So it shall begin, and an ebay gripe.

[ClaptonWannabe2]

You can usually count on ebay snipers. Lost 2 bids. Then last night. I am shopping for and bidding on EIR back/sides. I had a back that got sniped, then bid on another. Knowing it would be sniped I bid on another nicer back and sides.

Nobody moves at the solo back and I win. So I watch the other back and side auction. It crept up a couple bucks but stopped short of my max bid. So I will soon have 2 backs and a set of sides to sniff and stare at.

I assume I can practice with one. So I guess it is time to buy a hand plane and clean my garage. Also work on a shooting board and gluing work board to glue the plates.

I plan on touching on every possible mistake. With hopes that a luthier near Katy, TX holds an Intervention for me. Like an episode of intervention I will protest, I will cry "I can do this on my own. I'm not hurting anyone!" Before I agree to "treatment" and am flown to "rehab" in New England somewhere at a proper shop or Luthiery school. Lol

[ClaptonWannabe2]

Did this thread go through?

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

You can usually count on ebay snipers. Lost 2 bids. Then last night. I am shopping for and bidding on EIR back/sides. I had a back that got sniped, then bid on another. Knowing it would be sniped I bid on another nicer back and sides.

Nobody moves at the solo back and I win. So I watch the other back and side auction. It crept up a couple bucks but stopped short of my max bid. So I will soon have 2 backs and a set of sides to sniff and stare at.

I assume I can practice with one. So I guess it is time to buy a hand plane and clean my garage. Also work on a shooting board and gluing work board to glue the plates.

I plan on touching on every possible mistake. With hopes that a luthier near Katy, TX holds an Intervention for me. Like an episode of intervention I will protest, I will cry "I can do this on my own. I'm not hurting anyone!" Before I agree to "treatment" and am flown to "rehab" in New England somewhere at a proper shop or Luthiery school. Lol

Good luck... and as to eBay, just use a sniping service. I've done it for years - saved me some cash over the years. Before that, I had a friend who worked the IT department at Ernst & Young, and it helped to have friends with T1 connections when you only had DSL!

[mirwa]

I cannot knock services like snipe swipe, man they got me some goodies over the years.

That being said haven’t used them for a year or two now.

Steve

[Skarsaune]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

... So I will soon have 2 backs and a set of sides to sniff and stare at.

I assume I can practice with one. So I guess it is time to buy a hand plane and clean my garage. Also work on a shooting board and gluing work board to glue the plates.

I plan on touching on every possible mistake. With hopes that a luthier near Katy, TX holds an Intervention for me. Like an episode of intervention I will protest, I will cry "I can do this on my own. I'm not hurting anyone!" Before I agree to "treatment" and am flown to "rehab" in New England somewhere at a proper shop or Luthiery school. Lol

Sooo, first build? Guessing from your last paragraph.

Me too - bought two Martin kits. At nearly 50% off, I figured I can practice on one - same thought as yours.

Eric Schaefer (sp?) has a nice series of videos online.
A relevant one is "14 mistakes to avoid when building your first guitar" here..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RmD5MD5adQ

Best of luck, post pics, and good luck with that intervention!

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

So I guess it is time to buy a hand plane and clean my garage.

Lesson 1: a shop vac will be better suited to cleaning a garage than a hand plane.

Best of luck with your build.

[ClaptonWannabe2]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Lesson 1: a shop vac will be better suited to cleaning a garage than a hand plane.

Best of luck with your build.

Any wood chips or sawdust that we produce good for grilling/smoking? Spruce Smoked Pork Butt does not have a ring to it.

And yes a shop vac is on my list of needs.

[ClaptonWannabe2]

Originally Posted by Skarsaune

Sooo, first build? Guessing from your last paragraph.

Me too - bought two Martin kits. At nearly 50% off, I figured I can practice on one - same thought as yours.

Eric Schaefer (sp?) has a nice series of videos online.
A relevant one is "14 mistakes to avoid when building your first guitar" here..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RmD5MD5adQ

Best of luck, post pics, and good luck with that intervention!

Where'd you find martin kits at half off?

[Skarsaune]

Direct from Martin. It was a month or so ago - 20% off EIR kits, plus 20% off if you were a Martin owner's club member, which also saved you 10% on the shipping.

Even if you signed up for the owner's club thing just for the discount, it saved some $$$. Plus you got a t-shirt, strings, magazine, etc.

I'd been studying on building a guitar for about two years, this tipped me over the edge. I usually do one substantial project over the winter.

StewMac has some of their kits at $100 off and free tuners right now:
https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_an...strument_Kits/

I'd watch for sales as we head into the holiday / black Friday season.....

[ClaptonWannabe2]

They have arrived. 2 backs and a set of sides. Now I have to work on them. And clean my garage. :-(

Need some scrap for a shooting board and a glue board. And "fabricate" a bending iron.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

Any wood chips or sawdust that we produce good for grilling/smoking? Spruce Smoked Pork Butt does not have a ring to it.

And yes a shop vac is on my list of needs.

Cedar drop offs great for laying salmon on top!

[ClaptonWannabe2]

Three questions.

1. What non powered hand saw would you use to rough cut a rosewood back?

2. Wood bending iron. Decided I’m going with a pipe and heat gun type set up for now. How long can a heat gun run? I’ve used them to peel paint etc but not leave on extended period. You heat and scrape. Heat and scrape. Guns not running while you scrape.

3. Thickness sanding? Anybody know of a place that can offer that service for a work piece? Big box store? Mom and pops? Anybody with Katy or West Houston knowledge? I have the second back to practice with a hand plane. I will also be shopping for some cheap scraps to practice bending as well. Just don’t have them currently.

Projects for now are a shooting board and a gluing surface.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

1. What non powered hand saw would you use to rough cut a rosewood back?

The challenge with many guitar materials is that they are thin, flexible and easily broken. This limits the hand tool options for cutting out contours since the material must be supported adequately while cutting. One option is a coping saw used with a bird's mouth to support the wood.

2. Wood bending iron. Decided I’m going with a pipe and heat gun type set up for now.

I use a propane torch aimed inside a pipe. It allows considerable variation in temperature, is inexpensive, heats quickly and is easy to setup. I have no experience in using a heat gun for pipe bending.

3. Thickness sanding? Anybody know of a place that can offer that service for a work piece? Big box store? Mom and pops? Anybody with Katy or West Houston knowledge? I have the second back to practice with a hand plane.

Thickness sanding is where you find it. Not likely box stores. You might try local woodworkers or local exotic wood dealers.

Success with a hand plane depends largely on knowing how to setup the plane and sharpen the blade, both essential skills. Also be aware grain of direction. With any amount of runout, one half of the back will want to be planed in the opposite direction to the other. (Some do bulk removal on a diagonal. Some use toothed blades.) There's more to it than simply dragging a plane across a surface: lots to learn. There are a variety of good resources from which to learn.

Not sure if this is helpful or not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maJCqbtN-6I

[JonWint]

Originally Posted by ClaptonWannabe2

Three questions.

3. Thickness sanding? Anybody know of a place that can offer that service for a work piece? Big box store? Mom and pops? Anybody with Katy or West Houston knowledge? I have the second back to practice with a hand plane. I will also be shopping for some cheap scraps to practice bending as well. Just don’t have them currently.

Search engines can be your friends. Katy Woodworkers Guild, find willing member https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...qSsi_c5u4YcsJF

Put note on bulletin board at Rockler. "Luthier wannabe needs thickness sanding" https://www.rockler.com/retail/stores/tx/houston-store

[ClaptonWannabe2]

I’ve found that katy woodworkers thing. I think it is gone though. I have been to woodcraft and tickler is on the list.