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I thought the Rosette would have been one of the easier parts of this kit. The fit was very tight and I pushed the Rosette into the channels with the handle of my chisel it just made a mess crushing some of the purfling and ruining the lines. I started to heat the rosette up with an iron trying to remove it and I created a small crack in the top at the fretboard side. At this point my plan is to route out the rosette with a dremel and just create on big channel, put in a wooden rosette with a small purfling strip on each side.
They sell 1/4 thick sheets of Maple and oak at Lowes, I was thinking of using one of those to cut a new rosette. Couple of questions -

1. If I stained the rosette, would that effect anything when it's time to put on the finish?

2. For the crack on the top, should I just fill it with wood glue since the fretboard will cover it or should I splice in some spruce?

Thanks, Pete

Have you tried sanding that rosette down flush? those turned over pieces may still be seated deep enough to make a line. The top is split down the joint. You can work some Titebond or other glue in there and clamp it back up and it will be fine.

Hi Tim, I scraped and sanded and now I really just want to start over if it's possible. I now know that brute force is not the way to go with these!

How's the other side of the top look? Maybe you could use a classical style sound-hole reinforcement and start fresh on the other side. Wouldn't be the first time, and its probably what I'd do. :) If that doesn't appeal to you, a decent AA top will not set you back too much, considering how early you are in the process and how long you will enjoy this guitar.

You don't want to get 50 hours into this guitar and then decide you don't want a wooden rosette on a 'Herringbone' guitar. I messed up my first rosette, scrambled, improvised and moved on, but now that's one of the first things that I notice when it comes out of the case.

Ben-Had wrote:Have you tried sanding that rosette down flush? those turned over pieces may still be seated deep enough to make a line.

There are a few rough spots there, but you might consider this - many times the purfling folds over like that just until everything is flush, and then you get crisp lines. Good Luck whatever you decide.

Thanks Darren, I didn't even think of using the other side, nice tip. I think I will give that a try. Should I fill the gap in the existing rosette? Pete

Yeah, i would. If inlaying the same rosette you'll want the herringbone glued to something there.

Make sure everything is sanded down and clean so you get a good top-to-soundhole-patch joint. Note that I haven't personally done this, but have seen it recommended by others with more experience than I. Proceed with caution... :)

Here's a link to RC Tonewoods' student Engleman: http://rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store/index. ... ts_id=1986 Otherwise, a AA Engleman runs you about $40...

Unfortunately, I can't offer much more help than the others since I'm just working on my first guitar too. One of my rosette purflings, the outermost one, was particularly snug and I had the same problem you did but not nearly to that extent. Continuing to scrape did help the line become more defined only to a point and then it was clear that the outer purfling was just never gonna look perfect. Have kind of written this off as a lesson learned on my first build and truthfully, I'll probably be the only one who ever notices it, and have moved on. StewMac told me it was due to the difference in weather and humidity from when and where they routed the grooves to my home. If you and others are having the same problem, I just wonder if their tolerances are too tight on these grooves.

The channels were too tight on mine. i should have ran some sandpaper in there I guess. I couldn't help myself and I routed out the entire rosette with my dremel. I'm gonna give it another shot with something different and if that doesn't work I'll just start over with a new top.

I had the same issue with my StewMac dreadnought kit. However, I gently sanded the rosette and the groove to loosen the fit. I also chamfered the two edges on the bottom of the rosette so it would be easier to get the insertion into the groove started.

Chamfering the edges always is a very good idea when the fit is snug. Don't do it if the fit is loose because as you sand down material there is always the risk of taking it down so far that you get into the edge that now doesn't fit tight.......
And remember, if you have to force it in, it is too tight, you've got to leave a few thousands for the glue too.

Kevin