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Buckeye burl rosette. Great stuff. Here's one more, and one of the threshold. The threshold is actually in three pieces: outer of gonçalo alves (which is what the floor is made of) and center of bubinga. I chipped out a short row of the tile, which varies a lot in height. The width of the plate also is varied--it tapers from one end to the other. In case you can't tell, I'm pretty proud of the job on this threshold. You can't see it in the photo, but the height transitions are nice and smooth. I beveled the bubinga board edge by different amounts, and beveled some of the cement grout, and shimmed the pieces to different heights to get it to work. But all of that is subtle and won't be noticed by any casual observer.





Filippo, I think this was my fifth bevel. My guess is that there is some change in sound, since the top is losing about 3/4" of width. I don't think the asymmetry is a problem, though.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

In addition to spending a ton of time trying to get a decent strip of Bloodwood for purfling lines, I have been experimenting with the central design motif for the rosettes of my two instruments in process. Here are the iterations of # 2.

I think I like the last one best for #2. I'll post again for #3.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Here is what #3 options were.j

Just for fun, here is the wheat I have been working on.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Cool design, Waddy! Has a kind of Native American feel; I can't quite place it more than that.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

[quote="Howard Klepper"]I'm getting close to completing a commissioned guitar. BR 000, cutaway, armrest bevel (koa). Lots of work binding these, but I think it's my best bevel yet. Binding is all scraped down now. Then I took a break from the guitar to make Helen happy by putting a Bubinga threshold plate in a doorway. It was actually kinda tricky--I had to transition from irregular height saltillo tiles to a new wood floor.

Howard, nice work. How do you glue in your abalone? I got my OM body all buttoned up over the weekend. I plan on using abalone perfling on the top like you have done. For my rosette and back strip, I glued the abalone in using 5 min epoxy with black dye. It worked okay as the abalone was a straight run. I still had to mix up two separate batches of epoxy as I couldn't get pieces inlaid quick enough. I will be breaking abalone and fitting it around the curves for the top and using even 30 minute epoxy will require a lot of mixing before I am done. You have a good approach?

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

CA glue. I may be a dinosaur in using solid shell, though, and not using a teflon strip. I install the inner purfling, then the abalone, then the outer purfling.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Well, I did manage to get two of the three sides of my harp guitar fitted into the mold. The third side (harp neck) appears to present a challenge. Has to do with how the side end mates with the neck block. Think I will use Hoffman's technique, but it still requires a lot of thought.

Mike

3 of my Freestyle models all closed up and ready to neck fit and bind.

The most interesting (to me) thing about these three is that they are as identical construction as feasible, with 2 IRW B&S- 1 Lutz top & the other a Hybrid Sitka/Engleman that grows in this area, and the third Lutz/Walnut. The Walnut is also a Hybrid that grows here in the Northwest from native Claro and Eastern Black Walnut brought here by the settlers in the 1800's.
When these three are done I'm going to have a little gathering with the local luthiers and players and do a true side-by-side comparison.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

Fillipo,
My bench has been taken over for a while with Santa's workshop. I'm currently working on wooden gifts for Christmas, kind of a tradition.
Hopefully, I'll get back to building soon. Still have the Grand Auditorium box to bind and neck to fit.
Cheers!

Nice lookin' stuff guys....I'm wrapping up uku #5....just need to set the neck, bridge, action, etc...hopefully by next weekend....she's redwood top, pacific maple back/sides, koa trim, mad.rosewood fretboard, ebony nut/saddle.....back to guitars in '09....

Since the photo link from Picasa doesn't seem to work- here's a direct upload of the 3 currently on the slab.
-C

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©