The top (soundboard) wood has arrived as two bookmatched wedges of AAAA grade spruces ready to be joined and carved into a dish shape.
Before joining the common edge needs to be perfectly straight on both pieces. This is done with a shooting plane (Long base) and the process is called 'shooting the edge'.
Neck blank = maple, the back bookmatched halves = maple, and the two bookmatched side strips
Glueing bookmatched halves of the top together.
Roughly cutting out shape of top (and back) with electric jig-saw.
Cutting side blanks to required width
Sanding down edge roughly to thickness
Rough (bulk) sanding to approximate shape
21/01/2015 Checking progress of shaping with profile template
15/2/15 Shaping the outside of the top arch with a occillating button sander
15/2/15 Still some humps and hollows to be smoothed out but the shape is evolving
Progress is occurring on the 'recurve' around the edges.
9/3/15 Using home made callipers to measure thickness of the top.
9/3/15 Setting out the 'f' holes
Cutting out an 'f' hole using a coping saw
14/3/15 Sanding to hollow out the concave shape of the underside of the top. The 'f' holes are only roughly shaped
14/3/15 Rough inside shape of the top.
23/03/15 Shaping the 're-curve' channel around the edge with a curved finger plane and sandpaper. The re-curve will allow the dish shape to flex and vibrate easier.
Rubbing on carbon paper to identify the high spots. This process will achieve a good fit and join between the brace and the concave of the top.
Filing of the high spots identified with the carbon paper.
Notches in the braces to form a 'box' join.
Box join before gluing onto underside of the top.
Shaving the braces. During this process the top is tapped with the fingers till an acceptable tone is achieved.
Cutting out rough neck shape from blank. Note that his piece is only half the neck width as the final neck will comprise of two half widths and a center strip laminated together to guard against any warping.
Glueing the pieces that make up the neck together
Neck with side 'ears' attached to the head.
I have made a mistake here and done things out of order. I should of cut the truss rod slot down the centre of the neck first! Now I am going to have trouble getting the router guide fence past he ears. I do however think I have a way of getting around this.
Using a router to cut the truss rod slot
Completed truss rod slot
Using a rotary 'safety planner' to thin down the head stock
Notice how the left hand end of the head stock is raised on a small fillet. This produces a tapered head stock - thin at its end increasing in thickness towards the neck. This is mainly for asthetic purposes.
Hand cutting the neck to body tenon joint.
Roughly cut neck to body tenon joint
Roughly shaped neck with neck extension beyond heel now in place. Truss rod is shown yet to be installed.
Sides ready for bending
Inside of Back nearing completion
Outside surface of back nearing completion
Excavation recess for truss rood adjustment nut
Anchor hole for truss rod
Truss rod a filler strip ready for installing
Installing truss rod with filler strip being glued on top.
Planing away the excess filler strip down to flush with neck surface.
Close up of truss rod adjustment nut in its recess with filler rod finished flush with neck surface
Sanding back of headstock and curve into neck.
Clamping the veneer to the underside of the head stock. The rubber jandel is being used to apply even pressure around the bend between neck and head joint.
Cutting out headstock shape
Top surface of headstock roughly cut out ready for final shaping
Sawing the fret slots
Using a square to use as a guide whilst cutting the fret slots
Tapered fingerboard ready for gluing onto neck
Loosely fitted sides being shaped in the mould.
Sides out of the mould with tail block and head/neck block ready for assembly
clamping the neck block in position whilst gluing
Neck about 50% shaped
Sides glued together out off the mold. Side bracing has also been glued in position.
Glueing on kerfing using pegs as clamps
Drilled top of headstock
Drilled underneath of headstock.
Using a flat sanding board to level of the kerfing and level the edge rim to a perfectly flat surface.
Image for headstock inlay. Reduced 40% nfrom a picture in a book I have.
Image positioned on headstock ready for excavating the cavity
Glueing on top to sides using spool clamps
Close up of glued top untrimmed
Trimmed glued top yet to have binding applied
Wiring in electric, pickup jack
Clamping on back whilst glueing to sides
Fine scraping of the re-curve on the back. Graduating the thickness using this method affects the flexibility of the surface which effects the tone of the finished guitar.
Routering out the neck tenon joint in the body
Drilling holes in edge of fingerboard for fret side dots
Hammering in side dots
Dremmel routering tool with guide attached to router the perfling and binding steps
Glueing the perfling into place
Inner wood strip (perfling) glued in place
Binding now in place alongside perfling ready for sanding.
The next four photos show the body with binding and perfling installed. The body has had preliminary sanding with 80 grit sandpaper. It will eventually be finished sanded down to 400 - 600 grit sandpaper.
Top = Spruce
Back = Figured Maple
Scibing the outline of the headstock picture for the inlay. To provide an outline for routing.
Chalking in the scribing to highlight the outline.
Rough outline with chalk highlighting the scribing cuts.
Cavity routed out ready to receive inlay
Jig for bending the lengths of fret wire
Sanding under bright lighting to accentuate the contour shadows to ensure fair even symetrical curves
Sawing the Paua shell for the headstock inlay
Gluing the neck to the body
Gluing heel cap into position
Sanding jig used to steady the bridge whilst it is moved back and forward over sandpaper place on the top. This ensures the footprint of the bridge perfectly matches the complex curvature of the top for optimum transmission of vibration..
Chiselling out the slot for the nut
Just finished the coating process at 'Binford Luthiers", waiting for me to pick it up. It then be left a few weeks for coating to cure before it is levelled of with wet&dry and then cut and polished..Can't wait!
This post will be updated as work on this guitar continues.
Its really interesting to see all these steps. What great patience you must have. Definitely looks like a tricky, but very well done process.
ReplyDelete