Hawaiian Koa Martin OM build

[Dan Bombliss]

Well, I closed the shell today, and I took pictures for 2 reasons:
1.) So you can see which technique I used.
2.) To show that my blackberry isn't AS bad as I thought it was. Turns out the camera was dingy. Here's proof:

Dirty lense


Clean lense


The setup in the picture is just a thick plywood workboard that has been sanded level on both sides through a thickness sander that's about maybe 2 inches thick. Mines a bit over sized because I wanted a universal setup, but if you take a compass and set the distance to 2 inches and trace your guitar template 2" oversized for this board. It's got about 40 screws staggerd all around the board so that the layers of plywood don't split. Bottom center of workboard has a 3x2x6" block that is bolted through so you can put it in a vise. The rest is self explanatory, got about 45' of bungie cord and lay it on there. When doing the top, you got to make shims to support the back because of the taper in it.

-Dan

[enalnitram]

so, wait a minute. what are you doing with all that bungy cord and how did your lens get so dirty? never mind, don't answer that. looking good!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Cool Dan, where'd you get 45' of bungie cord?
Also, what did you use for a pattern for the back contour of the sides?
I'd be interested if you wanted to share that. :>)

Kevin

[Dan Bombliss]

I'm not sure if I understood you there Kevin. Did you mean the template for the profile of the sides, the taper of the back? If so I made an acrylic template off of the blueprints when it shows the sides before bent. Then double stick taped the sides together, bookmatched with both outsides facing out, traded the template and cut it out and sanded it as perfect to the line as possible. Then bent them after I unstuck them. That may not been what you asked, but that's what I understood of it.

Got 45' of bungie cord at the farm and fleet store here. It was on a huge spool, just have to cut the length you want. 5/16 or 1/4" thick cord both work fine.

-Dan

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Yeah Dan, that is what I meant. I actually have a full scale side view of the side on the plans I'm going to use, I just forgot it was there. I have made a template for my drednaughts, and do the same as you. I will do the same for my OM.
I am old, and sometimes I just don't remember what I've got.......at least I think I have it on my plans..sheesh, I'm going to have to look again.

Kevin

[Dan Bombliss]

Made some more progress, but only got pictures of the neck block. End of this week I'll have pictures with the rough cut neck in the dovetail and the bindings installed and smoothed.

I got a big neck block from LMI and ripped it down in half to put a 1/4" curly maple piece in the center with 1/16" wenge on each side. I'll get 2 necks from it so it was worth the extra time and $.

Here's just a couple pictures of the pieces before glued, then after cleaned up. I'll be cutting my neck out of it tomorrow.





-Dan

[Dan Bombliss]

I've got the body finished up and it's sanded smooth. The top is still a bit rough and dingy, but I don't want to sand more than I need to off the top, so I can wait till I'm about to spray it for that. Just have to work on the neck/fingerboard details now. Got about 2 more weeks to finish this guitar up.









Until next time,
-Dan

[darren]

lookin good!