1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
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Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Just finished rough shaping the sides prior to bending. I shot a straight edge for the guitar top, then drew the profile onto my sides, adding 1/4" so I will have an extra 1/8" to play with when I have to shape them after bending. The extra 1/8 matches the extra I left on my blocks and might be a bit of overkill, but I don't trust my bandsaw skills and I'm not sure my profile is 100% right so I will just have to take my block plane to the sides a bit later on. Everything went relatively smooth. The only thing I need is something to make a long lasting visible line on the rosewood. It's very difficult to see any line I put on.
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Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

I've been bringing sides to final thickness and removing drum sander scratches with a card scraper. I've never used a card scraper before and had to learn from scratch. I bought one from Lee Valley and decided to try to make my own burnisher. I used an old 1/4 " tap I had laying around. I made a quick and dirty handle out of walnut and just threaded the tap into it. To tap steel I figure it needs to be very hard, and the finish on it was very smooth so I hoped it would be adequate. I also cut a slot at 90 degrees to a scrap of wood and wedged in an old file to file the edge square. I used this tutorial to get it ready and turn a burr http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techn ... _scrapers

Here are the results on one of the sides
P1020163.JPG
It actually works!
child so excited.png
It made beautiful thin curly shavings. It was quite nice and relaxing actually, I used my calipers to measure different spots along the sides to make sure that the thickness was correct all the way along. I could actually take a thousadth off at a time. I ended up at about .084-.087 along the sides
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MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by MaineGeezer »

When in doubt, it's a good plan to leave some extra. (Even when you're not in doubt, it's often a good plan to leave extra. You may still be wrong, even if you are sure you aren't!)
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
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Well, I'm definitely not planning on taking more off ;) But I figured that the sides needed to be the right thickness for bending. Somewhere I got the idea that .085 was ideal. Are you thinking I'm on the thin side? Too late now in any case, but It would be good to know.
John J
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2014 7:52 pm
Location: Saint Paul, MN

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by John J »

I bend mine at .075-.080.
Learning every day.
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by MaineGeezer »

Carter, the luthier who is teaching me and keeping me from making too many dumb mistakes, recommended 0.085" when I did my latest sides.
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
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

You're lucky to have someone to help you. There is a guy within about an hours drive from here who I intend to go bug when it comes time to carve my braces. Hopefully he will accept some beers or a bottle of something in exchange for looking over my bracing and helping me decide on how far to take them down..
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by MaineGeezer »

I'm paying Carter for his time -- it's not free! But I do feel very fortunate to have his expertise available to me.
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
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Update time! I bent my sides. I made a hot pipe bending rig with a torch. In the picture there is a silicone mat from the grocery store to insulate the plywood from the heat of the pipe. This was a bad idea. It melted and burnt up in no time. Silicone is heat resistant, but I guess there is a limit. I replaced it with a few layers of aluminum foil and that worked way better. I practiced bending the sides using the offcuts from cutting a taper into them earlier. All in all it was a success, but I found it quite difficult, especially because I had trouble with some twisting. There is still a tweak or two to be done, and I am a bit nervous I will stuff it up now that I am so close, but that seems like the name of the game for alot of this stuff.
side bending rig.JPG
work area and sides.JPG
In the shot of the sides in my form, you can see I organized my work area and got some new tools. I bought a $50 bandsaw used which has been a royal pain in the arse but is still better than no bandsaw. I was given a #5 type 17? handplane that I de-rusted and am waiting on a new blade for. I got some Lee Valley backsaws. The rip and crosscut carcase saws. Hmm I'm sure some of the other stuff is new but I don't remember.

With the snazzy new tools, and looking ahead at cutting the dovetail mortise, I decided I needed to up my skills a bit. I took an afternoon class at the local Lee Valley in which we did the Gotshall block test which really helped my chiseling. I also decided to do a practice project to up my saw skills and did a dovetailed recipe box for my wife. I finished it with Tru-Oil to see how that experience went. Overall I'm quite happy, but there are a few flaws and things I would do different. The biggest thing is I used a random orbital sander to do final polish and sanded through in a couple places at the edges. I think If I tru-oil my guitar I'll definitely hand polish it.
dovetail box.JPG
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Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

My wife went away to her parents so I took advantage of the free time to make some radius dishes. I didn't intend to make them so soon, but it seemed like a good opportunity. I drew up a 25' and a 15' arc using a trick I read about in a book with three nails and two long rulers. I used these arcs to make rails for a router sled, and rigged it all up so the MDF disc could be rotated on a central dowel.
radius jig.JPG
It seemed to work great and I was very pleased until I got inside (I went outside in the snow to avoid the dust blizzard in my house) and measured the dishes' arc. I ended up with a 17' radius and a 19' radius! I was choked. I re-rigged the 15' arc and ran the router over it again. It turned out somewhere between 14 and 15 feet. The 19' radius I figured was too small and too close to the other dish, but in order to fix it, I would have to re layout and re cut the rails. I got a bit suspect of my hand drawn arcs, so I found a PDF online of a 28' radius and went to Staples to have it printed full size. I figured that if I was off 28' by a couple of feet it would still be ok. The morning I was making the new sled for the dish everything went wrong. My bandsaw blade broke so I went to a coping saw. Then the coping saw blade broke. When I finally got started routing, the base was not engaged properly and the router took a big gouge out of the dish. I ended up just taking and extra 3/16" off the whole thing to even it back out. I figure I'll either glue the two dishes back to back, or a put a backer piece on the thin one. With great anticipation I measured the radius of the dish... 31 feet! Something is hinky about my process to have so much variance, but I'm pretty happy with 31 feet. So now I have two radius dishes and need to find some sandpaper. I would love to find one big piece for each (I'm in Calgary AB Canada) but If I get impatient I might just use some peel and stick on a roll from Lee Valley and see how that goes. Next task is the dovetail mortise in my neck block. I'll be doing a few practice mortises for sure before I hit the nice mahogany!
radius dishes.JPG
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