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  #1  
Old 08-15-2014, 09:30 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Picked the name as the parlor sized guitar I built just sits naturally on your lap begging to be played. My niece's husband made a comment to my sister he would like one. I made a couple of sets of wood during the first build to try different ideas in order to learn more of this craft.

The tops are cedar cut from fence boards, selected from hundreds of boards to fine ones that were quarter sawn with no knots. Pine back and sides, did a red oak fretboard on the first one, have another oak one that I already shaped with the fret slots cut. The top is a two piece with a couple pieces added to the lower bout to make up the 12 1/2" needed, the back is a three piece. Also in the picture is some purple heart that I might use for the rosette and a piece of mahogany that I found in a firewood pile that almost went up in smoke. Going to use it for the head block.



The sides were bent last summer and sprung back a little and I touched them up on a hot pipe last night. Working on getting the top and back flat and doing the tooling to do the rosette right now. Might bend the linings, we will see how it goes. I still have to decide on the neck wood, not going to build my own truss rod as I did with the last one. I am going to see how fast I can do this guitar, nothing fancy, just hopefully something that sounds pleasant and is playable.
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  #2  
Old 08-15-2014, 03:04 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Cool... you got a watcher...
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Old 08-15-2014, 06:21 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Welcome aboard. I'm not proud so this should be a fun mistake filled build. Of course just winging it.

Way back when I said I was walking down the street and at the side of the road was a table leg. It looked substantial enough so I picked it up, turned out to be mahogany. Of course I thought, 'I can make a guitar out of this.', not really earth shattering or even unusual because almost anything I pick up I usually say the same thing. This time a little more probable than other times.



I measured off two thicknesses that I could get a neck out off and cut it on my bandsaw. Of course I never thought the wood would be under a lot of stress, in a short period of time the one developed a good size bow in it. Fast forward to today, I don't know if I can get a thick enough straight piece out of it but I gave it a try. My router sled makeshift planer.



Had to take away more than I was hoping, still looks like it might be enough left. Looks like the furniture manufacturer filled in a knot hole, hopefully it will not cause me grief. Might router it out and fill in a piece. Yes this will be a funky guitar.



Another surprise was that the fretboard I had made up is a 25" scale length. I wanted this guitar to have a 24", have to decide if I want to use it or not. It originally was my test piece to see what it is like to use CA as a filler on a fretboard. Something you want to do outside or with good ventilation. Going to take some time doing up another one. I could use it if I decide on a different piece of wood for the neck. May have to sleep on this one.
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Old 08-17-2014, 11:59 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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OK, building this quickly as compared to the last one. I did a lot of learning online and building jigs for the last guitar. This one is just get to it and do it. I decided not to use the fretboard, with the 14th fret at the body it still put the bridge too far back. Will have to see what I can dig up.

I decided to go with kerfed linings,cut them on my metal bandsaw (one day will get a wood one). I was going to sand the excess material off the sides by hand on my radius dish. I cut the majority off and had the thought of using my belt sander to take it down further so I had less to sand. Taking off a little and checking on the dish I found I could get real close to the proper radius. Going to have to make up some more linings and do a finishing sanding on them after they dry.

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Old 08-17-2014, 12:22 PM
Scootch Scootch is offline
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I'm subscribed to the thread. Looks like it's going to be a great one. At least interesting.
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Old 08-17-2014, 12:56 PM
Luke_ Luke_ is offline
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Very interesting
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  #7  
Old 08-18-2014, 02:26 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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I guess I got a little carried away.

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Old 08-19-2014, 08:37 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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The first one I built has a cedar top. I want to try a couple of changes and see if they effect the sound. So I am doing two more cedar and two with pine tops. I am also splitting up the pairs by using a conventional box and one cedar and one pine will get a shell that is double walled. Rather than laminate another layer to the sides to make them stiffer I am boxing in the linings.

I was originally going to make three guitars but I accidentally used a side set that I was not going to use as they had some imperfections. I had another set that also had issues so I decided to do the double wall. When I got the clamps off it was amazing how stiff it was. So I decided to line the one set I thought I was building (stored in another room and I got confused) and from there mixed and matched the tops and backs to get the combinations. Also one of the double walled ones is getting a double thickness back. The one double wall will have a live back but the double back will be made so the back is reflective.

Going to have to write it all down to keep track of which is which. Maybe write it on the inside of the backs. Still need to sand them down, they look a little rough construction wise. I was coming up with the idea on the fly and used what materials I had at hand. The inside pieces were scraps and were just a little shy in size. Not a big deal as these are just quickie test bodies, not built to impress anyone.

I bent the one inside set on my form way back when and the second set on my pipe right from a flat sheet. Kind of getting the hang of bending on a hot pipe but the heat gun I was using to heat it gave out after the first one and I used a propane torch to heat the pipe for the second one. It was more difficult to use as there were hot spots. The sides did not want to bend as well in places while other parts got singed a little. Ended up getting it done though.

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Old 08-19-2014, 04:55 PM
Jim.S Jim.S is offline
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Looks like you have a small factory going on there Printer.

Jim
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Old 08-19-2014, 05:40 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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When I did my first one I made up a number of sets and then sorted through them as far as what was useable and not. A couple have some side creasing at the waist, a couple of backs just made a thud when tapped. Decided to double up on the thudy ones and make a reflective back, I used a couple of bad sides to do a double sided box.

Bending sides last year.


Actually it was not too bad doing a number at a time as usually most of my time is spent looking for stuff or setting up, the actual job is not a great deal of time. And while I was waiting for glue to dry I would be cutting or sanding something else. Kept me busy though.


Went out looking for material for the rosettes, tried a pet store looking for colored coral, I recall stores having bins of the stuff when I was a kid, not no more. On the way back home I stopped at a flooring store asking if they had any old samples of different kinds of wood explaining what I wanted to do. The woman directed me to their clearance outlet and they might have a box of Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) that I might like. Did not see anything suitable, the Jatoba was nice but too bad they did not have it in wider boards.

Well the guy said we'll talk after he dealt with a customer, he had a part box of 3" wide and he would make me a deal if I took the box. I said I would like to look it up and get back to him on it, in the end he said $20 for it, I could not refuse. Cutting off the tongue and grove part results in a boars 2 5/8" wide, after surfacing the back I figure I could split the thickness and get two fretboards off of each board. It will be some work but for the price I can't complain.



I still need to decide what to do for the rosettes yet. I almost feel I should do all the necks in mahogany now to compare the difference in the guitars sounds. I wonder if I can make them accurately enough and just swap the two necks around. Seems like a lot of work though.
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Old 08-21-2014, 09:45 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Still don't know what I am going to use for the other two necks. Really not many choices on places to get wood in town (one). Even less to choose from as far as the rosette is concerned unless I want to spend some real money. Best I could find today is a piece of purpleheart. Sliced some of it up and with luck it will not look too bad, if it does too bad. No looking back.

Rather than try to whittle it down to shape I used my jig for cutting the rosette channel to cut a piece of plywood with the same outside diameter as the inside of the rosette. I duct taped a piece of sandpaper to it and it does a nice job of the inside radius. I am a little concerned about leveling the rosette, a big difference in hardness between the purpleheart and the cedar.

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Old 08-21-2014, 10:58 PM
Jim.S Jim.S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by printer2 View Post
I am a little concerned about leveling the rosette, a big difference in hardness between the purpleheart and the cedar.
I am not sure what you are doing Printer but that statement makes me think you intend to level the rosette with sandpaper. A carefully wielded scraper will get you level if you are worried about sandpaper cutting deeper into the cedar than it does the purple heart. I may be preaching to the converted but Bacho scrapers seem to be made of a better metal for the job than most. I am also sure given your ways that using a old saw to make a scraper would be your preferred choice and they can make one but for the price of a Bacho they are worth it.

Jim
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Old 08-22-2014, 12:38 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Darn, I am all out of old rusty saws. I do have a scraper I picked up from Lee Valley, hope that will do. You said the magic words, a carefully wielded scraper. We will have to see how careful I am.

As far as making tools, I used some fiber binding from Stewmack, trying to make my own. I don't have a jug for scraping the wood to a constant level, made a quick one. Will make a better one latter. The nuts were too wide to sit beside each other, I will probably tap the angle iron on the Mark II. Just clamped a piece of sheet pin I had onto a plank of oak flooring. Then I just dragged the blade over the pine. Slit them afterwards.



Worked pretty well. I bent the pieces and then died them with a touch up furniture pen. I figure I'll need to touch it up after everything is level.
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Old 08-23-2014, 07:59 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Furniture pen did not soak into the wood, permanent marker did a better job. Scrapped it down, through some alcohol on it to see what it would look like with a finish on it, found out alcohol is not wery helpful in situations like this. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Going to have to decide soon if I want to get the other tops done.




Went down and took a look at it again. Sort of looks more like the purpleheart just smudges from brown to purple. Not what I was hopping for. Would have to try it on the top with the best tap tone.

Last edited by printer2; 08-24-2014 at 07:58 AM. Reason: no change
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Old 08-26-2014, 06:07 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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I think I have some carving to do. Thought I would take this picture before the one wood strip breaks completely (split at the top of the picture). They were left over tongue and groove cedar I ripped for my go bar deck. Hope they hang in there for one more top.



I am going to try and keep the bracing identical on the four and see how much the other differences changes the sound.
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