Official Luthiers Forum!

I sure like these threads, especially when I have something to contribute

I'm frantically working on getting this one finished, hopefully before Christmas.

This is an Olson SJ shape, Tazzy blackwood (acacia for my friend Don W), Lutz with BRW appointments and blue paua features.

Just got the neck done shaping and set, next will be the heel cap, final sand, make and locate the bridge then it's into the spray booth.

After that, I can start on a circle cutter jig for the ever patient Chuck H (will get it out next week)





So, what's happening in your shop?

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

Rod, that is one really cool lookin' guitar!

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

That's beautiful, Rod! I'm trying to figure out how to get a compressor coupler that fits my spray gun. I don't know what the deal is, but I've purchased three, and none of them fit. I can't hook it up to the compressor, but I'm ready to spray the finish. The mahogany back and sides for this one are also from Don.

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If we already disagree with an idea, it's BS; and the person that presented it is clearly an idiot. And if we already agree with the idea, it's genius. And of course the person who presented it is pretty smart . . . although, they're late to the party because we already thought of it. The problem is, we're not actually thinking. At all. - Dr. John Berardi

I've been applying coats of Tru-oil all week, three a day. Two more days of finishing, then onto electronics installation and some final cosmetic things. Ready to be done with this first one, and ready to get onto the next one.

These are after 6 coats of Tru-oil, bear with me I took these on a camera phone






Also, made up a resume to send off to Collings and Gibson USA.

Thomas, that's an impressive bend in that curly maple binding!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Thanks Steve. I must have gone through 6 or 7 (or 8, or 9) strips before I finally got it right.

Also, Steve, I got this email from some relatives in Maryland not long ago:

"Last evening we were speaking to one of our neighbors who comes from a
small town in Tennessee. She mentioned that her husband, who is from
Memphis, has a very good friend who is a luthier named Stephen Kinnaird. So, you may wish to
pass the website below on to Thomas, although he probably already is
aware of this person. If Thomas contacts this person he can advise that
his uncle is a neighbor of George Wolner."

So yeah, there's that...

I've just finished modifying a mortise & tenon jig. I built this a few years ago after seeing some pics of the Woolson, adjustable neck tenon jig. I thought it's be cool to have one jig to do both the neck tenon & the body mortise & came up with the basic design.
When I first built it, the tenon guide was a hair off centre. Also, I couldn't figure out how to clamp the guitar in & still be able to align it properly to the mortise guide.
A bit discouraged, I put the thing aside for a while & (finally!) this week, figured out how to fix the "issues".
The tenon guide was easy. The old plate was routed out & an aluminum replacement positioned in the right place.
To set up for the mortise, the body clamps in firmly on a centre line drawn on the back board. The aluminum guide has four, 1/4" studs threaded & glued in. The studs go down through 1/2" holes in the deck, with penny washers & nuts holding it down... Allowing plenty of room for fine alignment.
The little bar sticking out in front of the mortise plate is an adjustable stop. Useful when making small or thin bodied instruments.
I cut the mortise in two bodies today & it worked great. Quick to set up & dead nuts accurate.
Always one of those jobs I sweated over! This makes it MUCH easier.
My thanks to Paul Woolson for the original idea!



Your SJ looks GREAT Rod!

I have a couple guitars going right now. The first is a Honduran mahogany jumbo with a WRC top, and the second is a cocobolo OM with a carpathian spruce top. Backs are complete, sides are bent, and the tops have rosettes installed (no pictures though) and are ready to be braced. I also have a koa tenor uke on the back burner.

Pictures aren't too exciting, but soon enough things will start lookin real nice!

Looking great everyone.

James, nice looking guitar! SJ?

Thomas, that is a very cool looking guitar you've made there, I love the tear-drop sound holes!!! The tru-oil is looking good. It will certainly buff out well for you.

Steve, nothing happening in your shop this week

Daniel, forget the jig, I want your bench!!!!

Gtrman, that is nice coco.... looking like some fun builds there.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

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

Got up to DC last night!!! Back in my stomping grounds! Will be wood shoppin' with Filippo and workin' out the optimal bracing structure for the first Marlin acoustic with Todd.0
Chris

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For Bunches of "How-To" videos on electric guitar (a lot applies to both electric and acoustic though) building visit the lutherie resources section of my website: http://www.muxguitars.com

UPS delivery was busy this week for me. Got the new capacitor from Rikon and installed on my 10-345. After having the blade run backwards, I switched the wiring, reinstalled and it runs great again. Set up my new Jet JSG-96 belt/disc sander by moving some things around in the shop. Cut out the 1/2" Acrylic for my Woolson Neck Jig and only had to cut it 3 times to get it square. That stuff slides way too easily! Got my marking gauges and fish glue from Lee Valley so I can glue the top on today. Also had a delivery from Pilgrims Projects in Hastings MI. Picked up 25 spool clamps for $2.75 each. Once I get the top on this body today, I'll be working on some neck shaping for this build and I'll probably reorganize my wood stash and pick out a new set or two for my next builds and get them started.

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Bobby Masten

Got the laptop, amplifier and the glitter bottle out and spent some time performing Chladni testing on the latest top. Ran two series of resonance tests; one before feathering the fan bracing and one afterwards.


Bracing after feathering out to edge of soundboard









There were some changes in the before and after modes. I'll save this data set to see what it sounds like when completed.

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Peter

In spite of my foolish requests I am most richly blessed.
http://www.peterjosephguitars.com

I just used, for the first time, my version of a jig I saw a while back in one of Jim Olson's build threads. (He's the "king of jigs", for my money.)
After finalizing the fingerboard face and nut position (and glueing the "ears"), it makes short work of a kind of fussy job of leveling the headplate face to the correct head angle, square to the fingerboard, and back exactly to the start of slope you're after.
Jazzed at how well it worked....had to post!

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Dave
Milton, ON

Peter,

Are you using the same "shape overhang" from one top to the other? The plate size has a very big impact in the pitches and I sense you have quite a lot of extra wood in there. Myself I never bother doing Chlandi unless cut exactly to final shape. Also, are you measuring the lower ones in the 175 - 230Hz as well?
But anyway, based on those numbers I might not omit the cutoff bars.

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Build log

Thanks for that, Thomas. Yes, George lived down the street from us, and we were fast friends all through high school. George got me into model rocketry, and was responsible for an interest in electric 12 strings. He's just a grand sort of fellow!

Thanks again...and apologies to all for this wee hijack.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Looking great you guys! 2 great new jigs that I don't have time to make also. Got to copy your neck joint jig Dan. I spend way too much time on that fit. I sold my last parlour and that's one style guitar I plan on never going without. Lutz and IRW with a walnut neck. I'm liking the look of this one.



I'm going to try out gold fret wire from Shane. I hope it goes well. This has been a somewhat error free build so far. I hope I didn't just jinx myself

Have a great weekend!

Hey Danny - that is one sexy looking little parlor! Did you build it to a commercially available set of plans? If so, I would love to know which ones and where you got them.

I am happy with pore fill of the back and sides , so I did a final scrape of the top, sanded the top across the grain "read that for spruce somewhere" and I brushed on 2 coats of shellac. I will finish the top after the back and sides.
I also started to z-poxy the neck. I suspect it will take fewer coats (3 on back and sides) as the pores are not as large. I used my gloved fingers to apply the z-poxy.
I mixed up a new batch of shellac and will pad a seal coat or 2 on the back and sides before starting to brush on the KTM-SV (water based spar varnish)

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Thanks, Rod I see a of progress in this one. It Jeff Traugott's model R shape.

_________________
If we already disagree with an idea, it's BS; and the person that presented it is clearly an idiot. And if we already agree with the idea, it's genius. And of course the person who presented it is pretty smart . . . although, they're late to the party because we already thought of it. The problem is, we're not actually thinking. At all. - Dr. John Berardi

Here are some shots of the most recent build in the workshop.
Now that the jigs are all made, tools are all working and I have some experience with what I'm doing, things come together REALLY quickly.
Started this just about two weeks ago. Installed binding and purfling yesterday and scraped clean today.







I did do thin laminate braces to make a three way X on the back. It holds it's shape incredibly well.

Charlie, it's this plan http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproduc ... cott+Antes. I really like the shape. The first one I built was Sitka and Maple. I hope this one sounds at least as good. I just pressed in some gold frets. Very sexy!!!!!!

Digging ditches by hand in rockbound clay (or is that claybound rock?) and installing french drains around a wet place on my foundation. Fortunately my son is helping me but I'm sure whipped.

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Steve Smith

Nice rosette, Dave!
I managed to get the current build ready for finish, so today I am spraying EM6000.
Trying my new gun, an Asturo ES/RV - excellent results so far; it seems to prays very evenly.

This is a Lutz/EIR OM with Bloodwood/Padauk trim:

Just made a quick trip to Sioux Falls to deliver a resonator to Dan Mahar (http://www.youtube.com/user/danmaharofficial) before he embarks on a tour of Ireland with Billy Dean. We named it cailíní rua (Gaelic for red headed girl)

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Wow ... some amazing work from folks on this forum! Love Rod & James body shapes and that thinline of Thomas's is gorgeous too. I'm a big fan of smaller parlor guitars so those instruments by Danny V and Dave are right up my alley. I really like the proportions on Robbie's cutaway and that reso by Terrence ... very cool indeed! I've got one of my Bearclaw-Sitka/Braz Concert models prepped for filler and then on to French Polishing next week (photo on the left was just before the neck carve).



Cheers!

David Wren http://wrenguitarworks.com