Andyjr1515

14 hours ago, mattharris75 said:

Yeah, as a builder if you're not giving the wood proper consideration then what are you even doing?!?! 

After fretting over it for a bit this is the position I'm leaning toward:

It's worth doing paper templates of the bridge, pickups and fretboard and position those too.  It is amazing how many times those cover features that, uncovered, makes the figuring sing

Well deserved win   Well done, great job.

May I be the first!

Many congrats on the 'Guitar of the Year'.   

Very, very well deserved!  Superb job

Very nice

Bicycle inner tubes are still widely available.  However - and I know I'm odd - nowadays I iron on wooden bindings in the same way I have always applied veneer (PVAwood glue both sides, let dry, ironed on). 

I can't stand the uncertainty of a bound approach and have never had a fully satisfactory result.  With the iron-on technique you know immediately whether it's right or not and - if it's not - can correct it there and then. 

But yes - I am odd like that

Oooo...looking forward to this one! 

Lovely walnut 

Great job.  Looks and sounds classy!

Excellent progress @ADFinlayson 

1 hour ago, Dave Higham said:

Yep!

Oh wow...  

On 1/18/2022 at 1:45 PM, Dave Higham said:

I routed the top off and started again

I think many of us have been there.  There are some things that can be hidden, incorporated or bypassed,  But there are some things that happen in my builds, that I know will just niggle at me if I don't fix it and so it is worth taking a couple of steps backward before a dozen more forwards...

On 1/18/2022 at 1:45 PM, Dave Higham said:

Having decided that this time I should try to make a proper job of it, I made a new top and thought I really ought to have a go at the arm rest

...but that takes a few pints of fortitude!  Presumably that meant all of the bracing work again?

On 1/14/2022 at 11:13 AM, Gogzs said:

I know I won't be building acoustics anytime soon, if ever, but the level of craftsmanship in this thread is truly inspiring. Thanks for that, can't wait to see the rest.

Or paraphrasing @Gogzs comment above, "I do build acoustics, but the level of craftsmanship in this thread is truly inspiring.  Thanks for that, can't wait to see the rest."

5 hours ago, Prostheta said:

My spokeshave is always super sharp and honed before use. By clamping the neck at the heel into a radiused caul with cork coasters (all Ikea is good for) the work becomes one of pulled towards you. Tieing a sock around the volute help protect it from getting bashed by the spokeshape overshooting the mark. All cuts are single pulls end to end. I concentrate over one corner until the shaving becomes wide and harder to cut. I then move other to another corner and repeat. Once the majority of material is gone, I reduce the depth of cut and take light refining shavings around the entire profile.

That is, indeed, a deep cut!

Maybe slow progress, @Prostheta, but great attention to detail.  Looking good too - love the figuring on that fretboard!

Simply lovely

Excellent info, @ADFinlayson    . 

I've toyed with getting a spray set up from time to time (although pretty much nowhere to set one up!) and had looked at the turbine ones but hadn't tracked down anyone who had actually tried them for this kind of work.  This is great info and I think confirms my own conclusions.  Compressor rig it is! - just got to work out how or where I could create a usable setup

Wow - you can see the difference from here!

I've probably missed the post, but what spraygun /system have you gone to?

That's looking great, @Nicco

When the finish is on it's going to look spectacular

On 1/11/2022 at 7:05 PM, Dave Higham said:

Now I had to make a corresponding hole in the sides. To do this, I made another disc from MDF with a 5mm hole in the centre, and which fitted snugly into the hole in the tail block. This was dowelled to an MDF base. The end block was aligned with the dowel pin and fixed to the base with double sided tape.

 

The hole was then cut using the circle cutter and a ledge carefully cut to fit the circular mahogany panel.

 

The wedge was then fitted into the circular panel and the panel positioned in the hole. A line was scribed on either side of the wedge and a recess cut to accept the ends of the wedge.

 

The wedge is now finally glued into the panel and the panel fitted into the sides. The panel is almost flush with the sides in the centre but, as it is flat, it protrudes more at the outer edges. To trim this down flush with the sides, it will need to be held firmly in place.

 

Good heavens!

48 minutes ago, mistermikev said:

technically I was the first to congratulate you... but your guitar is perhaps deserving of two congratulations so... grats!

Thanks, Mike and all you other generous folks.  Always much appreciated

1 hour ago, Bizman62 said:

Congratulations!

It's funny that we seem to share a bunch of ideas. There's a big difference though in the end results, your craftmanship really shines!

That is very kind of you to say, but it is those very ideas, from you and the myriad of talented folks round here, that have all been stolen been noted and I've tried to incorporate into my builds.  And I am in awe of the real craftmanship I see regularly in many of the other builds round here  

What was it that Isaac Newton is credited with saying?  'Standing on the shoulders of giants'  ?   

That said, I am very chuffed with how this has turned out 

Yaaaay!  Got a GOTM!!!! 

Thank you so much for the votes, folks.  Always very much appreciated

That bracing is lovely!

Can't help with the spray stuff...but that colour and burst is super, super classy.  Best green I've seen in a long, long time...

That shot is actually pretty knockout, @Prostheta

Points about palm router collets noted! 

On 1/2/2022 at 1:50 PM, Dave Higham said:

When I started drawing up plans I found French luthier Christophe Grellier’s OM plan on his web site

My first acoustic build used this same plan