Official Luthier's Forum Medium Jumbo

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by kwakatak

Hey Kurt, are ya still waiting?

Patiently. Just sitting here in front of my laptop in the Lotus position, wrists on knees, thumb-tip touching finger-tip, chanting "Ommmmm."

Show me them-thar rims!

[Budman1]

Shhhhhhhhh, you think they might be sleepin?
they worked so hard and long, they passed out??
shhhhhhhhh, lettum rest.

bud

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Budman1

Shhhhhhhhh, you think they might be sleepin?
they worked so hard and long, they passed out??
shhhhhhhhh, lettum rest.

bud

Yeah, things could be going quicker, but it's a learning experience and it gives me time to learn along the way.

Anyway, you want progress so here's a little:

I spent 3 hours last night sanding the kerfing on the top rim to a 28' radius. Yeah, that's a big old drill bit straight into an old post office table. The sanding dish slips on it and then (as John Hall of Blues Creek Guitars puts it) you "drive the bus." Note the side slats. I used some walnut the Kitchen Guitars had laying around.



It made a LOT of sawdust. I was surprised at how much but the waist was the last area to get sanded down so everything else got sanded down pretty far.



Then I sanded the radius to the gluing side of the new X braces:



Plans for next time:
1: check the angle of the top of the neck block extension. It should be 91.5°. If it's not then I'm going to re-sand the entire upper bout with a flat sanding stick so that the angle is correct. I don't want the dreaded 14th fret hump when the neck goes on.
2: flip the mold over and (using the 20' radius dish with sanding disc) sand the back rim.
3: start gluing the braces to the cedar top again.

[Budman1]

Hey Neil, just a little humor there, bout as little as it comes, but you have been busy on the tedious slo to sho stuff, from here it is looking good.
bud

[Mary]

Yo Neil,

Take your time and do this right. After you apply the finish check it out real, real, real good. If you need a professional stripper, call Kurt. He's now experienced in the "panic zone."

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Mary

Yo Neil,

Take your time and do this right. After you apply the finish check it out real, real, real good. If you need a professional stripper, call Kurt. He's now experienced in the "panic zone."

I'm trying not to think that far ahead, but I've been experimenting on smaller things first. I've been applying French polish to a ukelele kit and it's coming out pretty good - though the uke will probably be unplayable! The process is pretty therapeutic and I'm seeing that only a little oil is necessary to hep glide things on. The trick is to know when to add more shellac to the pad or else you take it off the wood instead of putting more on. I also bought some 1500 grit at the local auto store to blend the shellac in as well. I still have much to learn though.

I've also tried brushing poly on to a walnut jewelry box kit but I'll probably have to do it over on a new kit because I learned the hard way that "less is more!"

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by Mary

Take your time and do this right. After you apply the finish check it out real, real, real good. If you need a professional stripper, call Kurt. He's now experienced in the "panic zone."

If you think what I charged you for my crisis-mode guitar-stripping services was outrageous, you ought to see what I'm billing clients now!

Keep up the good work, Neil. Slow and steady wins the race. Well, not always. But sometimes.

[Mary]

Originally Posted by kwakatak

the uke will probably be unplayable! The process is pretty therapeutic

I'm stealing a second to share this with you only to prove your uke will meet the right player and sound beautiful.

Just watch this You tube that Steve made with his McKuke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiBJV...AF1B14&index=1

[Neil K Walk]

Another month, another post. I finally got started on the soundboard bracing last night:



I opted to do the upper transverse brace first and then move on to the finger braces instead of the X braces because they both do not follow the 28' radius. I'd have done the lower face braces too but I ran out of go-bars. They won't have a radius underneath either so I won't break out the radius dish until I've shaped the edges that will intersect with the X. I'm still going to cut housings in the X braces for them. Lastly will be the bridge plate, which I spent most of my time last night preparing. It's not quite ready yet either.

BTW, I'm really not a big fan of these go bars. A few slipped off and dinged the top. I know, don't blame the tool blame the operator but IMO I should have just used clamps as illustrated in Cumpiano/Natelson's book.

[thebolo]

This is just a suggestion, but I've found it easier to glue in the X brace first. The only reason I do that is I get a much better fit with all the other braces. So you fit the other braces to the X, not fit the X to the other braces. Theres no harm in doing it this way, but just something to think about. I really cant wait for this thing to get done, I want to hear what it sounds like.

[arie]

i find the go bars easier to use when the braces aren't tapered before gluing. also one kinda has to line up the bow of the go bar to the lengthwise direction of the brace- keeps em' from flopping the brace sidways and launching the go bar into the top. ditto what bolo said about the x brace. that way you can tap tune the top with one set of braces on at a time.

[Mary]

Like the others, I've never seen it done this way, but you may have pre-fitted the braces in advance. Whatever works for you is perfect for you.

I would imagine any type of go-bar should handle the stability of staying where you put it if the block bracing is glued in first and then sculpted to the proper tone.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by thebolo

This is just a suggestion, but I've found it easier to glue in the X brace first. The only reason I do that is I get a much better fit with all the other braces. So you fit the other braces to the X, not fit the X to the other braces. Theres no harm in doing it this way, but just something to think about. I really cant wait for this thing to get done, I want to hear what it sounds like.

I'm going to chisel in housings in the underside of the X braces for all the other braces. I'm doing it this way so that I can mark exactly where I need to cut. The idea is to interlink all the braces, though only the X will intersect with the kerfing.

Originally Posted by arie

i find the go bars easier to use when the braces aren't tapered before gluing. also one kinda has to line up the bow of the go bar to the lengthwise direction of the brace- keeps em' from flopping the brace sidways and launching the go bar into the top. ditto what bolo said about the x brace. that way you can tap tune the top with one set of braces on at a time.

I was contemplating on getting some cheap trim from Home Depot and using them instead but I think John would have been offended. I'd rather put up with slivers that I can see in order to pull them out though. Nylon slivers are invisible. As for the braces, they're rought-cut on the band saw only. I will be chiseling them down as I go so - at least the ends that is.

Originally Posted by Mary

Like the others, I've never seen it done this way, but you may have pre-fitted the braces in advance. Whatever works for you is perfect for you.

I would imagine any type of go-bar should handle the stability of staying where you put it if the block bracing is glued in first and then sculpted to the proper tone.

This order is similar to what Cumpiano and Natelson did for their book. They did the bridge plate at the same time as the UTB though but I'm going to wait until I put the X on before I start messing with the bridge plate.

[thebolo]

I'm going to chisel in housings in the underside of the X braces for all the other braces. I'm doing it this way so that I can mark exactly where I need to cut. The idea is to interlink all the braces, though only the X will intersect with the kerfing.

Very cool. I guess I dont cut notches in the X for the other braces. I just get a really good butt joint.

[Kitchen Guitars]

Its not how I have done my 6 sets of braces on 3 guitars. So, I am watching too.