Blogging Fatso!

[Ken Hundley]

NIce Clean execution. Lookin good!

[David L]

Thanks Ken! The advantage of not having the best camera in the world, not being to see in fine detail, the minor flaws don't show.

[David L]

Finally got a break in the humidity! Was down to about 56% today in the shop. Used this opportunity to glue the "X" brace on the top. I have been storing the top and all of the braces inside the house for the past two and a half weeks where the humidity stays between 50% and 55%. After the glue has set up for a couple of hours I will un-clamp and move the top back inside as the humidity tends to go up at night. Tomorrow afternoon when the humidity again gets optimal I will take the top into the shop and do some more bracing. From here on out, what order should I finish the bracing sequence, or does it really matter? Too many gobars? Perhaps, I would rather err on the side of too many, than too few. I wanted to make sure I got the full radius into it. I used the Ken cierp index card trick to form the radius, looks good in the gobar deck, I'll see how it looks when I pull it out shortly. Thanks Tony for sending that cool front (with dry air) down here for me, yeah, I know, you really just did it because you got tired of hearing me whine about the humidity.

David L

[David L]

Haven't been able to do too much lately, been hitting the Mardi Gras parades. Had a break in the humidity today (I've been patienly waiting) and I am just about done bracing up the top, trying to get it finished tonight as tomorrow is Mardi Gras Day and my thirteen year old daughter and I will be at all-day parade festivities and some weather is moving in, humidity is already on the up swing.

David L

[mktitan]

Glad you're slowing down for Mardi Gras...you were working way to fast. Its looking very good.

[David L]

Really, I'm thinking that I'm going slow (not a bad thing) would like to speed it up a bit. Visions for #2, you know? Thanks.

David L

[David L]

Top is all braced up. Top and back have been fitted to the rim (lining inletted for braces), next step, "close the box".

David L

[David L]

Getting ready to close the box. I will be using a gobar deck so I made this caul (thin luan) to protect the wood and to distribute the pressure evenly.

David L

[David L]

I finally closed the box, here it is under the gobar deck, hooray, now I feel like I have acclomplished something. I know I still have some work yet before the box is "complete" but for me, getting it closed is a milestone.

David L

[David L]

Here's the box, all cleaned up, excess overhang removed. I sprayed several coats of lacquer sealer on the top to protect it from that nasty rosewood dust. I'm almost ready for binding, don't have the routing rig yet so I will sand it out, get the crusty stuff off and work on the end graft, also taped off the soundhole to keep dust out of the inside.

David L