Beautiful work, just lovely.

Bruce, I've been studying your progress on this trying to get into my head how to rope off binding. In the photo of the 3rd quarter the protective piece of binding can be seen but what about when the first and second quarters were done, did you route the back after the top was installed so as not to mess up the channel?

Awesome job by the way, the in progress shots are much appreciated.

In order:

Create the binding ledge on the top complete.

Then create the purfling ledge on one side of the top.

Protect the binding ledge on the other side of the top with a dummy piece of binding. I use celluloid.

Wrap on the 1st quarter of the binding purfling using glue. I use titebond 1.

Remove the dummy binding and level the first quarter.

Create the second half of the top’s purfling ledge.

Carefully fit the 2nd quarter of binding/purfling, and then wrap it on.

Do the other side similarly.

A little patio fire with the Sexauer’s - premium Adirondack, Brazil rosewood, quartersawn Honduras, plus random pieces of other exotics - makes a pretty nice fire -
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...7ca0bcfb78.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...da6ec1d737.jpg

Nice.
I just put some cherry and black locust cutoffs in our wood stove.

I am making a new neck for the Bluegrass Tool. It will be interesting to see if it goes any more quickly if I'm not taking pictures as I work. In final sanding I discovered the the truss rod had gone in a bit tight and cracked the back of the neck. I repaired it, but it is too visible for me to stomach, though I seriously doubt it would ever be an issue. This sort of crack is a first for me, though there have been many, many previous firsts. Yet another lesson!

In every other way the neck came out as good as any I've every made, and I wonder what I'll do with it? Museum? Crack a body someday, repair it, and use this neck? Not likely as the neck was custom fit to this body and the fit is so subtle that I can't imagine a random body fitting it well enough for my standards.

Use the extra neck for the next special camp fire :lol:

Bruce thanks for that order of operations for the binding. I can appreciate the photo of your wrapping job, thats going to take some practice.

That patio fire must have made some beautiful music!

Tad's picture is the kindling used to insure a Boy Scout standard "One Match" fire start. And it was just that. I have an amazing amount of choice bits of BRW scrap put away for end grafts and truss rod covers and the like. Though it seems a shame to burn the stuff, I've run out of room to store it. Over the years many have asked me to save scraps for them for one valid sounding reason or another, and I have several times done so, only to have to burn it eventually for not a single time have they shown up to claim their treasure.

The BlueGrass Tool has gone into finish, and here it finally starts to glow with it's first coat of sealer.


http://mojoluthier.com./LP20/307/sealergraft.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com./LP20/307/sealerback.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com./LP20/307/sealerheadfront.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com./LP20/307/sealerheadback.jpg

http://mojoluthier.com./LP20/307/sealewrheelcap.jpg

Beautiful work as usual Bruce. Sure would love to take that one for a test drive once it starts its singing life!

If you can only outlive the guy I’m making it for, you may get a chance. ;)

Sexauer/2020 (chapter3)
 

Haha, well since I had a quadruple bypass on Nov 12th I figure I got at least another 20 years in me! Exactly how old is your bluegrass tool client? [emoji851]

He looks about 40, possibly less. Congratulations on surviving your surgery. You are a year behind me on it, and it took me about 3 months to be fully functional again, so you are getting there, I imagine.

Because of the "extra" neck I recently built, I have started a body for it. Mahogany instead of Brazilian, and a promising but less pedigreed piece of Adi for the top.Every part of the trim will be a bit simpler, and the price relatively modest . . . for my work. I am considering "Bluegrass Fool" as the title.