Starting #24

[Kevin Sjostrand]

While #23 hangs awhile waiting for the finish to cure I'm getting started on another OM. This one will be EIR back and sides with a AA Sitka spruce top, Honduran mahogany neck, I think Koa bindings with side purflings, Indian ebony fretboard, headplate and bridge. Gold frets and gold Taylor tuning machines. I may do abalone top purflings. BWB purfling on the back.

I did make up a neck blank today, scarf joint headstock and a stacked heel.

I have the sides pre-profiled and thicknessed to .085" and ready to bend, hope to start that tomorrow.
Pictures to come.

[scamp]

Man. Your banging them out. Martin and Taylor should be worried.

[jread]

Sweet! You are on a roll! I'm struggling along on #30 while my bass project (#29) got lapped on the bench and some dude just plunked down a deposit on #31 today. I need to retire so I can get these things done! I have zero clue how I got so many completed in my 1st couple years, I'm down to a snail's pace now but still enjoying it!

#31 will be my 1st build for a person I didn't already know. I won't call him a stranger because after today, I have a new friend.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Today I bent the sides in my Fox style bender using a heat blanket, 3-150 watt light bulbs and the control box I made a number if years ago. This bender hears up to 300 degrees in les than 5 minutes. I start with the waist at 250 and go almost all the way into the bend. then at 300 I bend the lower bout, then the upper bout, then crank the waist the rest of the way. That part is done in no more than 7 minutes total. Then I leave the heat for about 10 minutes and turn the blanket off. When the temp drops to about 225 I heat it back up
to 300. I repeat this about 4 times, then let it cool down to about 90 degrees and remove the side putting right into the mold.

With Indian rosewood I like to spritz the side heavily with water until its dripping off. Then I wrap it in kraft paper which helps take up oil in the wood if there is any. Then I wrap that up in aluminum foil which I have found helps to keep the steam in while bending.

I got no oil seepage this time and no scorching. The sides came out with almost no spring back and with a little clamping fit tightly in the bilding form

Next I thinned the back plates down to .125" in the thickness sander and joined them in my joining jig. The back will be further thinned to about .110".

Next I started gluing BW edge purfling to the Koa binding. I got one done. I like using CA glue for this as I have no issues with separation of the pufling during bending. I just use clothes pins to clamp the purfling to the binding edge, doing about 4 inches at a time wicking in the CA between the pins. Then I move down and do another 4 inches, etc till done. Then with all clothes pins removed wick in CA along the rest of the purfling doing both sides.
When done....which dries quickly. I scrape down most of the CA making both sides flush and then finish up running them through the drum sander. These bindings will be .075".

Tomorrow I'll make up the rest of the bindings and glue in the neck and tail blocks which Ive already made, to the sides.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

more pics

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I now have the neck and tail blocks glued to the sides and they fit pretty good in the form with the spreaders help.

Then I sanded top and back rims in the radius dish, " driving the bus" as they say. 15' radius for the back, 30' for the top.

I made up two guitar sets of kerfing today using a Spanish cedar cut off from something....I can't remember, and from a13" excess piece of Honduran Mahogany neck blank.

The picture shows a very simple setup jig on the small bandsaw table for cutting the kerfs. I cut my strips 1/4" wide by 5/8" tall, clean them up in the thickness sander so they are consistent size around 7/32 × 9/16. Strip lengths varied from 13" long to about 18" long. Anyway it's easy to do, takes a little time but for 2 guitars it saves me about $60 in kerfing cost if purchased.

I got the kerfing all glued in on the sides.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Today I sanded the kerfing down flush with the sides in the radius dishes, sanded the inside sides and kerfing pretty and glued in side support braces. I used to make them out of spruce but now I just use popsicle/ kraft sticks. The perfect size, cheap and look good inside.

Now on to the back!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Okay so the rims are done, sanded inside nice and pretty .

I installed and end wedge but forgot to take a pic. I'll get that tomorrow. I used a cut off from the scrap left from the back, turned it perpendicular in grain orientation. and lined it with black/white lines. I like jowls it turned out.

I cut out the back and top. The back is .105". The top is at .115 but will be about .110 by the time it's ready for finish.

I have the back strip and uncarved braces glued to the back.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Back braces now carved and the inside back is sanded nice a pretty.

I started installing the rosette on the top. This will be a simple abalone rosette trimmed in BWB purfling. The whole thing will be about .300" wide. I use Teflon strips in place of the abalone to glue in the purflings using Titebond. Once dry the Teflon strips come out and the abalone pieces will be fitted. They will be installed about .005" below the purfling which is now flush with the top. I'll then flood CA over the abalone with repeated applications until its built up slightly proud, which can then be scraped flush with the top.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

The abalone is in. The rosette is done, looking good and the sound hole cut out.