#61
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It has to go by this quickly if I am to make my living by this work, which I do. Few builders posting here make one at a time, and of those who do, many are hobby builders holding down a day job. I generally put in 5 or 6 ten hour days a week at my bench which is why it moves right along.
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#62
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Graft
Here's the actual last piece added to the Single 0's body. Now it's on to the neck.
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#63
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Birds Beak
Bruce has been cutting a traditional "birds beak" neck joint to create a volute between the Honduran Mahogany neck and headstock.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#64
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Glued up
The "birds beak" (bridle) joint design is very strong because it eliminates the grain runout inherent in a one piece neck and the design provides a large of gluing surface for HHG. The two piece neck assembly allows the grain of the two parts to be parallel with the string forces acting on them and maximizes their stability under string tension. Most guitars these days have faux diamond/dart/volute etc.carved into a one-piece neck just as Martin continues to do. The real joint is a true tribute to traditional craftsmanship in lutherie.
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… |
#65
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Quote:
Nice work, Bruce.
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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#66
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Jeez, Howard, shouldn't you at least put in some dots to show you modified what appears to be an attributed quote?
I have to admit that I too do generally refer to the feature as a Volute, since that IS popular usage. I think of language's main purpose as communicating, and see little need to cling to historical definitions in the face of contemporary agreement. I am not yet personally willing to become a social anachronism. Also, Thank You, I love this particular structural feature, whatever you call it. Last edited by Bruce Sexauer; 01-22-2017 at 04:45 PM. |
#67
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One of my favorite things about Bruce's shop photos is seeing the clean, fresh cuts of wood next to the old, well-used tools and fixtures that have obviously held a lot of guitar parts.
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Solo acoustic guitar videos: This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin |
#68
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I once saw a video of a luthier cutting that joint, and seeing the finished result doesn't do justice to how complex the whole thing seems to be. This is serious 3D geometry.
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Solo acoustic guitar videos: This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin |
#69
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This is the third time I have attempted this joint, and it is becoming easier to hold the complete concept in my mind. The first two were not as close to the Original Martin Version as this one is. John Greven has a little tutorial on his website which I had a look at (thanks, John), but he relies of routers and fixtures for much of the joinery, whereas I roughed it with a saw and then used chisels to pare it into a decent fit. My idea of a good time!
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#70
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Quote:
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Solo acoustic guitar videos: This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin |
#71
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Saws and chisels, yes, but freehand, not quite. The geometry has to be quite accurate for this join to work as it must, and I kept my pencil very sharp when I laid out my lines.
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#72
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I have no problem saying Bruce would do it that way, because I know thats exactly how he'd do it - :-). Thats the true talent and craftsmanship he exhibits in every build. Each headstock is uniquely hand cut and shaped, every inlay, neck profile, bridge, pickguard - its all by hand, 'cause thats just the way he does it, and if he feels a slightly different shape will work better in his head, he just draws it a little different and makes it. And if it doesn't work the way he wants it to, he just makes another - practice leads to skill, skill to expertise, expertise to mastery - its really very simple, you just can't skip a step -
This is kinda the essence of the difference between machine and hand made to me - being able to see what you need, then draw it, cut and shape it - and vary it, too. As opposed to designing and building a new jig, writing a new program, investing in a specially made cutter or whatever. There are a few luthiers who have this ability, and I love it when they show it like this, because I hope it inspires others to work in the same fashion -
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More than a few Santa Cruz’s, a few Sexauers, a Patterson, a Larrivee, a Cumpiano, and a Klepper!! |
#73
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The neck is coming along nicely, I hope. There is some question in how te finger boards will land in the Rosette and extension abalone, but I do have a plan! Here are some pics of the almost cleaned up Bird's beak, the dovetail neck to body connection, and the headplate:
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#74
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Bruce, nice little added humor in the last few pics.
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Fred |
#75
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Quote:
The assembled neck/headstock look great. I bet that joint is strong as heck.
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Solo acoustic guitar videos: This Boy is Damaged - Little Watercolor Pictures of Locomotives - Ragamuffin |