McKnight Guitars - Olive wood / Redwood siblings

[Eire]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Clean??? Hahaha, good one John. I wish it was a LOT cleaner. If only I had a floor as clean as those NASCAR shops you see on TV where one could eat off the floor. But in the real world, professional saw dust makers create a LOT of mess in a hurry, don't we? Now if I only had one of those small blue Smurfs following me around all day long with a vacuum, then I could get a lot more work done.

Ah, the "McKnight Modesty" shines through again.

Don't let him fool ya. I've been to the McKnights close to a score of times, and the shop is always neat. Every tool is in its place. Every tool is clean. Working surfaces are clean. Materials are stashed carefully in prescribed cupboard spaces. And the wood room (ah, the wood room... my favorite place in all the world) would make the most obsessive-compulsive sufferer in the world step back, take a deep sigh, and feel as if she or he were in heaven, thanks to all the carefully-marked cubby-holes and labeled shelves and slots.

Btw, perhaps if we dunk Mary in some blue tint we'd recognize our Smurf.

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by Eire

Btw, perhaps if we dunk Mary in some blue tint we'd recognize our Smurf.

Great idea Kurt. Now if I could only get her to agree to that one

[Tim McKnight]

Now its time to install the carbon fiber truss braces. The braces redirects the rotational forces on the neck block to the stiffest area of the rim, the waist. These braces stop any distortion in the upper bout area of the body which in turn eliminate a neck reset in the future.

[j. Kinnaird]

Most interesting. That's something like what the Larson brothers did, except their tube ran to the end block and split the sound hole visually. Your tubes are a much better solution.

[Szk]

Tim, have you at all noticed if those flying buttresses affect the tone in any way?
I'd like to incorporate those in my builds, but I did read one builder thought it might have affected his bass response.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by Szk

Tim, have you at all noticed if those flying buttresses affect the tone in any way?
I'd like to incorporate those in my builds, but I did read one builder thought it might have affected his bass response.

If it does affect bass response why could the builder not shave the braces a little more (or other modifications) to compensate for it? I like the idea and am thinking of using them when I start building at a higher level. I think it is worthwhile making the guitar as stable for the long term, doubt that the struts will have much influence on the bass response in other than the lightest builds. My previous model airplane building tendencies almost wants to continue to the tail block with another set of tubes. But then I am stuck with which end to put the prop on.

In reality it would be no second thought. The prop would go on the tail block, the neck would serve as the boom to the headstock which will act as the tail of sorts. Need some balsa to try it out. So if you see a guitar flying around a local school yard...

Sorry for the silly diversion, everybody realizes it Should be a flying V not an acoustic, back to you Tim.

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by Szk

Tim, have you at all noticed if those flying buttresses affect the tone in any way?
I'd like to incorporate those in my builds, but I did read one builder thought it might have affected his bass response.

The way I use the buttress braces they stabilize and stiffen the entire upper bout area. IMO the sound board real estate above the sound hole is more responsible for treble response and the the vibrating surfaces south of the sound hole have a greater impact on mid and bass response.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Clean??? Hahaha, good one John. I wish it was a LOT cleaner. If only I had a floor as clean as those NASCAR shops you see on TV where one could eat off the floor. But in the real world, professional saw dust makers create a LOT of mess in a hurry, don't we? Now if I only had one of those small blue Smurfs following me around all day long with a vacuum, then I could get a lot more work done.

No, I've not posted a shop tour but that's not a bad idea. Now if I only had the time to put that vacuum down long enough to hold a camera

Actually.....



You might need a few of these though,

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by TBman

Actually.....



You might need a few of these though,

Great idea Barry. Unfortunately Santa did not bring me one this year ;(

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Great idea Barry. Unfortunately Santa did not bring me one this year ;(

I'd be on board if they jumped on the Star Wars bandwagon and made it look like BB8 or R2-D2.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cGDdFuDwTZ8

Sorry to hear Santa squashed your dreams though, Tim. Maybe you could dress up your Shop Vac.

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by kwakatak

I'd be on board if they jumped on the Star Wars bandwagon and made it look like BB8 or R2-D2.

Sorry to hear Santa squashed your dreams though, Tim. Maybe you could dress up your Shop Vac.

Great idea Neil, maybe you can talk Mary into decorating my shop Vac. LOL

[lizzard]

This is some weird (in a Ted voice) combination of an EXTREMELY insightful and enlightening build thread - And a bad Seinfeld episode (about "nothing").

I'll keep watching - just as I did with Seinfeld.

Can't wait to see the finished guitars

Chris

[Tim McKnight]

OK, thanks for the prompt Lizzard, we are back on topic and task now that he holidays are over. Shaping the back braces by hand on the same sanding dish that we use to profile the back arch into the rim. This ensures that the brace gluing surface will have an identical arch to match to the arch of the back plate. This in turn guarantees a perfect [stress free] glue joint of the back to the rim:





Hot Hide Glue is used on all critical "tone" joints:







1959 Sitka back braces glued to the graduated back plate:

[lizzard]

What are the "TONE JOINTS" (no Marley references please) and which are the rest and what do you use?

Chris

[Neil K Walk]

Tim is referring to a glue joint; the point of contact between two pieces of the guitar that are instrumental in the tone of the guitar. In this case, he is ensuring that the underside of the braces is arched to impart a slight dome shape to the back of the guitar body. Once snared, the two surfaces which will be glued together must be clean of any sawdust, grease, DNA (blood, sweat and tears) etc. The glue is organic though.