Hatcher's Studio 2020

[Mark Hatcher]

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's time to start up a new shop thread. I have two guitars in process on my last 2019 thread: the Josie small jumbo with "The Fiddleback Tree" back and side set which is in the final stages of getting the finish on and I have a Redwood/Mahogany Woodsman going that I just finished binding. Since there is still room for posts on the 2019 thread I'll finish both these guitars there.

I have wonderful guitars lined up on this years' build schedule. I typically start a new guitar on the first of each month. As it happens my next guitar is a Woodsman. February and March are Piña parlors and April, May starts are Greta grand auditoriums. With this schedule, it occurred to me that while prepping the parts for one model I could put aside a second set of parts set for the next. This saves a considerable amount of time as the second guitar will be about as ready to go as it can be without actually starting to make it.

So this brings me to the Woodsman I just started for this month. It is a second so I have it all ready to go:



I'll go through these parts and the reasoning behind choosing them on future postings.

Happy New Year!
Mark

[SJ VanSandt]

That rough board to the left of the back - the future neck, I presume? Everything else seems to be there. I will be following this one closely. (Not that I miss very many of your posts anyway.)

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

That rough board to the left of the back - the future neck, I presume? Everything else seems to be there. I will be following this one closely. (Not that I miss very many of your posts anyway.)

You are right about the board on the left. I'll be lifting the neck out of that Spanish Cedar board. Now we just need to mix the ingredients with glue!

Mark

[cigarfan]

Congrats Mark on launching another year of building! Still lovin' on my Hatcher.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Congrats Mark on launching another year of building! Still lovin' on my Hatcher.

Thanks cigarfan! Glad to hear you’re still lovin’ that guitar. I have a nice line up this year and I’m planning a couple new show guitars in there too.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I joined the Tunnel 14 top for this Woodsman:



After discussing what we were looking for tone wise and studying several YouTubes showing playing style I went to my stock of Tunnel tops and selected out three candidates that had the most appropriate weight and stiffness characteristics. These were selected for quick response on a lighter touch but, have headroom for strumming.

I have a lot of Redwood, The densities of these tops go from lighter than an average Western Red Cedar to as dense as Yellow Cedar which is heavier than average spruces. The Goldie Lox density for this Redwood top, given the way I build, and the performance requirements is a little less dense than an average Sitka top. These Redwood tops are very stiff, as Redwood goes, so I expect the finished top to remain lighter than Sitka.

Here are the three I recommended. They were so close tonally the choice was really about looks:







And number three is the top chosen and joined

Thanks for following!
Mark

[SJ VanSandt]

Hey Mark, I'm bumping this just to get it back on page one. I'll even post a photo for you and save you the trouble:



Yes, this is Woodsman #1, but Woodsman #3 should be very, very similar, by my request.

Stan

[DanR]

I look forward to seeing more examples of your artistry.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by DanR

I look forward to seeing more examples of your artistry.

Thanks DanR!

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

Hey Mark, I'm bumping this just to get it back on page one. I'll even post a photo for you and save you the trouble:



Yes, this is Woodsman #1, but Woodsman #3 should be very, very similar, by my request.

Stan

OK, it is time for some updates! Here is the top with the rosette lines drawn:



You can see we are going with the same style rosette:



Overall the Woodsman appears to be a simpler design but compared to my other models I am using much thinner lines for purfling. Instead of the three black-Maple-black I typically use this model gets six finer lines.

Unique to the Woodsman I am using a traditional birds mouth joint to attach the headstock. It is the strongest way to do a headstock I am aware of and also requires the finest work to get it right:





We are going with a traditional lightweight Spanish Cedar neck which will carry a figured Black Walnut headplate. I had a pretty nice selection of options there:



The first one was selected on for several reasons:



The first reason was it is from the same 1850 billet of wood that the back and sides came from. Secondly, it is getting the black Stag Head design and it will show that off well.

This week I will be voicing the top and closing up the body. I'll also continue working on the neck. I expect to start applying finish at the start of February.

More to come!
Mark

[cigarfan]

Gonna be another eye-popping masterpiece!

[SJ VanSandt]

"This week I will be voicing the top and closing up the body. I'll also continue working on the neck. I expect to start applying finish at the start of February."

Whoa! Moving along fast! Excitement mounting . . .

[David Wren]

Love that figure in the back ... and that bird's beak peghead joint is pretty hard core too ... love it Mark!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by cigarfan

Gonna be another eye-popping masterpiece!

Thanks cigarfan!

Originally Posted by David Wren

Love that figure in the back ... and that bird's beak peghead joint is pretty hard core too ... love it Mark!

This is the last set I got from the Eastern Black Walnut billet. It came from a wood mill that closed in 1850. I normally wouldn't use this kind of crotch wood figure for a back because it may lack stability. However, as wood ages it becomes less susceptible to environmental changes. After thirty years or so it is pretty stable. In this case the wood was cut and stored 170 years ago. Thanks David!

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

"This week I will be voicing the top and closing up the body. I'll also continue working on the neck. I expect to start applying finish at the start of February."

Whoa! Moving along fast! Excitement mounting . . .

On goes the back!:



Mark

[Treenewt]

Gosh Mark...that is beautiful! Can wait to see how this one turns out!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Gosh Mark...that is beautiful! Can wait to see how this one turns out!

Thanks Treenewt! I love this old Eastern Black Walnut.

Here is a wet back and side picture:



The top is voiced and here I am closing up the body:



Thanks for viewing!
Mark