A more-or-less copy of a Martin OM

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
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MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Dot inlays complete

Post by MaineGeezer »

I've completed the installation of the fingerboard abalone dot inlays. I'm in awe of Dave Nichols (Custom Pearl Inlay) and others who do such beautiful inlay work. For me, dots were hard enough! If you look closely, you may see that some of them aren't aligned in the fret spaces just right. Fortunately, they aren't so far off as to be blatantly noticeable.

I cut the holes with a miniature carbide end mill of the correct diameter, which gave an almost-flat-bottomed hole, and glued them in with a drop of superglue.

The inspiration for the dot layout came from the fingerboard of a Harmony Soverign.

You can also see one of the fingerboard alignment pins, used to position the fingerboard on the neck.
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MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

The top, in progress

Post by MaineGeezer »

This isn't a particularly inspiring picture, but it's the top, with the halves glued together, in the process of being reduced to final thickness. I've planed it down to just over 0.2", but I think I will give up on the planing and rely on Carter's thickness sander from this point on. Although I can use a hand plane fairly well, the thought of reducing a couple square feet of spruce to a uniform thickness of 0.1" or thereabouts is a bit terrifying, especially when I think of how much the wood cost.

It's beginning to respond well to taps. When another 0.1" is taken off it ought to be a very "live" top.

I may have mentioned before that it's red spruce from an old-growth tree harvested from Baxter State Park in Maine. I don't want to mess it up!
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Don't believe everything you know.
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When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

The bridge

Post by MaineGeezer »

Going back through the postings, I see that I haven't posted a picture of the bridge yet.

I'll also include a shot of the form tool I ground for making the heads of the bridge pins.
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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
Darryl Young
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Location: Arkansas

Re: A more-or-less copy of a Martin OM

Post by Darryl Young »

Nice job on this MainGeezer. (didn't catch your real name, sorry)

What kind of wood is the bridge made from?
Slacker......
johnnparchem
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Re: A more-or-less copy of a Martin OM

Post by johnnparchem »

Nice looking bridge and shop made pins.
MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: A more-or-less copy of a Martin OM

Post by MaineGeezer »

The bridge is also dogwood. It darkens up considerably when a finish is applied. (Compare to the unfinished fingerboard photos.)

Why dogwood? I had a piece and wanted to do something with it. I discovered that it's a very hard wood, considerably harder than hard maple, but it machines quite well. What a dogwood bridge may do to the sound, I have no idea.

While I'm at it, here's a shot of the top in progress. Rough-cut to shape, sanded to thickness, and two of the rosette rings cut.

I'm planning to bind the edge of the sound hole, probably with a ring of black walnut to match the back and sides and neck.
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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
 

Re: A more-or-less copy of a Martin OM

Post by   »

Geezer,
Great blog. Interesting alternatives to the norm. Keep up the good work.
-tommy
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Rosette complete; sound hole cut and bound

Post by MaineGeezer »

Even though I carefully test-fitted the strips for the rosette, the lengths were incorrect when I actually went to glue them in place. For a few minutes I was afraid the whole thing would be a disaster, but real-time "adjustments" were mostly successful and the final fit isn't too bad. The black walnut binding on the sound hole opening fit quite well. The big problem was the abalone ZipFlex strip and the purfling strips on either side of it. But the end result is acceptable, I guess. It probably looks worse to me than it will to anybody else.
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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
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

If you ignore the fact that there is no back or sides or bra

Post by MaineGeezer »

If you ignore the fact that there is no back or sides or bracing and the neck isn't shaped yet and other minor details, it's starting to look like a guitar.

(n.b none of this is glued together yet!)
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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
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

The back with center joint reinforcing strip

Post by MaineGeezer »

This is of passing interest only because I used trimmings left from cutting out the top to get the cross-grain reinforcing strip for the back. You can just see the pencil marks where the braces are going to go. I'll have to cut out the reinforcing strip where the braces go.
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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
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