Yellow Cedar L-1

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ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I want this instrument to be elegant but not overly fussy, so I'm using abalone, but in a simple way (I think)

1) Here is my top assembly - black binding/w/flexible abalone/w/b. It will also have a w/b below the binding at the side, making this one 6 pieces

2) Here is my back assembly - black binding/w/b. It will also have a w/b below the binding at the side, making this one 4 pieces
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Last edited by ruby@magpage.com on Wed Jul 04, 2018 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Waiting for some parts to complete the binding/purfling/end graft - so I am starting on the neck

1) I made a mock up of my 25.4 scale, 13 fret neck out of 1" wide pine- that's it in the forefront. Behind it is the neck/head piece at about 1" thick X 3-1/4" wide. Behind that is a piece that is 1-3/8" thick for the heel. I have drawn my 15° line across the neck/head piece

2) I cut the neck from the head

3) Clamping the head to the neck, I plane out the saw marks and flatten the two with reference to each other
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) The head needs to be thinned to 1/2", so I mark it and the cut off most of the excess at the bandsaw . . .

2) plane it flat with a mild scrub blade in a block plane . . .

3) and refine with a smoother - this stuff planes beautifully
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) The neck piece is taken to 13/16 so gets much less removed - use my actual scrub plane to get rid of most of the waste in a hurry, then the smoother again

2) The pieces are ready to glue, so I clamp a block with 2 square surfaces to the bench and clamp the neck to it. When I find the position for the head piece, I clamp a stop to the bench to keep the head from sliding when I clamp it. Check it all for square, and ready for glue

3) Put some plastic wrap down to keep the glue off the bench, and clamp it up
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Last edited by ruby@magpage.com on Wed Jul 04, 2018 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Neck blank ready for a lot more steps

Had to take a little break to launch our sailboat - a little late in the season. My brother and I built this one and launched in 1980, so it in its 39th season

2) Waiting for the lift

3) Parts have arrived, so end graft. Mark it and cut it with a straight blade with lots of teeth
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

1) Remove most of the waste with a sharp chisel

2) refine the depth with a small router plane

3) break out the Duco - ebony with a little flourish
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Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Uh-oh - I put on 3 wipes of shellac before I cut the graft slot, then a quick one at the edges of the slot. Then I carefully scraped the Ebony until it broke through the shellac to get the graft even with the side. Still got a little black stuff into the Yellow Cedar that doesn't want to come out.

Anybody have any suggestions for getting the Ebony dust/particles out of the Yellow Cedar??

Ed
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Ed M
Danl8
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by Danl8 »

ruby@magpage.com wrote:Uh-oh - - - Anybody have any suggestions for getting the Ebony dust/particles out of the Yellow Cedar??

Ed
I've been in this predicament in my lute building days inlaying ebony hearts into the spruce top. What usually worked was taking a new single edge razor blade and very gently scraping into the ebony with blade skewed going over the soft to hard wood line. That way a step doesn't happen and the soft wood never gets the ebony pushed into it.
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I will use CA (Super Glue) to hold the purfling and binding on the back. I have used it before but it is very hard to clean up, so I am using a modified taping scheme - fewer pieces of tape

1) Minimum of tape

2) Thin CA wicked in between the tape, then remove the tape and wick it there

3) Still too hard to clean up. Softwood is definitely more delicate to work with than sturdy Rosewood, Oak or Osage Orange
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Last edited by ruby@magpage.com on Wed Jul 04, 2018 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ed M
ruby@magpage.com
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
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Re: Yellow Cedar L-1

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

With help from a fellow amateur loofier, I am trying the technique with larger spaces between the tape, and then just gluing the center of the sections between tape. When that is dry, take off the tape and fill in between. The little stick is to push the abalone down to the bottom of the channel

1) Figuring out the minimum of tape needed to do the right job

2) I have finished the lower left section with great success - no tape stickage. Six piece binding/purfling. The 2 tape rings are just to keep things organized

3) Using a caul at the waist with a heavy plastic ziplok bag under it
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Ed M
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