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Old 01-16-2018, 07:28 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Default Shoestring Acoustic Guitar Build Almost Anyone Can Build

This all started as a 14 year old young gentleman wanted to build himself an acoustic guitar but thought he would have to have hundreds of dollars in tools. And in a way he was right, that is unless you wanted to do it the hard way, my version of the hard way. Speaking of no money, let's make a guitar out of a fence board and a 2" x 4". No it will not turn out great or might not last too many seasons but the point was to get a person over the first guitar hump and they can build a good one with more confidence.

Had a 6" board, maybe use it for the top back and sides. Try using a handsaw to cut out the sections then resaw the board, split it down the middle.



That was doing it the hard way. The board sticking up out under the top pieces is the sides. I didn't notice the saw wondering away from center and ruined the one side. Enough of that, took the top to the table saw and cut all around, I have a small blade on it right now, then finished cutting it with a hand saw. Noticed the section that I was going to use for the back has developed a split slice cutting it around with the table saw



Wanted to know if you could clean up the wood with a small plane. The top one is unplaned the bottom planed. It works well enough but just flexing the wood I could tell the major weakness of the flat sawn section, the ellipse portion. So much for this wood. Learned it is not worth the trouble to use wood not suitable for instrument making. Not bad wood, just cut wrong.



But I am an inquisitive type. Is it really the flat sawn part really that floppier? I through the pieces through my drum sander and it seemed like the cathedral part just got planed off deeper and naturally was flimsier. I joined the two together, did not take a picture of the steps. I will have to do that with the back. In the picture I also have a 2" x 4" with the most common cut that is usable for us. I cut it in half and am going to glue the same side to itself to help counteract the movement of the wood in temperature and humidity changes. I grabbed the back and side wood from another board. It was not as good as the one I mucked up with the handsaw. I didn't want to bother going to Home Depot to get one piece of wood.



Made more shavings. The knots are a problem, try to avoid any wood with them if you can. I could take the wood down to the thickness I want with the plane but I used my drum sander as, well I am lazy. And I developed a blister. These aren't working hands you know.

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Old 01-16-2018, 07:31 PM
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So I decided to go with the spruce crappy board just to see if it can be done. Might do a poplar build or I have some maple for a little guitar. I think I will do a basic build on this one and maybe go a step further on the next one. A buddy wants me to build him a guitar that he can stick up on the wall, he just can't believe I can make these. He used to work in a furniture factory and he knows how stuff is built that way. The building the thing by hand stuff just blows him away.

Jointing the edges. Marvelous looking 2" x 4" isn't it? Next time I will check the focus. I used the 2" x 4" as a square to run the top and backs over. I have a short length of laminate shelving I clamp to as a flat surface. At first I ran the two over the sandpaper together, then I candle the edges. You hold them together and hopefully the joint is so good no light leaks through. Of course that was not the case. The ends had more sanded off which gave them a barrel shape. I touched up the middle sections separately until they matched well enough. A very tedious method. Normally I clamp them down and leave a gap between them with a little less room than would fit my router bit. I have my straight edge (carpenter square) clamped on the one and run the flat of my router against the square and run down the gap. A little bit of a setup time and done in a minute. The sandpaper method took me a half hour. What I do to be famous.



I am up to four clamps now. You stick a thin length of wood down the middle under the two edges and clamp down the 2" x 4"s. Then you pull the length of wood and press down on the joint. The edges are now under pressure. Too much and they just teepee up, not enough and they are not snug. After trying it a time or two you unclamp the one and run glue on the edge. Put it up against the side clamped down and rub the edges together to get glue all over them. Then clamp down again and pull the stick. If you messed up and you have too much tension just partly unclamp one clamp relaxing it and clamp again, do the same for the other end. I also put a strip of packaging tape down the center on the shelving board so the glue won't glue your wood to it. Wax paper will do the same thing for you.



Top and back joined, I decided to make a smaller guitar that fit the wood. Just moved my template in a little. Bending softwood is tricky, we will see how it goes tomorrow. The sides are 0.080" thick.

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Old 01-16-2018, 09:17 PM
Truckjohn Truckjohn is offline
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Very cool project you got going there Fred. I really like the plan to help a young person learn to work with their hands. Those skills seem to be getting lost in favor of video game "skills."....

Whats your plan - strings, tuners, etc.
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Old 01-16-2018, 11:27 PM
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Plan?

At first I was thinking of a Martin size 5 but it required a couple of wings for the lower bout. Not an issue for me but I thought I may as well keep it simple and in case someone is loony enough to do the same thing using a 6" board which is at best 5.5" A size 5 is 11.25" I seem to recall. So I just fit the lower bout to the 5.5" board and eliminated an inch or so in the middle.

I was originally going to make it out of some pine planks that were mostly quartered with the comment that they are not that common but not that rare to come across. Then I thought what the heck, I pulled out a couple of fence boards that I bought to be used as spacers to keep some wood separated. I didn't pick anything really good as I knew if I did they would end up as a guitar project instead.

Well they became a project. I am not expecting too much out of it as I just wanted to show you don't need a shop full of tools to build something. It might be more inconvenient but sometimes that is a learning experience. I would never do it again, it is a lot of work. But it is for a good cause and it might get others to give building a try some day. I got a lot more done today but it is too late to post the pictures tonight.
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Old 01-17-2018, 09:32 AM
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My most used line regardless of the guitar style, wood and design being used is as follows.

"There is a guitar for every player and a player for every guitar."

At our McJam #10 last June McJammers were given canjos. Those little instruments became more work than we planned, but the fun and the tunes were enjoyed by all who mastered them!

Thanks for sharing this thread with me, Fred.
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Old 01-17-2018, 10:44 AM
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No reason for thanks, I love hearing people appreciate wondering why the heck he is doing this.

Picked up a 1" x 2" board for a couple of bucks. There are knots in it but the grain is quartered enough to work with and I should get enough brace material out of it.



Cut the offending bits out and what is left.



Started to split the wood along the grain lines. Rather than running the length of the piece the grain runs out the edge of the board. Probably why they call it runout.



Split the wood with a hammer and chisel. While the grain takes a curve further back I can get a usable piece out of this one. The grain line took a detour around a knot.



More examples of why this is not choice wood. A couple of pieces will work though.




What is going on with the pictures? I'll have to figure out why they are coming up so big and not resizing.
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Old 01-17-2018, 11:27 AM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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There is a distinction to be made between the visible grain lines on the face of a board not intersecting the side surfaces of the board and the fibres of the wood running parallel to the face (not intersecting the face).

The splitting of the wood you have done is the first and ensures that grain is "straight" and "continuous" on the piece. For braces and the like, what is more important is that the fibers of the wood run parallel to the face of the piece. This is what is usually referred to as "runout" and it is 90 degrees to the orientation of your splitting. Limiting runout increases strength when loaded vertically, like a beam. Limiting the angle of the grain relative to the sides of the piece increases strength when loaded from the side, not usually a major factor in braces and tops. Ideally, one would have both little runout and a continuous "parallel" grain.

Looking at your second photo, the two bottom pieces, towards the ends, show a lot of runout.
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Old 01-17-2018, 11:40 AM
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Yeah I had to really work at getting my bracing stock from that piece of wood. I used a straight edge, file and block plane to square the piece up.



A lot of waste to get a stick of wood. I can not imagine doing this without a vice of some sort. Even one that you can clamp on the bench.



Drew a 15' radius on the piece. Remove the bulk with the plane and finish sand.



The back brace locations.



Gluing the bottom brace. Using the 2" x 4" and 1" x 2" to clamp the brace onto the back. I have some wedges in between the back and the 2" x 4" to press the back to the brace. I guess if the bottom brace were thinner and flexible you would not need to use the wedges.



If you only had two clamps you would have to wait 30 minutes for the glue to dry before doing the next one. Since I have more clamps...

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Old 01-17-2018, 11:42 AM
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Shaped both sides of the stick to 25' radius for the top. Since the pieces are not that high it was easier to radius both sizes and split down the middle. I used a razor saw to cut them. Flipped it around to do the other end and did the little bit in the middle cutting straight down



While you can do the braces one at a time without a radius dish it takes a while. Glued up five braces at a time using the gobar deck method of clamping. I have a piece of plywood mounted to the floor joists above my bench.



I wanted to double up the sound hole area. Cut a slice then use the plane, file, razor blade and then a little sandpaper. The small size and the two knots mad using the plane difficult.

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Old 01-17-2018, 11:43 AM
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Bending the sides. Bending softwoods can be difficult, one little trick is to give the wood a coating of fabric softener and let it sit for a while. I left it for about five hours then rinsed the boards and squeegeed them dry with my hand. I have a piece of pipe with a heater in it and I put a damp rag on it then work the wood over it rocking back and forth while bending. When the rag stops steaming I then move a damp area over the heater. A propane torch or an electric barbecue starter is sometimes used in a piece of muffler pipe for all those just jumping at the bit to make their own guitar. 'Hey, I can make a better one than this one!' Which is primarly the reason for this thread.



I do the waist bend first. The wood was cooperating with me today.



I then do the front then back bout. There is springback so I have to go over it a couple of times. I did both sides and will leave them overnight to dry. They were 0.080" thick and bent well probably because they were damp and maybe because of the fabric softener. When bending make sure you make a left side and a right side bend if you want the wood to end up with the same edge on the same side of the guitar (front or back).



A lot of work to get to this far. Now if you buy your wood ready cut it would be a few hours rather than a couple of days work.



Edited the pictures last night, clicked apply to resize but forgot to hit save. My fault, better now.
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Old 01-17-2018, 01:18 PM
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Very cool!

So are you bending the sides on a hot pipe and then letting them cool down and settle in on the form? Or is that some sort of bender too?
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Old 01-17-2018, 02:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
Very cool!

So are you bending the sides on a hot pipe and then letting them cool down and settle in on the form? Or is that some sort of bender too?
It is a form I bent with a blanket with but in this case just to hope they would take the new shape and not spring back. When bending I had to go over them a couple of times and I was not sure what they would do this morning. I am really quite pleased how they turned out even with the cut of wood.

I was going to post the next set latter on but since I am here,


In the background the 2" x 4" being glued together with a ton of clamps. I am guessing I probably could have had it clamped on the side that was to be the neck and the area that is going to be cut out could have been 'clamped' together by using some long screws. I would drill some undersized holes for the screws and use a bit and a hand drill to snug them up. Then use the clamps on the other side to squeeze the side together. An alternative I was going to use was a scarf joint and built up heel but that is covered enough. Just wanted to show this as an alternative option. I find the Spruce not much softer than Spanish Cedar



I always found lining up the end blocks and clamping them difficult. Then I had the thought to cut a 2" x 2" the distance between them and clamp them together with a long clamp. This way you could have them square to each other and when you are ready to glue the blocks to the top you just add glue and clamp the blocks to the top. There are pieces of wood under the top helping distribute the clamping force. I have been building without a mold for a while, the sides will get glued to the end blocks then I will add the lining. I have also used the spacer as shown and then slipped the sides into place and when dry did the kerfed lining as usually done. I have not worked out how I want the sides to meet the top on this one, with a radius built in or built flat, this gives me the option of going either way.

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Old 01-17-2018, 10:37 PM
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I was worried about the wood springing back once off the mold, instead the but end was a little too tight a radius. A little spritz of water and rock it a little on the clothes iron (Danger alert! Do Not use a woman's iron, or if you do put a sheet of paper between it and the wood in case any resin gets on the iron.) and the curve is in the acceptable range.




Trimmed where I doubled the thickness of the top with an exacto blade so that the sides butts up against the top. Don't ask me about bracing, I am just winging it. The top is being glued on to a flat side. I did glue the braces on with a radius sanded in them. The guitar will work things out.

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Old 01-18-2018, 11:46 AM
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I'm impressed that you warn the average Joe about the use of the home clothing iron.

I love ironing clothes especially in the spring after I have dried dress shirts on the clothes line. After I searched my ironing cabinet for one of my two favorite irons I was kindly informed that 2 irons are one too much so someone (not to call Tim's name on this matter) was using my iron in the wood shop and was also slowly cooking wood in the home double oven to compare his typical method to bend wood.

Many ladies I know don't even own a clothing iron, but for those of us who enjoy that job I will tell your audience that wax paper is a blessing to protect and clean it. Better yet, protect your most efficient person who uses it to not have a dental bill from gritting her teeth. Just get your own iron from the flea market or yard sale.
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Old 01-18-2018, 07:24 PM
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I have two irons. One for doing clothes, as rare as I do them. The other one I have was my mother's from before I was born. The Bakelite (how many of you remember Bakalite?) broke and now it is relegated to my hobby use.


The linings are used to help the top and back remain glued onto the sides. Since the sides are not straight we need our linings to be flexible. Cutting them almost through gives us that flexibility. I use a hacksaw to cut the slots. Line up the last cut with the line and keep the blade up against the nailed down wooden guide. Normally I would do this on my bandsaw that has a metal cutting blade on it. It produces a wider kerf than a hacksaw. I found that I could not bend the lining as much as I wanted inward to the cut side. Being a small instrument the smaller curves does not help. Because I glue the linings with the slits in toward the side I only had to expand the kerfs a little using a needle file. I only had to do this at the waist, the upper and lower bouts caused the kerfs to open up.



Not a lot of picture taking while the glue was open. I glued them in using CA glue, if you ever use CA have a can of acetone within reach. I ended up gluing the tube of glue to my finger and thumb. The tube cracked and leaked some glue on my fingers. Had to soak them with the acetone and gently pry them apart. Normally I would do this part with hide glue, I did not want to mix up a little bit just for this guitar.



I used a coping saw to cut out the excess top. This one could only be set up to cut downward and the blade could not be turned to cut sideways. It was cheap to buy but it would not have been much trouble for them to make it cut at 90 degrees. I ended having to cut out pie shaped wedges in places. I did have the body flipped over when I was doing it but I wanted to show the frayed wood along the edges. I focused at the back corner where it was more pronounced. You don't want to cut too close to the sides as the wood can splinter and you might end up with chunks missing. Does not maker for a professional looking job.

At this point I would use a trim router with a flush bearing bit to clean up the edges. Or as we are doing it low tech, sanding blocks with starting from the high points of the bouts and work toward the waist or the head block area or the butt end. We do this so we do not split the top sanding up into the grain.

The coping saw came with a few more blades, one of them was the right kerf width for cutting the fretboard. I used it until I got a real fret saw.

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