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Also and this may help determine the species of the wood I used. The wood turned the water it was soaking in a brackish greenish blue color.

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Can't see if you solved you fingerboard issue, but a simple fix is to bind it. If you want 43mm and only have 40mm at nut, a 2mm binding will give you that width. Simply cut the fb taper to 4mm less than you desired width at 12th fret as well and then add a wood binding.

I do this on most builds including a faux effect when going for plain look ebony... Using ebony binding to hide fret slots. Works a treat.

Good luck

Yes I did solve the fret board issue both the ones I ordered had binding on them that wasn't actually mentioned in the ad so they ended up being the perfect size. I'm gonna use the second one though because it has MOP inlay like the neck in the grellier plans.

When I looked up "go bar deck" I came up with two different kinds listed on google pics.

This one,


And this one,


I'm preferable to the second version because it seems to be simpler to make and use. I haven't been able to get any info about it but I'm assuming that you use this as a finishing mold and that the clamps push the sides into the exact position they need to be in so it matches the sound and back. I may be dumb on this but once the clamps are released after gluing the back or sound board (whichever is glued on first), what keeps the sides from springing back at the neck and waste and ungluing from the board? Does the kerf help the sides retain the shape you want?

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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This is a go-bar deck. Mine is 2'x2' 3/4" ply top and bottom, 3/8" threaded rod, washers and appropriate hardware to adjust height from the top, tee nuts to thread the rods into the base. I use 3/16" fiberglass rod from Into the Wind, capped with the rubber caps.



This is a mold.



Exactly. Your sides should conform closely, but the mold helps retain things until you glue the top and back. The linings can add considerable stiffness to the sides. I use reverse-kerf linings, which add even more. My rim can slip in and out freely without losing shape before gluing the top and back once the linings are glued in. They're very stiff.

All right I think I'm set for the week. Got two sheets of plywood ready to be routed for my mold. Since I'm using a thinline design I think I can get away with using a few regular clamps to hold the sides in place and still have room to clamp the kerf with smaller clamps.

I also made my bridge plate, neck block and tail block this weekend too. All from some walnut I had left over from another build. Bridge plate is about 4mm I chose to add that extra mm because I'm using a pinless bridge. The bridge itself has a few holes on it to add dowels to align it. I figure the extra mm will give me some extra hold to keep from creep over time and catastrophic failure.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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I like to use binder clips to clamp the linings.

Help I split a side!!!! I was trying to see how far off my side was in the mold and it split.
Can this be repaired?

Inside


Outside

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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Some following this are more experienced than I, but you should be able to glue that. Need to match the broken edges precisely, and want to make gluing cauls that easily follow the inside and outside curves but that are firm enough to give support (side cutoffs with some felt glued to them, and then wax paper between the side and caul. Small spring clamps should be able to apply enough pressure. if you use CA glue, it may discolor the side so you could use hide, titebond or similar wood glue. I'd do a dry fit first to be sure it's as seamless as possible. Then be sure to put struts inside.
It will not be an invisible repair, I don't think, but I assume you're not in a position to do it over.
Hopefully someone else will weigh in on it…maybe with a better idea.

These things happen, I always need a a long walk and a sleep before I recover!
Beth has answered better than I could... Try that and see how it holds up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXJPpeD2i_o - May be of some use.

Arrrrrrgghhhh!!! No I'm cool, I didn't freak out half as bad as when I drilled the wiring system canal into my first electric. I drilled several times all the way through the back. Fortunately it was the back so a lil bondo fixed it right up.

Thank you both. I do have three other sides that I bent that will prolly work after I put them back in the machine. It just upset me because it was the perfect side. I was planning to redampen and reheat the sides again while I was clamping them to the mold would this be a good idea to help them retain their shape better and fit the mold better as I'm clamping so I don't have a repeat on the split?

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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Funny how one comes to terms with making mistakes! I broke a rosette I was working on the other day and I just sorta laughed at my own foolishness and called it a day... In the not too distant past that could have provoked a torrent of foul language!

It might be an idea to make an outside mold for the sides to sit in after bending. I bent some rosewood last week but not before bending some practice khaya... I put the rosewood into the outside mold [only single ply - 3/4 inch, cut roughly and then pattern routed] and just left the khaya on a benchtop... The rosewood can slip in and out of the mold with only the gentlest pressure but the khaya seems to have slowly set in a "sprungback" shape... It can still be "coerced" into the mold fairly easily but it doesn't slip in like the rosewood does.

As you know, I've not used a bending form, but I have heard people mention that they put the sides through a second cycle of heating and cooling to set the bend.

I reckon you're better off using another side. to my amateur eyes, it looks like the kinda crack that will open up again, not a clean split. But what do I know!?

Question for anyone who does know: is that crack following severe grain runout?

Well I was looking at my soundboard and noticed I had made where the neck connects to the neck block way bigger like a half inch bigger. 1/4 inch each side. So I made the correction but the mold is still too wide in that area. I checked my remaining sides I can easily get them to match so that's not a problem. My problem is that I know you would usually glue the neck block to the soundboard first but I think since I can't really get any clamps in that area on the mold to properly clamp it later and I wouldn't trust shims that I could glue the neck block to the sides first before putting them in the mold, then I could clamp them as tight as they need to be. Just a thought but if any body has a better idea please list it.

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Glue the neck and tail blocks to the sides. Be sure you glue them so the sides are square with the soundboard edge of the rims facing down. Then sand whatever radius you're going to put on top and back, and then you're ready to glue the linings on

Cool thank you!!!!!!!!

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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Been busy the past two days. I fitted the sides to the mold and made the necessary cuts where they needed to be cut. I didn't worry about making special cauls, when I tested just using clamps it worked out just fine. I still need to re dampen and and reheat but believe it or not there was little deviation when I removed the clamps. I got also got my neck block cut to the correct size and started on the sound board by gluing the side tone bars.

Sides fitted and cut.


Sides after fitting and cutting released from clamps.


Gluing the side tone bars.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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Started carving my side tone bars today. I went out and bought a set of wood carving chisels to start with and after a couple tries I found it easier to just use a trapezoid razor blade with tape on each end. It went a lot smoother and I was able to take off as much or as little as I wanted. For the most part I'm trying to get the left and right sound to the right pitch. Any way I like this part.

This is what I have so far a real rough cut. Still needs final shaping and sanding to refine them. I messed up cutting my bridge brace cut it too short. I got a funky pinless bridge so I just made sure it was placed where it all needs to be. It's got plenty of room for the front and back dowels to be drilled through and plugged.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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Looks like you're progressing well. A couple of observations: 1) unless you buy the most expensive chisels, most come with a very rough primary bevel and no secondary bevel. They need to be honed to work properly. There are endless discussions on this forum and on woodworking fora and YouTube on successful edge tool sharpening. It's worth doing it right…they cut like butta!
2) I might not be seeing it the way it is in real life, but your soundboard looks like there's glue squeeze out at the joint, and that will prevent adhesion and proper gluing of your braces, so be sure to scrape that off and make sure both plates are level with each other…that there's no step from one side to the other. 3) you've already mentioned this, but your bridge plate is not going to butt against your X brace, and that might be a problem tonally and/or structurally. It's easy to fix now by planing that one off, scraping all the glue residue and gluing a new one on.

On it easy fix, and thank you I didn't think it would matter much. But thank you would hate to get too much further then realize I really fouled up.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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Is it just me or does the finger braces look flatsawn? I also thickness and sand the top before bracing them. It is very important you control the humidity during this step, otherwise you will have potato chip.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

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I ordered them as a single plank of western red cedar that I cut into the right size strips using a table saw.

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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You should buy a thicker plank and split it, then saw along the split line...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Good work on your sides!

Everything on the top is critical. The bridge plate unfortunately needs to be redone. The bridge plate helps send string energy through the top, which is why it needs to be "coupled" to the X-braces as much as possible.

You can plane it off as Beth suggested. Another option, assuming you used some sort of wood glue, is to soften the glue with heat by placing an iron on it and testing every minute or so until it starts to pull up when you get under it with a chisel or something. Cover the iron with some foil to keep it clean. Be careful not to gouge the top.

Try to make sure the rest of your braces are quartersawn.

On ladder braced guitars, it doesn't seem possible to couple the bridge plate at all, unless you want an excessively large bridge plate... but there doesn't seem to be any issue with sound... The top on the ladder braced guitar I have seen is made from birch, so maybe there's a difference.

If you have a flatsawn piece of wood, you can make it quartersawn by turning it 90 degrees. The only guitars I have seen flatsawn braces on are cheap 100 dollar guitars, and we all know what they sound like.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

The problem is once I had read this I had already fixed the bridge patch and glued on the two side tone bars. And I've already used my "guitar fund" up this month. I did a test of the wood I'm using and can't see much difference in the flex of either one. Since this is an still pretty much experimental in my eyes. The only thing I can do is try to use what I have to the best of my abilities. I do have another soundboard that I was gonna use some makore veneer on and use it as a back but if I decide my current SB ain't worth a crap or is unusable I can always use the other sound board and try to find a cheap set of hardwood back pieces.

Please keep sending me tips!!!!

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In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
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I just found two extra pieces of brace wood that I can quarter saw to make the X braces at least.

_________________
In order to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.
- Carl Sagan

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