Day-2 started with the promise of another fun day and did not disappoint! First we had to catch up and finish the remaining Day-1 tasks, starting with gluing the top braces in one direction...
While those braces were drying in the go-bar deck, we moved on to bending and installing the kerfed linings. Kinnaird West uses reverse-kerf linings for a stiffer side assembly. This time I was able to get in on the fun of bending without too much stress of failure...
Gluing in the top linings...
Prior to installing the back linings the rim assembly needed to be profiled to shape for the back linings. That's where this wonderful and exciting device comes in. There is sandpaper on the bottom of the wood cross bar which is used to sand down the rim assembly as you slide from butt to heel. lather, rinse, and repeat a few thousand times and you're done!
Once that was completed, the back linings were bent and installed. So here we have the completed rim assembly...
The remaining braces were then glued up...
The big reveal of the headstock face plate after drilling the tuner holes. The master shows me the way...
Next up was carving the back braces. This is truly where the mojo happens--braces are different heights in all the locations with different profiles to boot. And all this information kept in Ryan's marvelous memory. So I got to watch Ryan carve one--he made it look so easy. How hard can it be? So I gave it a shot--I didn't butcher them too badly, but it took me about 5 times as long! Good thing there was always sandpaper to smooth things out and cover up the blemishes...
Not shown is the terrifying process of routing out the soundport with a hand-held Dremel! In actuality, it really wasn't too bad--I wasn't a hero though and made darn sure I kept back from the outline!
Finally after the sanding the back linings in the sliding torture device, it was time to fit the back to rim assembly. The brace locations are carefully marked with a dental pick...
The rest of Day-2 to follow. Stay tuned!