Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
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Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
Newbie, working on 1st project, a tenor ukulele. Got the top glued and down to about .086" and now to the sound hole and rosette troughs. What do y'all do? by hand? StewMac dremel gear? or...?
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!
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Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
The stew mac unit will do the job
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: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
I made a pivot bar for my DeWalt compact router. I clamp down the top to a piece of plywood that serves as a bench and drill a 1/8" hole in the center of what will be the sound hole down through the top and the plywood, which gives more solidarity to the hole. I use a 1/8" dia. dowel pin in that hole as the pivot point to rout the rings for the rosette, then as the final step use it to cut out the sound hole.
Note: don't be in a big rush to cut out the sound hole. Once you do, you lose your center point! It can be recovered, if need be, but it's easier to wait until you're sure you won't need it again before cutting the hole.
Note: don't be in a big rush to cut out the sound hole. Once you do, you lose your center point! It can be recovered, if need be, but it's easier to wait until you're sure you won't need it again before cutting the hole.
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: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
I normally use a router with a base that allows me to make circles. I have used an lmi circle cutter and a chisel, it is easier than it looks. One best practise I have is that I do not thickness the top until after I have installed the rosette. It just gives me a bit of wood to deal with tearout or other minor accidents.
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Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
Thank you all! I found while researching this that a good number of folks have turned from whatever method they were using to the StewMac Dremel base and circle cutter. I could think of a lot of ways to spend the money but decided I'd just jump in. I did try messing around with a chisel and might again sometime but like the security of a tool that is slip-proof.
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Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
look at the exacto brand stuff
https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-9911-Compas ... cle+cutter
I never used this but this may be what your looking for. It has a blade to score the rosette lines and you clear the rest with a chisel
https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-9911-Compas ... cle+cutter
I never used this but this may be what your looking for. It has a blade to score the rosette lines and you clear the rest with a chisel
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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- Posts: 1715
- Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm
Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
To set the radius I want to cut, I drill two 1/8" dia. holes in a strip of acrylic or aluminum that are spaced at the radius I want. I can do that very accurately on my milling machine. Then I slip that strip over the center pin of the radius arm on the router and over the toolbit, which guarantees the radius setting is what I want.
Lacking a milling machine to locate the holes, I'm not sure that technique would get you anything though.
Lacking a milling machine to locate the holes, I'm not sure that technique would get you anything though.
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: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
Hi. I've got the Stewmac base and I'm no longer using it if you want it. I sent you a pm.
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Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
Diane what are you using now for your rosettes?
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Re: Best practices in cutting rosettes and sound holes?
I'm using my Ridgid compact router and a JS Bogdanovich attachment I found online. It's plastic, but made to work like the stewmac rosette attachment. Unlike the stewmac, it's made for a compact router, which I prefer.Kevin Sjostrand wrote:Diane what are you using now for your rosettes?
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