www.KitGuitarsForum.com

Hey Bruce
The ribs are approximately .045". I take them down in my thickness sander and they come out with some variation, +- .003". Pretty thin compared to a guitar.

I used my bending iron I made when I first started bending sides. The copper pipe gives me 3 different radii and the copper was perfect for the tight bend in the C bouts. It went okay. I didn't yae a back strap since I don't have one and the outside on those tight bends wanted to try and separate along the grain. I did okay controlling that but next time if there is one, I'll use something for a strap to support the outside of those bends.

Kevin Sjostrand wrote: ↑Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:24 am
Okay so I'm not crazy now but then that may be in question before I'm through.

Well, it certainly *looks* like you know what you're doing!

I finished the rib structure today. Not picture perfect but not totally ugly in the inside. Outside should be nice, medium flame on the sides.

I also got my spruce for the top and a very nice ebony fingerboard today. Tomorrow I'll join the spruce and trace the outline of the rib structure ( I think they call it a corpus". Then I can cut out the back and top shapes close to the line on the bandsaw and finish to the line with files, sanding sticks and dowels. A bunch of work.

Today I traced the back of the rib structure onto the "inside" of the back plate and cut it out on the big bandsaw with an 1/8" blade, close to the line.
I then made a flat and a 1" round sanding sticks and went to work on the profile sanding down just to where the line is almost gone.

Now the top is ready for some carving but I need a jig to hold it steady, so I made one today. The top slides in and wedges tight. I can clamp the jig in the bench vise and its very secure. I should be able to carve away!

Doing some carving. This is a lot of work!

That’s so cool. You’re tearing into it. I would need a box of band-aids tackling all that chiseling.

My plan today is to cut purfling channels by hand today for this back, and install them if it works out. I have a cutter I made a bunch of years ago that I'll use. It's a single blade so I'll have to strike two side by side lines for .060 BWB purfling. The cutter is best used to do a shallow cut, more of a score...then the lines are deepened with a blade and the channel cleared with a very narrow chisel. The violin makers use a "pick" made special for the material removal. I don't have one and the chisel I made works quite well.
I'll post some pics later as I begin.

Well its not going so well. I had to cut down my purfling cutter. Two deep and it would hit the center bout area. Then i had to refuce the radius of the upright that contacts the side of the back. Then even with a freshly sharpened blade and going lightly i had isdue with the blade following the grain and not scoring straight.

Okay so with all that it was really tough using a fine razor knife to follow the score and cut deeper. The maple is hard stuff. I got too wide in an area for thr BWB pufling so i decided to just go wider and add a .010" black line with the pufling. That will work and im now cutting and clearing the channel. This will probably not be a real clean job when done and that bothers me. If i dont like how it turns out i may get another back set and start over.
I wont be gluing purfling in until next week sometime. Might get the channels done tomorrow but it is very tedious. Thats all for now folks.

Having done some purflng and binding channels with a gramil, I can relate,...and they weren't as finicky as yours. I don't have any secrets to make it easier. I'm afraid. The thing that helped the most was getting into a meditative mindfulness state -- if I could -- and focus entirely on the process, ignoring any thoughts that "This is going to take Forever!"

I had to take a break from this project. Im getting sharp shoulder pain from the motion it takes to carve on this back. Trying to get some recoup time in so doing some other things. Tried again today and within 5 minutes the pain rose up again.
Not sure what to do about it. Happens sitting or standing. Very strange!