My first Kit - A Modified D18 from Blues Creek

[mthatcher61]

Brandon Schuler,
The HD28LSV is all that its cracked up to be. Its 7 serial numbers from the last stock Adirondack topped LSV built in 2000 before they shifted to Sitka. I'll use it as my standard when measuring my progress. I'm sure it will be a handy humility tool when I start getting cocky.
Mark

[mthatcher61]

OK I'm worried the humidity here in Northern New Jersey is going to be too much. My bench/work area is in the garage. I cant control the environment because we park the wifes car in there. The garage door opens and closes a couple of times a day. I have a nice small one room basement. I'm thinking maybe I should move the bench down there and get a small dehumidifier for the summer and a humidifier ( theres a wood stove we use down there ) in the winter. Breaking that bench down and hauling it out and around the house and down through the bulkhead is going to be a treat but I think I have to do it. 1st mistake. Built the bench in the wrong place. I used 3" drywall screws too. This will be fun . not.

[MaineGeezer]

Disassembly is your friend. I got a 1200-pound milling machine down bulkhead steps, in pieces. Heaviest piece was maybe 400 pounds. A stair-climbing refrigerator dolly rents for fairly cheap, and can help immensely.

[Diane Kauffmds]

At least you realized early in the game that you needed to relocate. I think you're right to move your workspace. It may not be fun to disassemble, but at least you had the foresight to use screws!

[mthatcher61]

Well Saturday the RH in the garage was 77%. I I broke the bench down and hauled it down into the basement where the RH was 60%. There was no way I could control the humidity in the garage. Even though it had nice high ceilings and sunlight, I just couldn't chance it.
I am now set up in the basement. It is only 20' x 13' so I think a 45 - 50 pt dehumidifier should do the trick. Scouring craigslist for a good 2nd hand one.
I should be picking one up at lunch today so if I can get it down to 50% by tomorrow I will start counting 10 days for the wood to get acclimated.
While I'm waiting i'll be researching radius dishes and how to build a decent Go-bar deck for the small space I have to work in.

[justrfb]

Nice work... I am no expert but I am thinking a couple, 3, 4 days with your wood pieces laying out on your newly relocated bench should do it as far as getting acclimated to the new RH. Good luck...

Sincerely,
Rich

[Diane Kauffmds]

I can give you a suggestion on the GoBar deck. My deck may not be elegant, but it does the job well and the total cost was less than $30.

I went to Home Depot and found 1'x2'x1" pine for $1.89 each. I bought 4 and I joined each set of two, so that I had (2) 2' x 2' x 1", for the top and bottom. Since I was in a pinch, I simply used some existing wood that I had for the 4 corners of the deck.

For the go bars, I went to Harbor Freight and bought 2 sets of the 33 foot long fiberglass wire pullers; they come in a plastic tube. I cut them to the length I needed, and I bought some rubber feet from ebay to put on each end.

I also bought some cheap carpet to line the top of the deck to keep the bars from slipping. When one gives, it has a tendency to take out others and it's like being in a shooting gallery!

[mthatcher61]

Thats a nice looking Deck Diane. Is that top your bracing resting on a radius dish?

[B Shuler2006]

Mark, I definitely hear ya on the humility tool! I have a Martin HD 16 RLSH, and I keep looking at it and looking at my guitars, and I can see little improvements I want to make on my next build! I have heard the LSV on YouTube and it sounds like a guitar I must own! Have fun building!

[mthatcher61]

OK, I have humidity in the shop under control. Got a Frigidaire 70pt in a 20 X 13 basement.

So I have started working on the kit and I am moving along at a snails pace. I agonize over every cut.
First I had to trim up the sides to fit in the mold. I put them in the mold and drew my lines with a pencil and cut them with a razor knife. Wow, Mahogany is easy to cut!