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Steve's Baby Bird
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10145&t=47893		 Page 4 of 6
Author:  J De Rocher [ Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Very nice.
Author:  Pmaj7 [ Wed Nov 02, 2016 12:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
SteveSmith wrote:
Thanks Jay. I trace the outline with a 0.3mm pencil then use a 0.020" carbide bit in a pneumatic inlay tool (Blues Creek) to hog out most of the waste. After that I clean to the line with a variety of tools. 3 Xacto knives with different shapes, a small gouge and a couple of dental picks. Here's a photo that shows most of them.
Image

Great idea to write down the number of fret location. Why haven't I thought of that!
Author:  J De Rocher [ Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
pat macaluso wrote:
Great idea to write down the number of fret location. Why haven't I thought of that!


Agreed. Why didn't I think of that. I love picking up tips like this from this forum.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
First time I've done that and you guys know why!
Author:  gregorio [ Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
seems like a technique i should adopt. : )
Author:  Clinchriver [ Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Looking good. Seems we both inlayed the same inlay :mrgreen: I skipped the 3rd fret marker.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Clinchriver wrote:
Looking good. Seems we both inlayed the same inlay :mrgreen: I skipped the 3rd fret marker.


That's funny. I'm not much on 3rd fret inlays but I thought what the heck, it's just decoration anyway and I wanted this one to have a bit of flash.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Got the dovetail cut but not fitted yet. Still, I was able to put the pieces in their correct locations to get an idea of how it will look. I'm pretty satisfied but not sure I like the bridge. I may make another bridge out of rosewood to see how it looks.

Strange, not sure why Tapatalk dropped this photo in so big?
Image
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 11:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Looking good. I love the point in the process when it finally starts looking like a guitar. When you can put the neck on and get a feel for the proportions and everything. My vision of seeing the forum flooded with a bunch of parlor pics is starting to come to fruition :)

Visually, I usually like the bridge to match the fretboard, but in this case, I'm interested in seeing the rosewood bridge. I'm not sure why exactly, but you obviously had the same thought. . . Also, is that bridge a little thicker (taller) than average or is it a trick of the camera combined with the small box throwing me off?
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 11:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
The bridge is 3/8" x 1" x 5 1/2" but does look chunky to me too. I'll try a rosewood bridge. I generally prefer rosewood anyway and it will probably be a better sounding choice for this small box.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
I wonder if the 5 1/2" length is what is throwing my eye off. Like my brain is assuming it is 6 inches and so it looks thick in relation. Now that I look again, I can see that the wings are shorter, that is probably tricking my brain.

I have't made my bridge yet but I am planning on a 6 inch bridge and was worried that it being so long in relation to the lower bout width might look odd. . . It is funny how our brains interperet pictures bassed on what we are used to seeing.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 1:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
One problem is that I had the bridge in the wrong location, it needed to move back about 1/2". Here's photos with both bridges in the correct spot.

6" Rosewood bridge
Image

5 1/2" Ebony
Image
Author:  J De Rocher [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 1:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
That correct position looks a lot better. Pretty amazing how much of a difference 1/2" makes. How do the weights of the two bridges compare and how much difference in x-brace overlap is there between the two bridge lengths?

The guitar is looking really nice.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
J De Rocher wrote:
That correct position looks a lot better. Pretty amazing how much of a difference 1/2" makes. How do the weights of the two bridges compare and how much difference in x-brace overlap is there between the two bridge lengths?

The guitar is looking really nice.


^^^^^^Pretty much what I was ready to say on all points. My only additions is to say that visually, I prefer the roseswood which is different than my usual preference. Somehow, it is the color but I can't put my finger on it.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Steve's Baby Bird
Guys, the ebony bridge comes in at 28g but would probably be around 26g after I cleaned it up and eased some of the edges. The rosewood bridge was 15g but it is also too thin - that's why it was in my leftover bridge bag. If I made another one it would probably end up just under 20g which I think is a better weight for this little guitar. I would prefer something around 18g. I'll look for a light piece of rosewood.

Agreed about the color; rosewood just looks better.

As far as the X-brace overlap. Here are some photos with the template that I used. The bridge plate is about 1/8" farther forward than the template as I made some adjustments for the scale change. You can see where the 5 1/2" came from.

5 1/2"
Image

6"
Image
Author:  J De Rocher [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
I'm going to guess that the extra 1/4" on each end of the longer bridge wouldn't make much difference since essentially the same amount of x-brace (and finger brace) would be overlapped by either bridge.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
The 5 1/2" came off the LMI 3/4 size plans I have been loosely following. I suppose the idea was to maximize the free top area but I agree that the extra length shouldn't make a significant difference, especially if I thin the wings down a bit more than normal. Plus the 6" bridge just looks better, I think.
Author:  DennisK [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
SteveSmith wrote:
The 5 1/2" came off the LMI 3/4 size plans I have been loosely following. I suppose the idea was to maximize the free top area but I agree that the extra length shouldn't make a significant difference, especially if I thin the wings down a bit more than normal. Plus the 6" bridge just looks better, I think.

I agree. The larger glue area is also good, considering that it's redwood.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Good point Dennis.
Author:  Bryan Bear [ Tue Nov 08, 2016 11:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
These are interesting discussions. When I was designing my bracing, I never really considered shortening the bridge even though losing significant free plate area of the edge (with a narrower body) was a concern of mine. It just never really occurred time to do that. Instead, I focused o. Getting the x as far forward and wide as I dared. Having a longer bridge helped that goal. Of course, I was also up against another restraint. My body design is short, so with a 12 fret neck I don't have a ton of area behind the bridge. A wide and forward shifted x seemed better to keep that area loose. It is going to be fun hearing all these different guitars.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
This guitar is so small I have no idea what it will sound like but I can't wait to find out.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Sun Nov 27, 2016 6:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
A pretty boring update but haven't made much progress in the last week or so. Got the neck fitted so it's centered and at the proper angle.

Edit:Sorry for the big photos, I got a new phone and haven't figured it out yet.

Image
Image
Author:  chucksurette [ Thu Dec 01, 2016 12:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Looking good Steve. Neck fit looks perfect.

Not sure which I like better though, the guitar - or that little LN block plane. Is that the 102?
Author:  SteveSmith [ Thu Dec 01, 2016 8:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Thanks Chuck, I'm happy with the progress so far. Youre right, the plane is an LN 102 and it's the one I use the most.
Author:  SteveSmith [ Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Steve's Baby Bird
Neck is finished. Pretty close to time for final sanding and finish. Image
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