Official Luthiers Forum!

I am interested to see other peoples volutes! So post some pictures please. And if you have any other back of headstock details you would like to share, that would be cool as well.

But I am most interested to see how different people form their volutes. Not just carve them, but how you construct them from phase one. So... if you are feeling generous, please post pics of the process and a discription of how you do it.

Thanks.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
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Here is one of mine.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Just happen to be putting some necks together. Here are Spanish volutes (gawd, I hope we don't get into wrong term use again).











Full details of the joint construction can be found on my website.

Just so you know there is a learning curve and they are not all so pretty.

I like the way you you do your slot heads. Is that your idea or is it traditional?
I will definitely checkout your site.

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"Try to be the person your dog thinks you are."

http://sites.google.com/site/bertsguitarshop/

Thanks for all the great responses so far. The volute that I am most interested it is the one pictured below. I have taken a stab or two at it, but I would like to know how you guys might approach it. But please also keep posting about all other back headstock details. Thanks.

I should note that the picture below is one I found on google and not one of mine.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

It will be a couple weeks before I do another one, but I leave a thick area when I band saw the neck blank, then thickness the headstock in my drum sander. The rounded part is where the drum sander stops. You kinda leave the other part when carving the neck.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

A question about the volute pictured in Chris's post: Is this type only for the one piece neck or can this be done on a scarf joint also, and if so can a belt sander be used?

Bert, I've never seen anyone else do it, but I don't think you can make the slots without doing the P/H-neck joint also...

Chris' volute can be done with a scarf joint. The neck board is thicker than the head board. Where they meet it is thick enough for that rounded volute. (or the diamond)

Yes you can do that volute with a scarf joint. I'm real good with a belt sander, I'm not sure if I could do that job with one. That operation has spindle sander written all over it.

Steve

I left a lump in the blank and used an osillating spindle sander with an adjustable router fence so I could bump it in little by little. Then bent the cherry for the back on the hot pipe. There is a good tutorial in the tute section that I used to do this.
viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=25874&hilit=strap+back

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I have seen John Watkins do that curved kind by eye with a horizontal belt sander and a hand sanding block for fine tuning.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Here's mine. First I leave a section that looks like ski jump from the side view and draw the arc on and final shape with rasps and files.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I did a tutorial on this a while back

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=25874&hilit=strap+back

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Sure enough, just like Arnt does!

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I do my with a jig and a router, unfortunately I don't have any pics....

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Filippo, I'm a fan of those "backstrap" transistions, but the slight "feathering" of the veneer edges that you see put me off a bit. Are you pretty much obliged to "inlay" the veneers first (based on target neck thickness) in order to get sharp edges after carving??

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Dave
Milton, ON

Wow you guys do some great work.

I have a jet 16-32 thickness sander. Do you think that with the rollers in it, that I could still do things the way Arnt shows in his tut?

Peter and Filippo, those are some beauties you got there. Congrats on the great work.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

Haans, very fine work.
peterm , why cant I do that? gorgeous
Geordie

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I use a 10-20, but I've removed the front roller.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

here is one of mine

Just a little something I did different on a couple of them.

It's still a little rough, and next time I need to adjust it so it extends over the nut area to strengthen it. Also need to try a back plate sometime to cover that scarf line, although it will be a little tricky getting the "lip" right without cutting through.

Lots of shaving with a chisel and gouge.

This one is a simple scarf joint.

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John