What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
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What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
Happy October Everyone!
Would you please post your favorite brace carving chisel with make and model (length, thickness, width, straight of curved etc.). If that is not fun enough, post a pic.
Would you please post your favorite brace carving chisel with make and model (length, thickness, width, straight of curved etc.). If that is not fun enough, post a pic.
Last edited by Kbore on Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Measure Twice,
Karl B
Karl B
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
Any sharp chisel will work. My first choice is my 15mm Two Cherries curved chisel. It has a curve to facilitate carving scalloped bracing. The curves paring chisels are toward the bottom of the page:
https://www.diefenbacher.com/Special%20Chisels.htm
https://www.diefenbacher.com/Special%20Chisels.htm
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
Depends on what is being carved, and where. It varies.
peter havriluk
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
I rough them on the sander and only a small amount of shaping is needed when I voice them later
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
Like John says, roughed and shaped before installation, then just a little shaping with the chisel. Any good chisel, usually about 5/8 - 3/4" wide, bevel down. Whatever is sharp on the bench. I see no benefit to a curved chisel:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 029319394/
Click left and right
Ed
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 029319394/
Click left and right
Ed
Ed M
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
For me the sharpest in my chisel drawer at the time I need it.
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
I much prefer finger planes whenever I can use them. Extremely controllable and they will do most of the carving as fast or faster with a lot less "surprises'". Takes a little army of them in the 1"-3" range, so more expensive than chisels. Way more fun to use for me.
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
I'll use a variety of chisels and planes to achieve the final result, but the primary chisel I use to shape braces is probably a 5/8" Stanley Sweetheart.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
As said above, a sharp chisel. I use a 25mm straight chisel (Swiss, I think). I have taken videos of the ladies at Martin doing full tops in 3 minutes or so and also like this one on utube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz-2OL_b-oU .
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Re: What Is Your Goto Chisel For Carving Braces
That guy at Martin sure did that quickly. Remember that they build so many guitars they don't have time to individually voice them - they are working to averages. That guy does the same thing to every guitar of that spec that he sees, and you could do that too with a little training. Martin produces a whole lot of good sounding guitars, some that are amazing, and some that are dogs - because they are working to averages.
On the other hand, Dana Bourgeois personally voices every top that leaves his shop and I have never heard anything but good things about his work:
https://vimeo.com/96155522
Problem for you and me is that there is no way we can properly voice a guitar based on the few instruments that we will ever make - even after watching 100 videos like that one. I am just finishing (literally) my 8th guitar. I don't scallop braces because that is not the sound I am after. I just shoot for averages, and I have 1 amazing guitar, 1 dog, and 5 that are pretty good, dammit. We'll see about #8 shortly.
Ed
PS - I meant to mention above that I have a lot of chisels, but my favorites are a couple of pre-1900 Buck Brothers, a 1/8" James Swan millwright chisel, and a set of Marples bevel edge chisels with boxwood handles that my wife got me on our first anniversary in 1972 - they are fabulous.
On the other hand, Dana Bourgeois personally voices every top that leaves his shop and I have never heard anything but good things about his work:
https://vimeo.com/96155522
Problem for you and me is that there is no way we can properly voice a guitar based on the few instruments that we will ever make - even after watching 100 videos like that one. I am just finishing (literally) my 8th guitar. I don't scallop braces because that is not the sound I am after. I just shoot for averages, and I have 1 amazing guitar, 1 dog, and 5 that are pretty good, dammit. We'll see about #8 shortly.
Ed
PS - I meant to mention above that I have a lot of chisels, but my favorites are a couple of pre-1900 Buck Brothers, a 1/8" James Swan millwright chisel, and a set of Marples bevel edge chisels with boxwood handles that my wife got me on our first anniversary in 1972 - they are fabulous.
Ed M