Newbie first build - stew mac 000

[chimpotle]

Well, today is the day i actually began building my kit - i figure'd i'd make a thread so i can post questions pertaining to this kit (that may end up being useful to other newbs), document foibles, and probably vent a time or two.


and we're off....

IMG_1125.JPG

[David L]

Is there a guitar in there somewhere? Are those EIR sides?

David L

[pete nardo]

I recently completed my first kit, also a SM 000 (hog). Good luck, take your time and have fun!
EIR indeed! SM's kit wood is top notch, imho.
Regards.
Pete

[chimpotle]

Yep, EIR. I'm hoping theres part of a guitar in there - wont know for sure till i take the clamps off tomorrow. If the sides stay together then theres a guitar in there. If not, i'll be cooking some east indian rosewood smoked ribs tomorrow for football...

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Chuck, there is some clever clamping technique going on there! This kind of creativity is the sign of a great guitar maker.
Keep the pics coming.

Kevin

[chimpotle]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Kevin, but I have to admit I did pretty much what the manual said to do.

And, with the first procedure came the first mistake: After unclamping, i was bummed to find that there was about a 1/16" gap between the sides at the neck block (lesson number one: get good lighting). I didn't freak too bad, and upon thinking it over i figured there couldn't be too much harm done since i would be removing material there for the neck joint. A quick search of this forum seems to support that conclusion.

Second procedure brought the second mistake - kerfing broke along the waist on the top (under the home made plywood waist clamp that the stew mac manual prescribes). So the kerfing is kind of flying out there at one end. I figure the easy fix is to move the waist clamp to the bottom to give access to the waist, cut off the offending inch, and pop in a new little section from the leftover kerfing.

I'm gonna think through the next few steps for the rest of the week - work is a high stress environment this week, it's probably wise to not worry about doing the guitar until things settle down on that front. Might make some spindle clamps and cauls though... it's all fun to me at this point. And there will be a second guitar...

[chimpotle]

I should be more clear: the kerfing was a bit damaged during dry fitting, and as i started gluing, a thin part in the strip (the actual kerf i believe) cracked to the point it was no longer flexible. I scratched my head for a second and then decided not to glue that spot since it was a small part, at the end of the section of strip. And since it was right under the plywood waist clamp, i couldn't have clamped it. So basically i feel confident that wont be a problem. And I did a quick inspection after removing the clamps, and its basically one notched section that isnt glued. Shouldnt be a problem.

BUT....

During my inspection this evening, i noticed that the sides are not perfectly level at the neck block side (it would be clear if the join was correct). I was afraid of that when i saw the gap, but it wasn't apparent yesterday. Its apparent now, in part i think because its easy to see against the kerfing. It's MAYBE a 1/32" offset. The lower bout on the top side is perfect, but the back side is a touch off - not perfectly cut i guess.

So my concern is glueing the top and back and then routing - or can this be fixed during the sanding of the rims and kerfing? If the offset remains i dont think i have a snowballs chance of getting the channels correct.

[David L]

If I'm understanding you correctly, that small amount of off-set will clean up when you work the rim in preparation for closing the box (radiusing the back and whatever the top prep you choose). If I am not understanding you correctly then someone who knows a lot more than me (which includes most people) will throw in thier .02 cents.

David L

[David L]

Oh yeah, by the way, if you show us pictures you can get much more accurate feed back when soliciting advice/suggestions.

David L

[chimpotle]

Thanks David - see pic. After measuring and checking things out again, the lower bout is an incidental offset. The upper has a 1/16" gap on the bottom side, and a 1/8" gap on the top (where most of the wood is going to be removed). The offset is minimal on the bottom, the pic is the worst part - the 1/8" gap and the most offset.