A sandwich of thin Maple and Sapele plate are glued to the back side of the peg head.

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Then the clamps are applied and it is set aside to dry overnight.

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Oh my goodness! If it looks this good in the white imagine what is going to happen when she gets the juice. Whoa!

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Some of you may have noticed the neck in yesterday's back plate installation on the peg head. In the down time between builds, Tim uses CNC to fashion necks for his various models saving time when a build is worked. The blanks are purposely a little large so they can be worked into any profile the customer requests.

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Cutting slots in the neck for carbon fiber reinforcement bars.

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Preparing the bars. Cut to length and then shape the ends to fit the rounded part of the slot from the saw blade.

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Then epoxy them in place.

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Trim the bars flush with the peghead. Video

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Mark the centerline of the peg head.

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The peg head will be Tim's fingerstlye shape. I like it because the strings from tuner peg enter straight into the nut.

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And last for today, the Maple and Sapele sandwich is added to the face of the peg head.

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Tim & Mary: It seems our AGF readers are stunned speechless by your work. Very few comments over the last few days. Just want you to know, the pictures and explanations are much appreciated by me!

Naw - we're just too stunned. This build is flying by!

It’s very handy for us when our customers can accept pictures through cell phones to simply post them to the AGF. It saves us time and explanations. You know the old adage is right on. A picture is worth 1,000 words. We are enjoying creating your guitar from your selection of wood choices. The woods are obeying the surrounding elements. I’ll try not to speak to soon but it seems it was meant to be!

Thanks for sharing some of your pictures. We tend to send lots and we know you are saving some for your private stock. They will be fun to talk about at the McJam 2020.

I am here Dennis, I would say overwhelmed, if I ever wanted to try to build a guitar, this is the thread I am going to!!! Maybe Tim needs to do just that!

Tom, you are welcome to come to the McJam in June to explore the beginnings and take notes when you have questions. By now Dennis and Neil can walk you through it and Tim is available. He is sometimes more busy at the McJam than on a daily basis.

Contact me if you have questions about the McJam. You are invited.

Kathy too! You guys would really enjoy it! Worth the trip!

Yes -- yes

I haven't commented, but I definitely enjoying watching this one come together! The woods are fantastic and all the pics are very much appreciated--keep 'em coming!

You’re confusing me with Eire, Mary. I haven’t personally been through the process. I’m just living vicariously through others! ;)

Thank you Mary and Dennis, I will definitely keep it on my mind. With our event and my son getting married in May, and me finalizing my move to Texas, all while still working, we have a lot going on. I love Kathy, so am afraid her head might explode if I make her do anymore guitar stuff hahaha.

Seriously, thanks for the invite and I will keep in touch.

Chart It for next year. Dennis will bring his McGit back for a road trip.

Pedal to the metal....
 

Sheesh, Tim (and Mary) you are really going at it!!!

As always, I LOVE the pics of the super high-tech glue spreader.... hahaha

Dennis, you are going to be super stoked! This is really BOSS

Have fun all

Paul

I'm speachless.
This is a beautiful build.
I really like seeing Tim's builds in general and really appreciate the way he shares his process.

BTW one thought. I hope you wear a mask when sanding/cutting that carbon fiber. It's my understanding that the dust is as bad to breathe as asbestos fibers

LOL. I've been looking for a nicer compass than the one I found for a buck at an estate sale. It is your compass. I guess if it is good enough for you.... :-)

My high-tech glue spreader is certainly unique and one of a kind ;)





HI John,
You are absolutely right, CF dust is some nasty stuff. Not only is it dangerous to inhale but the dust feels like fiberglass shards on your skin. Its very irritating.

I have a 6" dust collection system in my shop, connected to all of my power tools and whenever I am making any kind of dust, the vacuum system is on. Thanks for the reminder and bringing this topic to light for others following this thread. Its my understanding that its the really fine, invisible to the naked eye, air born particulate dust particles are what will kill you.

Those small vacuum systems with the cloth bags will NOT filter out the really fine particle dust, but will exhaust it back into your shop atmosphere. Only the HEPA style pleated paper filters should be used if your dust collection system exhausts air back inside your shop. That is one of the reasons that I moved my dust collector outside my shop work space. Even though I have HEPA filters I don't want to risk breathing stuff I can't see. Another benefit is now the vacuum noise is on the other side of the wall. There are some down sides to doing that though. It creates negative air pressure inside my shop. But the biggest downside is I forget to clean out my sawdust chip barrel :eek:




I've got a high quality German made Statler-Mars mechanical drafting set that has a very nice compass and extension legs. I rarely use it though and find myself reaching for this el-cheapo compass more often. It does most jobs I need it to do, at a moments notice even though its been dropped a million times and is held together by a plastic clip :)

And here I thought he was talking about a north pointing device. ;)

Compass, protractor... I remember when my kids found my slide rule in the basement. "Dad, how do measure stuff with this ruler? We think it's broke."

"Kids, this was what we used as a calculator when I was in school."

"Dad, you're so funny! Next you'll tell us there was such a thing as black and white TV! But, seriously... how do you measure with this thing?"

Dennis, Tim and Mary... I appreciate the time and effort to post this incredible build project. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on .... I mean, watch and listen to you play it Dennis!

Rodger that! ;)

You should have said, "with my abacus" :roll:

This has been an amazing documentary of what is a true work of art for an instrument that will no doubt sound majestic. A McKnight is now on my bucket list! Which, it probably should have been all along. 😀

Mary finally got Tim's attention for a McSelfie!

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The materials for the peg headplate and inlay.

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Tim is using his CNC to cut the peg head shape and Knight head inlay.

Now where is that Knight head program? I know it was in here somewhere.

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First the peg head shape.

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And then the inlay. Video

Y'know, what I take away from Dennis's build is the following: 1) just how skilled are these individuals who hand-build guitars; 2) just how time-consuming and meticulous it all is; 3) just how worth every cent these hand-crafted musical instruments are; 4) just how fortunate those of us who play and can afford such an instrument are to own and enjoy custom-built guitar.

Also, just how appreciative I am that Dennis would share every step of the way with us, and that Mary would so efficiently and artistically document the process. It truly is, as someone said, a documentary. So, not speechless. Just grateful.

Glad you are enjoying the ride Kurt! :)

Some progress on the peg head today with installation of the abalone purfling.

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And off to dry overnight!

More work on the peg head today with plenty of pics and videos.

Mary tells me everytime Tim goes to work on the bandsaw this song jumps in her head. Can you guess what it is? The picture is a hint! (answer in a while)

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First Tim cuts the final shape of the peg head on the bandsaw.

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Then using a sander, he cleans up the edges. Video

Now it's time to cut the abalone peg head inlay (Knight's helmet) on the CNC machine. Video

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Then it's time to cut the abalone snowflakes for the bridge. Video 1 | Video 2

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The abalone was glued to a piece of wood for the cutting process to keep it in place. Here it is submersed in hot water to remove the glue.

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A little touch up on the socket for the peg head inlay with a router. And pop it in. Perfect fit.

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Here Tim is setting the neck alignment. Looks like my baby is just laying there on the operating table!

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Drilling the holes for the tuners.

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And the final pic, chamfering the holes.

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And the answer you all have been waiting for ... Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by? Go Mary! :)

Absolutely
 

So true!!! Thank You all

Stay well. Have FUN

Paul