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Besides using a pointy tool as David showed to hold the blocks in place, if you use hot hide glue or fish glue (as we used in the Romanillos course) it only takes about 5 seconds or so for each block to hold and you can get the next ready.

Like Waddy I too use dentellones that are 8x10 and 10x10mm as the difference in size makes it look interesting but also hides and differences in gaps and glue that may have seeped when pushing the block into place. The size is less important that the idea that the top is not glue to the sides but rather held in place by the dentellones. When the rabbet is cut for the bindings it will result in the bindings mostly being glued to the dentellones and less so to the top with purfling strips covering the joint where the bindings meet the sides/dentellones.

I mention this because in the Bogdanovich book he states that he used to build with dentellones but he felt the sound was less focused whereas now he does a multi-ply sandwich of strips. The use of dentellones is inherently part of the Spanish tradition of building whereas many German and northern European builders will use kerfing that is continuous.

OK, another off-topic (sorry again): i see that some folks around here have been to the Romanillos´courses in siguenza. i envy you, it must gave been a great experience. too bad he´s not giving them any more.


cheers,
Miguel.

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

the reason why Jose and Liam are not giving the course anymore is that in order to make it affordable for a 2 weeks course there needed to be a place that could serve as classroom and lodging. The monastery that it was held at in Siguenza was an ideal location in that it was just 90km from Madrid so it was easy to get to and because the monastery school was out of session in the summer, the rooms and kitchen were available.

After the 2007 class, the monastery was sold to a developer and was demolished to build a golf course. That was just 8 months before the worldwide economic downturn so the site remains vacant with only the cement slab where the buildings once were.

Jose has been writing a book on his method of spanish construction and while the draft is finished, the establishment of a museum to the Spanish guitar and Vihuela de mano in Siguenza has taken up all of his time. Last year he did do a small 2 week workshop focused on building a viheula de mano which was well recieved.

Although I also think that the peones method is the most used in Spain, with very few exceptions Antonio de Torres used kerfed linings. Amongst those exceptions were guitars with peones and others built with the green stick method.

Shawn, thanks for the info on the course ending. I didn´t know the details of it. I was fortunate to be with Mr. Romanillos last month and he still seemed rather busy, and talked about some of ordeals he went through. The museum is lovely, though.

cheers,
Miguel.

_________________
member of the guild of professional dilettantes