Sexauer '18 (chapter 2)

[mcgr40]

Working with a 46' top dish, are you able to clamp the side to the top in the dish and then just place the individual tentellones(I think that's the fancy word for glue block) with hot glue in place(not clamped)? I recall once my mentor demonstrating the holding power of a single glue block on an 18th century furniture drawer bottom, and it had never been "clamped" just "rubbed" in place. Sorry, I am a serial student of guitar construction techniques....

[IBKuz]

Ben & Wayne are playing up in Toronto in June, I will look to see if your guitar is used on stage ... lol

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by mcgr40

Working with a 46' top dish, are you able to clamp the side to the top in the dish and then just place the individual tentellones(I think that's the fancy word for glue block) with hot glue in place(not clamped)? I recall once my mentor demonstrating the holding power of a single glue block on an 18th century furniture drawer bottom, and it had never been "clamped" just "rubbed" in place. Sorry, I am a serial student of guitar construction techniques....

While you COULD do that, it would cause the back to be narrower than the top. I use a jointer to make a step in the sides (sidestep?) at the waist exactly (with careful measurement and some luck) high enough to reach the correct depth into the dish. It's between 1/16" and 3/32" on most guitars. One could use a wedge, or a post and a clamp, or, god forbid, a mold. The step works well for me. For the record, if I said 46' I miss-spoke, it should be 42'. . . not that there is anything I know of wrong with 46', it's just not what I do.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by IBKuz

Ben & Wayne are playing up in Toronto in June, I will look to see if your guitar is used on stage ... lol

I would be surprised to learn they are using my stuff onstage as I think they reserve it for their "quality time". Let me know if I'm wrong, please.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Here's Ben's box:

[printer2]

Originally Posted by mcgr40

Working with a 46' top dish, are you able to clamp the side to the top in the dish and then just place the individual tentellones(I think that's the fancy word for glue block) with hot glue in place(not clamped)? I recall once my mentor demonstrating the holding power of a single glue block on an 18th century furniture drawer bottom, and it had never been "clamped" just "rubbed" in place. Sorry, I am a serial student of guitar construction techniques....

I hope you don't mind Bruce, if I give an answer to the question from a different perspective. I am assuming (quite dangerous) the question was about the placing of the tentellones without any method of clamping them in place. I assumed the sides would be dimensioned to fit on the dish so the sides sit vertically without angling in at the center. I have used the same method as Bruce of building on the top and have shaped the sides to fit into the dish. I glue the sides to the neck and end blocks and when they are dry it is just a time consuming (although very pleasant time) dabbing a bit of hide glue to the block, put in place and hold for a time then continue on with the next one. No clamping is needed. I have tried one guitar with Titebond instead of hide glue after Bruce did his daughter's guitar with it. I don't have quite the warm and fuzzy feeling using the Titebond as I do with the hide glue. Bruce said it holds fine, mine has not fallen apart yet so I have no reason to doubt it.

[tadol]

I have a little video I took of Bruce installing pentelones on the side of a flamenco guitar he built a while ago, in which he discusses very informally his process, theory, and trechnique, quite off the cuff. More of a why-to than how-to, although if one is competent in the how, the why is pretty well explained.

But we need Bruce to stop building guitars and take time off to edit and get it ready for release, as it is a bit rambling and completely unscripted / train of consciousness. Unfortunately, every time Bruce sees a little free time in his schedule, he starts building another guitar - its like the guy is fixated or something -

[Bruce Sexauer]

Because the glue has a bit of grab when rubbed in and the two surfaces are at 91 degrees to each other the peone stick well enough that after just a few seconds they are somewhat difficult to remove. The nature of HHG is that while it takes hours to actually dry, it gells as soon as it is cool, which happens very quickly when it becomes squished between two cool surfaces. I have heard it said that the surfaces of my Guitars are pretty cool

[tadol]

I figure without the running commentary, I can show a good bit of the process in a few pics -

Heres a pic of the top, with the sides clamped gently in place - again, this is a flamenco guitar, so the bracing and spanish heel neck block are quite different than a steel string build.

[tadol]

Heres a detail - the blocks are trimmed (even notched) to go around the braces. The trimming is done mostly to acheive a continuous height - more an aesthetic concern than structural.

Again - this is slightly different since it is a flamenco guitar, and his primary goal was to emphasize attack over sustain, so the spacing on the blocks is slightly larger than on a normal guitar, but it shows how subtle choices made throughout the build process have an affect on the finished product, and how an intentional goal must be maintained in the many choices made during a build -

[tadol]

Bruce keeps his “inventory” in a small octagonal tin - he rips the stock into a very slight parallelogram - 91 x 89 degrees approx - and then crosscuts them on his tablesaw with his extra fine tooth fretting blade. Then they get stored in this tin until he needs them -

[tadol]

When he needs them, he grabs a handful and then starts splitting them one by one with his chisel. He has to flip them so the “right angle” is actually the 91 degree corner - when they are glued in, he wants the most solid contact at the outer edges, since he’ll be routing off the inside corner when installing the binding.

[tadol]

Heres a closeup of a finished block - the angle is very subtle, but very important, just like so many details in fine lutherie -

[tadol]

And they are, literally, glued in one at a time - Bruce picks up each block, gives it a final inspection, then holds it in one hand while he picks up the little artists brush and coats each face with the hot hide glue, puts the brush back into the little glass bottle thats staying warm in the water bath in his glue pot, and places the block in place, pressing and rubbing it in, then inspecting it to make sure he’s happy with placement and spacing, then pick up the next block and do it again -

When its all done, he grabs the old toothbrush thats soaking in the water bath alongside the glue jar, and scrubs down any excess glue thats squeezed out.

[tadol]

I’m sure Bruce will note any errors in my explanation, but as an observer, what I find amazing is the way he goes into a kind of zen auto-pilot during this process, making choices, decisions, adjustments, and judgements almost sub-consciously, based on his experience and belief. And in my experience, these choices, and his experience, combine to make an amazing hand-built instrument that you have to hold and play to begin understanding - or, as I believe, to really “grok” it -

Now - if I could only get him to edit videos - Oh, well - I’m happy with the guitars -