Three 0's

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
jread
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Re: Three 0's

Post by jread »

Best one yet. Baked bear claw englemann from rc tonewoods. Baked sitka bracing. EIR back/sides from Exoticwood zone. I gave up my hand made form for a perfect one from Blues Creek Guitars including the cut-away insert. Also switched to the Blues Creek halo bracing templates. They sure make making, gluing, and cutting the little slots a lot easier.

The torrefied seems more fragile overall. I cracked the top 3 times luckily all outside of the lines but those are my 1st cracks. I also mis-queued and cracked an x-brace while chiseling and had to pull it out and replace it. Brittle is a better word. The torrefied sawdust is more "everywhere", the whole thing smells and looks old. Pretty cool and matches my woodworking style of building oldish looking things.

stay healthy, everyone.
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jread
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Re: Three 0's

Post by jread »

The 'commissioned' bodies are freshly bound and cleaned up. Plus the practice run all mahogany. Just started filling and will french polish. I had intended to learn sunburst and have some practice materials but coming up with nothing so far that looks like i'd want to put on these so probably will just save that for a future project. I'm pretty happy with them though each as few items that you hope don't happen next time.

One neck is done, fretted and has some shellac, the others are going OK. Time to slow down and work on the inlays so I can complete the rest of the necks. Meanwhile, the dovetails are all fitted pretty darn close so will move to finishing the bodies and then let them sit. Once the fretboards are ready to be glued on, I can final fit, attach, then glue on the necks and we'll be onto makes bridges, nuts, saddles while the necks dry. Somewhere along the way I have a lot of tuning machines to buy and drill. Those and cases are big ticket items comparatively and I've been putting it off. The Waverly's sure are temping but the open back Grovers seem appropriate for most of these.
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ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: Three 0's

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

What's it like having so many guitars under construction at the same time - do you do the same operation on each at the same time? bring them all along together? Randomly do steps?

They look great

Ed
Ed M
jread
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Re: Three 0's

Post by jread »

Thanks! I'll try to be brief. When I built my kit, i found there was a lot of waiting for next steps. I was working on my 2nd project, a dreadnought, when I got eager musician friends/customers convincing me to build them both 0-body cutaways. plus one for the Mrs. and i added in a practice run. So, yes, I like do things in multiples when possible. Every steps stayed in sync until I had to use my single form. Then I bent sides and closed each body in order. Remember too that I'm still learning as I go so since i know how to do the bodies, they went faster. I did wait to do all the binding in succession and i'm glad i did since you guys had a recent thread on using thin CA and that was a huge improvement for me as I could lay it all out before using any glue.

Now I'm back to doing things together. I dabbled in inlays on my kit but now want to take it up a notch so am setting up to to all of them. I also have a friend who is a fine jewelry maker who I've convinced that her turquoise and silver earrings/necklaces/rings would make for very fine headstock inlays. She's working on one now but I won't get to see it until it's done. if all goes well, it will go on the "0-18c" which will be her touring musician husband's guitar. Now that is precisely why I'm so motivated to make all these.
carld05
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:19 pm
Location: Forest Ranch, CA

Re: Three 0's

Post by carld05 »

I've built 5 at a time only once, 3 at a time twice, and the last time 2. I'll not do 5 again. Three seems to be the optimal number for the different processes for me especially for the finishing. With nitro, the drying time between coats has worked out best with three. Also, correcting the mistakes doesn't upset the rhythm as much.
jread
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Re: Three 0's

Post by jread »

carld05 wrote:I've built 5 at a time only once, 3 at a time twice, and the last time 2. I'll not do 5 again. Three seems to be the optimal number for the different processes for me especially for the finishing. With nitro, the drying time between coats has worked out best with three. Also, correcting the mistakes doesn't upset the rhythm as much.
Thanks. I'll likely not do this again. I had plans to do three but added one in as practice as I'm learning and still need to finish that dred too. Plus, I haven't even mentioned the lopsided one that I want to unglue and see if I can save. Too much. I also want to go back and make a 12 fret D with my kit form and so many other things. I have wood set aside for an Irish bouzouki which is high on my wish list.

Going forward, If I get to keep my full time IT job after this virus downturn, I'd like to just keep one or two moving and also remember to do my other shop projects. I made new windows for over the bookcases next to the fireplace for the Mrs. that I need to install and winter is over so no more excuses not to install them.
Morecowbell
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Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:51 am
Location: Fishers, IN

Re: Three 0's

Post by Morecowbell »

So cool to watch this - that torrefied top looks fantastic.
"Facts seldom sway an opinion." - John Hall
"The difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference." - Van de Snepscheut
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Three 0's

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I've had 5 builds, 1 restoration, and several repairs going at one time. It's a lot to juggle. I've decided that I really don't want more than 3 builds going on at one time.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Three 0's

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

You're work looks great.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
jread
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Re: Three 0's

Post by jread »

I have a long way to go before I can post all the guitars together ready like this one so posting this update. Also an inlay we worked up for one of them based off of a Gustof Stickley furniture inlay design we liked.

This guitar is close to the 0-15 GAL plans w/ some customizations like long scale, 1 11/16th nut, my brace carving, and the trim. My 1st 'finished;' attempt at french polish. Tho, of course, this guitar still needs a bridge and I'm working on that. I have grover open back tuners. Going to make an ebony and bone nut and see which sounds better.
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