Build #3: sitka/black walnut 000

[nkwak]

Part of the thing that got me (back) to this point was my least favorite part of the build: binding. As you can see, this is for good reason. I didn’t want to invest in a complicated and expensive setup and liked the look up something that I would try to engineer myself.

That’s the problem: I’m not an engineer. Heck, I’m more of a janitor who cleans up messes. Before that I was an art student, so I’ve naturally gravitated toward the aesthetic aspect of each build. This one has been pretty vanilla but I wanted to at least approximate a 28 series herringbone trim level.

Lately I’ve been poring over any luthiery video I can find on YouTube, and somehow violin and cello building videos have entered into my feed. That’s ironic and appropriate because somewhere in my various shopping excursions at either the local Rockler or Woodcraft I picked up a violin purfling tool/gramil but resigned myself to using it more at a marking tool to set my binding channel cutter.

This time though, I opted to sharpen a nail (I lost the blade long ago) and cut into the wood. It didn’t come out half bad, but so far I’m only halfway through the process.

[carld05]

Check out this post on ANZLF, http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=1& ... it=binding.
I got the parts to do this from 8020.com and made a tower rig. That was about 10+ years ago. Still works fine. Make one Neil!

[nkwak]

I may just do that, but I still like simplicity of my jig. My issue has been with how to feed the work into the blade and holding it firm on the climbing cuts. Also, I find that a quit spit coat of shellac helps with tearout and “furry” cuts. There’s also the matter of cleanup with files and a nice sharp 1/4” chisel.

Now on to bending the binding. Given the weather projections I could probably just leave them lie on a rock in the hot sun after wetting them down.

[nkwak]

I have the binding and purfling back on the top and am now working on setting the neck. There are still flaws but this is only my third after all.



Yes, I know the purfling wasn't 100%. I've fixed that tonight. Here's a close up. I filed a little deep in a couple of spots so I worked a piece of black purfling in where the gap was really noticeable.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Neil
That looks very good to me. Good good job overall.
Most wouldn't even tackle the top replacement.

[nkwak]

Thanks! Yes, it was pretty disheartening and set me back a good six months. I figure since I’m not working on this for a customer I might as well learn from the mistakes now.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Building a guitar for a customer is a scary experience. I've sold 4 made to order and it can be nerve racking. I'd rather just give them away. Less stress!

[phavriluk]

Building a guitar for a customer is a scary experience. I've sold 4 made to order and it can be nerve racking. I'd rather just give them away. Less stress!

Agreed: I've given away four I made that would otherwise be sitting in their cases. Now they're scattered around the world and are getting used by their grateful owners. I think everybody's happy.

[nkwak]

Yes, this is just a learning process at this stage. I just hope it sounds and plays/feels like a guitar. Same with the next. I’m actually wondering where I’m going to put them when I’m done. At some point I’d like to start selling and going commissions but I don’t see me doing all that many. I’ve had three people solicit me and one is elderly. I really need to focus more on setup moving forward. This is the step where it ceases being a woodworking project and you have to shift focus to its functionality.

[nkwak]

I finally got the neck aligned and glued on the fretboard. Next up: fretting.

Also, I determined that the back is not centered on the rims. It was screwing me up. I ended up going by the seam on the soundboard.