My First Guitar-OM Blog

[Diane Kauffmds]

I'm working on the top today. I joined the carpathian spruce day before yesterday. I thicknessed it yesterday, and installed the rosette.

I'm very disappointed in myself. I had planned a beautiful maple rosette that had rose bud inlay to match the theme of the headstock, but for some reason, when thicknessing the top, I made the area around the soundhole too thin.

The top averages .10-.110", but the area of the fretboard extension, and the soundhole are a very thin .080". The planned rosette was very thick with a raised relief. I wasn't sure how much I could thin it from the back, so I decided to err on the side of caution, and use this rosewood/abalone rosette . I also inlaid (albeit badly) a little piece of scrap carpathian over the routed area, at the top of the rosette where it doesn't meet, to reinforce the area; it'll be covered by the fretboard extension

Today, I'm installing the braces. Luckily, the transverse brace and popsicle cover that thin area the top of the rosette.

BTW, I put together the gobar deck with 2 pieces of 24 x 18x 3/4" pine that I got from Home Depot for $1.48 each; the fiberglass bars are cut from wire puller rods from Harbor freight ($9.99); the most expensive part of the thing were the rubber feet, which were actually difficult to find (everything was plastic; I wanted rubber). I found them on Ebay for $8.00 for a pack of 20; I bought 3 packs. So the deck cost around $37 to make.

[MaineGeezer]

For future reference, an industrial supply place that has EVERYTHING including a willingness to deal with "normal" people is McMcaster-Carr. See for example http://www.mcmaster.com/#stool-feet/=ub2ezi Their shipping charges are reasonable, and service is fast.

You're doing a nice job! How did you thickness the top? I'm lucky to be able to use an 18" wide thickness sander, which simplifies life no end. I tried planing the top, just to 1) prove that I could do it and 2) feel even more glad I can use the thickness sander.

That's a nice go-bar setup.

[Diane Kauffmds]

For future reference, an industrial supply place that has EVERYTHING including a willingness to deal with "normal" people is McMcaster-Carr. See for example http://www.mcmaster.com/#stool-feet/=ub2ezi Their shipping charges are reasonable, and service is fast.

You're doing a nice job! How did you thickness the top? I'm lucky to be able to use an 18" wide thickness sander, which simplifies life no end. I tried planing the top, just to 1) prove that I could do it and 2) feel even more glad I can use the thickness sander.

That's a nice go-bar setup.

I used an electric hand planer, then an old Stanley low angle block plane (my favorite); then I sanded to 600 grit. Thanks for the link.

[Diane Kauffmds]

I voiced the top and sanded everything to 320 grit. The bottom is on the rims and is in the gobar deck now. I opted for 1" wide soundhole bracing since the soundhole is thin.

The first photo is how I prevent mishaps with the chisel. I use 3 feeler gauges, which is a good thing. The chisel let go and put a hole in one of the gauges, but never touched the top. The top has a really great tap tone with sustain.

[johnnparchem]

Really nice work on the top. Wow.

[MaineGeezer]

Beautiful! Stunning, even. If appearance is worth anything, you are going to have a great-sounding guitar!

I may borrow your idea of protecting the surrounding top. I didn't notice any particular problem with the chisel slipping when I carved the braces on the dulcimer I built, but that was a lot simpler and I also had a lot less invested in it.

Have you ever done the Martin guitar factory tour and seen the person carving braces? It looks so easy.... It also looks as though they're using a chisel sharpened to the point that a razor is dull by comparison.

[ruby@magpage.com]

Diane

Did you use the feeler gauges to end up at a final brace thickness, or just to protect the top?

Ed

[Diane Kauffmds]

Diane

Did you use the feeler gauges to end up at a final brace thickness, or just to protect the top?

Ed

Hi Ed,

I used wood that was 2.5mm thick to get the thickness.

I used the feeler gauges just as protection for the smoothing, moving them along as I chiseled and sanded the sides of the braces. I had to take off quite a bit of wood on the braces to get them to pass through the kerfing, so I used the feeler gauges until I got close, then switched to the 2.5mm wood; that way, if the chisel slipped, it hit the gauges instead of the thicknessed wood. Otherwise, by the time I got to the last braces, the wood that I used to make sure that the braces were the right thickness, would not have been the proper thickness anymore, since I'm still learning to use a chisel. (if that makes any sense to you).

[Diane Kauffmds]

Beautiful! Stunning, even. If appearance is worth anything, you are going to have a great-sounding guitar!

I may borrow your idea of protecting the surrounding top. I didn't notice any particular problem with the chisel slipping when I carved the braces on the dulcimer I built, but that was a lot simpler and I also had a lot less invested in it.

Have you ever done the Martin guitar factory tour and seen the person carving braces? It looks so easy.... It also looks as though they're using a chisel sharpened to the point that a razor is dull by comparison.

I've seen the tour on youtube. He makes it look so easy and elegant; boy, what a surprise when I tried to do it! Hahaha

[Diane Kauffmds]

Well, I finally closed the Box! I would do my happy dance, but I'm thoroughly pooped. My better half said that this guitar is going faster compared to the tops I replaced on the project guitar and the guitar that his daughter left me, but I've been working on this puppy from 5am until anywhere from 11pm to 3am. Last night I quit early at 10pm.

So, here are lots of photos. I put the bottom on last night and got up early, awakening Frank with the dremel, to cut the brace holes for the top. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Yes, there is a small indented place on the top that I will bring back out with steam, thanks to the POS trimmer that I'm using. Otherwise, it's clean, the top and back have a great voice with really nice sustain, and it looks purdy (as they say in the mountains of WV). The final sanding has not been done yet, nor has the bottom wedge been leveled to the rims. I'll be shellacking the box and finishing it before installing the neck and fretboard.

I also have to finish the soundhole.

I even made a label!

The next hurdle is to figure out how to bend the bloody curly maple binding, then as far as I'm concerned, it'll be downhill from here. I'm going to try soaking it and using heat (on the binding, not the guitar). I have a piece that I can use for practice.

BTW, when I was doing the top, I noticed that it had an incredible tap before doing the braces. When I cut it to shape on the bandsaw, I thought the bandsaw was acting up; it had a strange sound. I realized, it was the top singing when the saw was running and vibrating. Strange, but true! LOL