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Let's see whats happening in your shops?

I have been busy getting ready to build the next guitar but first here is a pic of a guitar that I dropped off earlier this week at Joe White's for one of his superb poly finishes. This is a pic of the guitar in the pore filling stage with no finish on it yet.



One of the next guitars that I am building is a revisit of the Black Tiger and will have a black top and be an L-OO. I went through a ton of tops yesterday trying to find one as close to the Lutz from Shane that I used on the first Black Tiger and sure enough I ended up with Lutz from Shane again. I sure hope he does not mind if I end up painting another one of his tops black....... Anyway here are the materials which include a superb Tiger Myrtle set that my friend Bob Connor gave to me.



I always sharpen my edge tools, if they need it, just prior to starting a new guitar and I noticed that my water stones are looking pretty shabby........ So this morning I finally ordered a Duosharp XC/C from Woodcraft..... I have been wanting one of these for a while but just could not bring myself to pop for it...... Yeah I am cheap....



Lately I have been thinking about adding some carbon fiber into my guitars and for now what seems to be a good place to start is the upper transverse brace. My carbon fiber in thicknesses of .010 and .020 came from our friend Jim Watts - thanks Jim! These are my first test pieces that are Adi/CF/Adi and laminated with West Systems epoxy. My plan is to lay up the stock in such a way as to avoid having to do much cutting instead sanding the UTBs to shape on the belt and spindle sander while wearing a respirator.



Here is a pile of tops that I thickness sanded yesterday. These were very much in the raw when I purchased them and often .350 or more thick..... So the little Performax 10-20 had a good workout.



Thanks for looking - let's see what's happening in your shops?

Just started on nr 2. letting the body on nr1 adapt to his new life . Also almost finished my 24" drumsander !!! . just hoping it wont explode or something hahaha.

Lars

Got a break in the weather today, so I'm actually getting to do some work...
I'm finishing up my binding machine today, based on the LMII one. Working on the donut just a few minutes ago, then taking a break. That's all that's left on that, then test it out and fine tune prior to cutting binding channels on my #2.
dave

Bent 4 sets of binding yesterday, getting ready to cut the binding channels. Want to make a binding machine for a router but am getting impatient and will do it the old way-the binding machine will have to wait for when I have more free time.

Got my Tele body ready for routing, the routing pattern just about finished, the neck ready for a fingerboard, and some stain samples done and chose one.

Tried playing a Tele for the first time yesterday, I'm glad to have chosen a Tele for a first electric build!

No pictures yet.

Today I am sanding drywall in my basement.

Did I ever mention that I HATE sanding drywall?!! I really, really, hate it.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

I've been busy running wire, moving other tools around, change dust collector drops, etc. for the new bandsaw I bought. And soon after, I plan on resawing some wood.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Currently, my father and I have about a week of work left on a Ziricote/Sitka Dred. We need to buff out the finish (Gloss polyacrylic...looks and sprayed great with no hassle at all), and attatch our pinless bridge and bridge doctor to it.

We have some sapele sitting in the shop, as soon as we finish the ziricote dred, I will be starting my first solo construction (an OM, based from Kinkade's plans) - my father and I have tag teamed all our guitars so far. I'm extremely excited to start my first one by myself!

He will be assembling finishing an open-back banjo he's been working on, and then he will be starting a sapele dred.

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Jake

~Make a joyful noise unto the Lord~

That black L-00 of yours is really stunning.

Today I glued 2 cracks on a Guild acoustic, fret level on a Gretsch Brian Setzer. Setup a Gallagher D size in sunburst, Fixed the wiring harness and setup a 70's Greco 12 string electric Leveled 1 fret on a 70's Martin D18. Setup a Fender jazz bass
that was butchered by another tech in NYC . Now its off to pickup installations in 2 Les Pauls. I thought weekends were for relaxation!
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

Fixed my heel this morning. Finished my fret slotting sled and slotted a board. Use my new sander on the heel. And looked at the guitar with the neck sitting in the guitar to give me some ideas as how it's going to look and what or how I should finish it. I'm going to have a beer now.

I leveled my fretboard and installed the frets.Drilled the holes and slotted my bridge.And skinned some hind deer feet so i can make a custom saddle for it as the weather has warmed up and was a good day to skin them.I then cut them lengthwise and they are soaking in a soap-bleach tub.

Chris, that neck is nice! what is it?

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Olivier Gauthier
Montreal, QC

That's funny cause I did pretty much exactly the same thing. I got the donut done and the 1/4" aluminum mounting plate finished. All I have to do is mount the donut, test it and then I can route the binding channels on my #1.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Looking good everyone.

I'm watching the migration of my shop from my shop into my kitchen . I'm leveling and dressing the frets on #1. I've only ever done this once before, on an electric I built about 4 1/2 years ago. I also had to make a new saddle as the one that I bought didn't fit the bridge I had bought prefabbed. The smell of cutting and sanding bone reminds me of anatomy lab. At least my hands won't reek of phenol for the next month. However I did find a hunk o' beef leg bone at petsmart, sanitized for $4.99, so I'll be able to make plenty.

I'll also be polishing out the finish on my buddy's bass.

I'd post pics, but hopefully I'll have number one done before too long and I'll get some pics up then.

Darrin

Well, I glued the pin block to the rim on my bandura and spent a lot of time cipherin' over the rosette because I'm using a jasper circle jig. I'm thinking I should just plunk down the money for a Wells base so I won't have to fool around so much.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Two piece Walnut.

Finished gluing up braces in the Solera/Go-bar deck, and started shaping the braces and fans.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I bought a Lie-Nielson 60 1/2 low angle block plane yesterday and used it to trim my sides to the appropriate taper. My goal is to get the linings and carbon fiber glued in and sanded by tomorrow.

Nothing

Ask me next weekend though

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

My shop has been busy, completed ebony binding on cocobolo 000, inlaid dots on fingerboard, inlaid peg head, braced the back on the wedge jumbo, started testing z-poxy filling on scrap cocobolo, and experimented with hot hide glue. I am not ready to use HHG yet, I work too slow but will use it on the next guitar I start.

Cocobolo 000 body I don't know why they didn't rotate, they are on Photobucket




There are some other photos of my guitars and a couple video clips at
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z228/fetellier/2009%20Guitar%20builds/

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

My shop is getting completely hosed down and cleaned up. After 14 years here I've decided to revamp and completely rearrange my tools. I don't have pictures, probably won't for another couple of weeks or so. Right now most of the stuff is stuck in a corner as I mop up the floor and prepare for an epoxy paint job. Then another couple of weeks to move all the tools back into place after the floor has set. The guy who owned the house before me was a woodworker, but his setup wasn't so good. Also he had lots of junk on the walls that I've decided is just in the way.

So as you can imagine, moving 100 lb tools around isn't so much fun. Not to mention cleaning up the dust trails they leave as the get moved. It's amazing how much dust can be hidden along edges of tools. Thank goodness for aircleaners and vac systems!

As a result of all this, I'll probably have some oddball tools for sale over the next few weeks/month. That is once I've gotten things settled and I know where I'm going with the shop.

My wife is thrilled with the clean, but not so with the two new tools working their way into the shop.

That cocobolo looks nice.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Ebony and coco look great together Nice work.

Closed up the box on a coco/sitka dred. this will be my first experiment with snakewood bindings...

Justin

Here are a couple I have on the bench. These will be the first two guinea pigs for the EmTech finish. Two new woods for me on the OM, Amazon rosewood and Carpathian, and the second is Brazilian Rosewood and Adirondack (OO-13). I used Kevin Ryan's abalam on both rosette's and the top border of the 00. This is a really nice product and I'm looking forward to using a lot of it in the future. I do hope he adds the .063 size, the current .047 size is too small for a lot of applications.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

Lookin good Jim. Did you cut or purchase the Torch Inlay?