfing:

This one is on hold until the weather warms up enough to spray my pre-cat conversion varnish outdoors - that means 68° here in Maryland. Maybe late March or early April. Neck has been dry-fit and neck angle looks good.

How is conversion varnish on acoustics? I have been hesitant in using it on my acoustic build. All my electrics get sprayed with it but I have been leaning towards tru-oil and possibly lacquer.

Oh man, I LOVE your gluing method there with the cement block HAHAHAHA

It works great lol.

I got a lot done today, the back needs a little sanding and it's done. Tomorrow I'll work on the soundhole braces and the sides.

Soundboard and rosette:

back cut out:

Gluing on braces:

Soundboard cut out, soundhole cut out, rosette sanded:

rosette:

Back done besides sanding:

I've heard that the 14" is decent. The biggest problem seems to be getting the table sqaure to the blade so you wouldn't want to be doing angled cuts often but who does anyways. If I upgrade to a saw with resawing capabilities it would be the 14'' version.

The side I bent yesterday came out great so I bent the other one and clamped it in the form. I routed for the rosette and glued the back together.

routing for the rosette:

rosette glued in:

back glued together

Today I used it for the first time. It's great I used it for about 45 minutes to rout a rosette channel with a jig I made for it. I'm pretty happy with it.

I had to make another form since after it's clamped overnight there's barely any spring back so the form adjusted for spring back bent it too much. I bent one of the sides today.