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  #31  
Old 10-12-2013, 11:44 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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A side is bending! And there's some test bends in background. Hope this one turns out! Sam

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  #32  
Old 10-13-2013, 11:19 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Well, they are far from perfect but I am really excited that I've bent some sides! I've wanted to build an acoustic for awhile and in the earlier years of that desire, I honestly thought side bending was one of the bigger challenges.

I knew nothing of radiusing and had no idea about the structural considerations, voicing etc (if I am shooting for a responsive guitar). Ignorance and knowledge are both bliss, however, because the complexities of acoustics are one of the things that really intrigue me. Anyways, hope everybody is well and thanks for the help so far. Sam

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  #33  
Old 10-16-2013, 05:22 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Hi. I've seen now that several of the pros laminate blocks together to make neck and tail blocks. I am understanding reasons for this are that end grain doesn't glue well and laminates are stronger than single blocks.

So, if I glue these four mahogany blocks together like the pic below, would that be a stronger end block or is it better to get more elaborate? FYI this would not be the final block dimensions.

In the pic below, the face with pick on it would be the glueing surface for top and the four piece front would glue to the sides.

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  #34  
Old 10-17-2013, 09:15 AM
arie arie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Left of Sam View Post
Hi. I've seen now that several of the pros laminate blocks together to make neck and tail blocks. I am understanding reasons for this are that end grain doesn't glue well and laminates are stronger than single blocks.

So, if I glue these four mahogany blocks together like the pic below, would that be a stronger end block or is it better to get more elaborate? FYI this would not be the final block dimensions.

In the pic below, the face with pick on it would be the glueing surface for top and the four piece front would glue to the sides.
most of the builds i have seen using laminated tail blocks do it like this:



assuming that you are going to be installing an end pin or a jack, think plywood. you want to prevent the end pin from wedging a crack or splitting the block apart should somebody drop the guitar on the pin. your method would work in terms of binding the sides together nicely, but won't help against a perpendicular blow. some builders even rotate each layer 45 degrees apart. just a suggestion but were it mine, i would also consider pre-drilling the pin or 1/4" jack hole undersize in the block now so as to be less work later on.

Last edited by arie; 10-17-2013 at 09:26 AM.
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  #35  
Old 10-18-2013, 11:45 AM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Thanks arie. That pic helped. However, I still kind of messed up because I put end grain on the top:back glueing surfaces! But there's still side/top grain for the top/back to glue onto as well......so I should be ok, right?

Thanks for the help! Sam

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  #36  
Old 10-18-2013, 11:56 AM
arie arie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Left of Sam View Post
Thanks arie. That pic helped. However, I still kind of messed up because I put end grain on the top:back glueing surfaces! But there's still side/top grain for the top/back to glue onto as well......so I should be ok, right?

Thanks for the help! Sam

regarding your tail block, if you notice in the example picture, the faces that would be touching the top and the back are relieved with a bevel. you actually don't want that much glue surface on the plates. imo, a contact area about the same width as your kerfing is best. i know of one builder who coats end grain surfaces with shellac then sands it down.

on your neck block you don't want to relieve those surfaces. you need maximum contact to keep the block from rolling back towards the bridge later on.
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  #37  
Old 10-18-2013, 04:55 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arie View Post
regarding your tail block, if you notice in the example picture, the faces that would be touching the top and the back are relieved with a bevel. you actually don't want that much glue surface on the plates. imo, a contact area about the same width as your kerfing is best. i know of one builder who coats end grain surfaces with shellac then sands it down.

on your neck block you don't want to relieve those surfaces. you need maximum contact to keep the block from rolling back towards the bridge later on.
Ok thanks again arie! I trimmed more off the tail block, especially the part that will connect with top. The maple back got sanded a little thin near where it meets the tail so I'm thinking I should keep the block flush for mating with that thin spot.....right idea?

Sam
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  #38  
Old 10-19-2013, 04:25 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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QUESTION: does kerfing need to be one piece per side (in other words 4 pieces per guitar)? Or if my home made kerfing is about 6" short, per side is it no problem to put in another piece in that gap?

Also, is hide glue commonly used on kerfing as well as braces and neck-body joins?


Sam

Last edited by Sam VanLaningham; 10-19-2013 at 05:48 PM.
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  #39  
Old 10-19-2013, 06:26 PM
Jim.S Jim.S is offline
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Depends with the kerfing Sam. If you are using kerfing with the un-kerfed side against the ribs then joins wont matter. If you are using reversed kerfing for stiffness then just put little patches over the join.

Not sure if hide glue is commonly used but if you are referring to hot hide glue then it is a great glue and I can't see why any other glue would be better for that purpose.

Jim
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  #40  
Old 10-19-2013, 06:31 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim.S View Post
Depends with the kerfing Sam. If you are using kerfing with the un-kerfed side against the ribs then joins wont matter. If you are using reversed kerfing for stiffness then just put little patches over the join.

Not sure if hide glue is commonly used but if you are referring to hot hide glue then it is a great glue and I can't see why any other glue would be better for that purpose.

Jim
Awesome awesome awesome! Thanks Jim for quick response. I'm using regular triangular kerfing so sounds like I'm good. And the hide glue is getting saturated overnight and I think I'll go with that. Thanks again and hope all is well down there or up there, depending on your hemispheric projection preferences.

Sam
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  #41  
Old 10-20-2013, 07:40 AM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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It should not matter if the kerfed lining is not continuous used either way. If you are looking for the added stiffness of the kerfed side to the sides you would want to limit the amount of breaks. A few should not change much. And then there are cleats.

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  #42  
Old 10-21-2013, 11:55 AM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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OK. Thanks for all the thoughts on kerfing. I did it up and have planed up the kerfing to a 15 foot radius. However, I kept the upper bout at the neck join and the neck block more at a 1.5° angle. Thats AOK right? I'll just consider this when designing the upper bout bracing eh?

OK, this is a lot of fun and the key so far: Sharp hand tools! After watching Steven Bollman and his stahl build, I got more motivated to sharpen up the blades and that has paid off big time.

Sam





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  #43  
Old 10-21-2013, 04:25 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Roughed out the neck(s) (Im building two).

Questions:
1) should the truss rod channel be the exact depth of the truss rod? This is the way I've done it with the two electrics I've built but I've worried that direct contact with fretboard is not ideal?

2) The 2nd neck is going to require an extra block glued to the neck join end. There isnt conclusive evidence/luthery consensus that sustain and/or "best" tone will be sacrificed?

OK, thats all for now.

Sam


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  #44  
Old 10-22-2013, 07:30 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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Ok, did I screw up badly somewhere and am now a lost cause? I hope not hehe.

Anyways, I have questions about bracing and tops etc:

I am actually now building the maple back/sides guitar for my brother. He's a more delicate strummer and thus I decided to go with ENGLEMANN for the top.

- Should I brace it any differently (using adi bracing) than if it had an adirondack top, with the old Gibson L-00's in mind? I'm thinking of going with the tall skinny braces. Maybe a slight scallop out the treble side? I think this thing might be mid-rangy with a 15 foot top and back radius?

- The back is bordering on too thin. Would it drastically disturb tone to add a 5th lateral back brace?

OK thanks for listening! sam
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  #45  
Old 10-24-2013, 10:10 PM
Sam VanLaningham Sam VanLaningham is offline
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QUESTION!

- so I have back radius but there is also taper in the sides. Do people usually glue the back strip brace in the form of the side taper?


Thanks. Sam
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