Sexauer/'14 Continued
 

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...335992&page=27

This thread is a continuation of the link above, as the previous thread was approaching 400 posts. It's great to see so much interest in Bruce's work!

Thanks to all, :)
Glenn

End Graft
 

Bruce routes a trapezoidal pocket for to accept the end graft.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psc445d166.jpg

Next, sharp corners are established (I am guessing with a chisel).
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps98e2b3f0.jpg

Now, create the miters on the binding purflings, cut the end graft purflings and miter them (again, I am guessing a sharp chisel) and glue them in place.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps078e258d.jpg

A trapezoidal piece of Camatillo is cut to size.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps00abb5a2.jpg

The end graft is glued in place and clamped. Bruce will wait for the glue to fully dry before leveling the end graft to the body.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0a7c89da.jpg

I admit that I did not see this new thread coming. I suppose there are technical reasons for it beyond my grasp, but it seems like my browser loads one page at a time, so I wouldn't have thought the thread would become unwieldy for running unusually long. Not complaining, just musing.

Here's the graft complete:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/graft6.jpg

The miters came out well, so I give you a close up of the beautiful Camatillo:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/graft7.jpg

Now I am into the neck:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck1.jpg

Here is the truss rod slot as well as the head face plate (also Camatillo) being glued along with Maple and black fiber underlayments:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck2.jpg

Headplate Veneer
 

This the piece of Mexican Kingwood (Camatillo) used for the headplate veneer atop the maple and black fiber underlays.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psc0d7f5b4.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psc9b9157a.jpg

I'm pleased that there's a new thread, Bruce. If I do a search for something you said or posted and it comes up with a thread that's 27 pages long... ouch. Unfortunately that's the way the search here works.

cheers, SteveG

I got a chance to stop by Bruce's shop today and see the pernambuco guitar in person. Wow!! That one's going to be gorgeous! I love the color. As always, Bruce warmly invited me in to to the shop to show me his current work and chat about guitars, cars, motorcycles and life in general. I also saw a couple of his other recent builds and I am always amazed at how clean his work is. His perfect miters on the purfling, flawless finish work and overall attention to detail are inspiring! :)

The new guitar is looking great!

I guess I'm being a bit dense on the fretboard jig and was wondering if the backer board was 2 pieces with the fretboard attached to a 2nd piece that moves independent of the upper backer board? I'd love to see more pics of this and a YouTube video would be very cool.

Best wishes,
Buck

I will make an effort to illustrate the fret slotting jig when I get back to work in the next couple of days.

Yesterday I did make some progress with the neck, and I have a half hour till Linda will call me in for dinner, so I took a few pics and will share that now.

This is the fingerboard being glued on following the completion of the headstock veneers' attachment. Mostly a lotta clamps, I'd say:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck5.jpg

Here I have bandsawn the template and cleaned up the edges of the fingerboard as well as the sides of the headstock:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck6.jpg

A little closer:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck7.jpg

Here you see the headstock template and some of the layout lines for the neck carve I expect to do tomorrow:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/neck8.jpg

Carving
 

Some neck carving has taken place in Bruce's shop today. He shaped the neck profile slightly on the C side of his double ellipse.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psd1980dd6.jpg

The Camatillo headplate and backstrap veneers can be seen here. The thin maple and black fiber underlayments can be seen beneath both.
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9756b8bf.jpg

Some neck joint shots...

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0237835f.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psbf7425a4.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psbcbdf06b.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps83b66232.jpg

We have decided to go with simple dots for finger board inly, and so I chose white pearl material for the logo. Not actually pearl, but some sort of snail I believe, essentially white but with a lot of extra character on closer inspection (none of which can I see in this photo). The tuner holes are a little larger than typical as we are using Robson tuners.

http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/logo1.jpg

I have used the Camatillo for the heel cap:
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/heelcap1.jpg

Tuners, Peghead n' Top
 

These are the brass Robson tuners with ebony buttons that Bruce is using.

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps66e259d4.jpg

Here is the peghead next to the body.

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d3917e8.jpg

The German spruce top...

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps41066466.jpg

I put the first coat of oil varnish onto the L00 this morning, and now it's time to turn some of my thoughts toward other things. Here's the Varnish (no longer looking so "Pumpkin"):
http://mojoluthier.com/lpics14/Berger/1stcoat1.jpg

Other subjects on my mind include:

Woodstock, for which I leave 3 weeks from today.

That Beautiful Claro Walnut I acquired, resawed, and stickered earlier this year. There are a few pictures earlier in this thread, I believe. I have joined a back, thicknessed it, and even put in a backstrip. Another L00 . . . maybe.

And, I am waiting for the new aluminum Ford truck and an EPA rating for the 2.7 EcoBoost. If it hit 30 MPG I'll probably get one, otherwise the RAM which is actually getting over 28 mpg looks pretty good, though the Ford seems more comfortable to me, possibly because I bought the 1999 version I have been wearing out new off the lot.

That looks classy! I find a ton of inspiration in the way you approach the craft, Bruce.

Can't wait to see that Claro. Good Claro just looks so chocolaty good.

FWIW, I love my Chevy 1500 (2014 vintage). 22 mpg on the highway, 350 HP, hauls my 6000 lb trailer easily, but it's real strength is that it's crazy comfortable to drive. I hear rumblings about a smaller Duramax for the 1500 next year....should approach 30 mpg.

You were saying...:)

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8cb581db.jpg