What I did this weekend.
What I did this weekend.
Well, I've been waiting for some tools to show up from Stew Mac. Lost in the post somewhere over the Pacific. . So I've been stalled trying to get my Petite Jumbo completed and ready for finish.
Instead I've started on making 2 identical guitars but with different tops, so I can get a better feeling of what I can expect from the different tops.
I'm using some more spalted avocado for the rosette. The tops are Australian Cedar and Engelman Spruce. The back sides will be some perfectly 1/4rd Queensland Walnut.
First up, routing out some purfling channels in the rosette blank.
Cutting some purfling strips from veneer
.
Inlaid and glued in with rather thin hide glue. I usually use CA for this, but ran out and didn't feel like going out to the hardware store. It was 35 today and the sun would take your hide off.
Inlaid and leveled.
Instead I've started on making 2 identical guitars but with different tops, so I can get a better feeling of what I can expect from the different tops.
I'm using some more spalted avocado for the rosette. The tops are Australian Cedar and Engelman Spruce. The back sides will be some perfectly 1/4rd Queensland Walnut.
First up, routing out some purfling channels in the rosette blank.
Cutting some purfling strips from veneer
.
Inlaid and glued in with rather thin hide glue. I usually use CA for this, but ran out and didn't feel like going out to the hardware store. It was 35 today and the sun would take your hide off.
Inlaid and leveled.
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Yah, the Engelman does set the rosette off better, but we'll see how the whole package comes together.
It's funny how a build goes. On each one that built I've started out with an idea. Have the wood that I think will work well together, and lots of times I change things out as I go along, and so far I think that the guitars have come out looking pretty good. That's half the fun of doing this. .
It's funny how a build goes. On each one that built I've started out with an idea. Have the wood that I think will work well together, and lots of times I change things out as I go along, and so far I think that the guitars have come out looking pretty good. That's half the fun of doing this. .
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These are going to be my Petite Jumbo design. Basic dimensions are, length, width of lower bout and depth of a OM. I've designed for a 25.4 scale, but could build a short scale without any drama.
I like small guitars, and love the curves of the Jumbo style. I've built one Dread, two OOO's and one OM. My first Petite Jumbo is waiting for tooling to show up. Fret Caul and such. I could do it the old fashioned way, but you guys convinced me that pressing frets was the way to go. It really is my least favored part of building, so hopefully it's going to make it a job I'll look forward too.
The spalted avocado came from some scrap that showed up at the Cairns Woodworkers Guild. They were going to throw it in the bin, but I grabbed it first.
Yes, avocado grows around here. There are huge orchards of the stuff, and lots of homes have an avocado tree in the back yard. The season is all but over now, so we don't see them in the markets much, but the mango's are coming on strong. There down to $10 a case. You haven't lived until you have pureed mango on vanilla ice cream.
I like small guitars, and love the curves of the Jumbo style. I've built one Dread, two OOO's and one OM. My first Petite Jumbo is waiting for tooling to show up. Fret Caul and such. I could do it the old fashioned way, but you guys convinced me that pressing frets was the way to go. It really is my least favored part of building, so hopefully it's going to make it a job I'll look forward too.
The spalted avocado came from some scrap that showed up at the Cairns Woodworkers Guild. They were going to throw it in the bin, but I grabbed it first.
Yes, avocado grows around here. There are huge orchards of the stuff, and lots of homes have an avocado tree in the back yard. The season is all but over now, so we don't see them in the markets much, but the mango's are coming on strong. There down to $10 a case. You haven't lived until you have pureed mango on vanilla ice cream.
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That's why I chose that name Dennis. I didn't want it confused with the OLF's SJ plans, and I got a chuckle out of the name. I'll just refer to it in my notes as a PJ.Dennis Leahy wrote:Allen, those are beautiful rosettes.
I love your further stretch of the oxymoron "small jumbo" into "petite jumbo." Petite jumbo has a bigger ironic payload, something on the order of jumbo shrimp.
Well said!
Dennis
Heres a bit of an update to my build over the Christmas holidays. The sides for both of these guitars have been bent using my new MEI heat blanket. One side set has been put away for the time being, and I've got the back glued on for the one that is going to get the Australian Cedar top.
These are going to be essentially identical guitars except for the tops and embellishments. Qld. Walnut heart wood back and sides. This wood is very hard but only moderately heavy. I found that I had to thin the sides down to .080 to get a nice bend on them, but they are still very stiff.
Top and back are braced with some Engelman spruce and the bridge patch is some off cut of the Qld. Walnut.
The top is .100 around the bridge and upper bout and down to .090 around the lower bout. It weights in at 199 grams. Braces started out at 7X13 mm and shaped from there.
The back is .092 and weights in at 272 grams. I went with the standard ladder braces on this one, but I think that I'm going to go back to the x-brace that I've used on previous guitars. Seems to hold the dome better in the extreme humidity fluctuations we are getting up here.
I've got neck wood ready to go, so tomorrow I'll be glueing on the top and then working on the neck. Pictures to follow.
These are going to be essentially identical guitars except for the tops and embellishments. Qld. Walnut heart wood back and sides. This wood is very hard but only moderately heavy. I found that I had to thin the sides down to .080 to get a nice bend on them, but they are still very stiff.
Top and back are braced with some Engelman spruce and the bridge patch is some off cut of the Qld. Walnut.
The top is .100 around the bridge and upper bout and down to .090 around the lower bout. It weights in at 199 grams. Braces started out at 7X13 mm and shaped from there.
The back is .092 and weights in at 272 grams. I went with the standard ladder braces on this one, but I think that I'm going to go back to the x-brace that I've used on previous guitars. Seems to hold the dome better in the extreme humidity fluctuations we are getting up here.
I've got neck wood ready to go, so tomorrow I'll be glueing on the top and then working on the neck. Pictures to follow.
Neat work Allen, i can't wait to hear on the sound difference between those 2 lovely tops especially if your braces are carved at the same dimensions and same kind of brace material, what a nice experiment, after my current build, i plan on experimenting on 3 D-r-e-A-d-n-aughts so i'll be checking out what you observe, cool!
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Thanks for the pictures of the progress Allen, I would really like to see some pictures of the x-bracing you have used on the back of your previous guitars. I've heard a lot of discussion about x-bracing on guitar backs, but have never seen what it looks like or the dimensions of the bracing used.
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I did our Bargey much the same way Allen.
Just eyeballed a few of the bracing patterns that we had and drew it up on some butchers paper.
I have'nt made any perspex templates for any of these yet because I'm not sure what they're going to sound like and the bracing pattern may need some "massaging" before the final placement is determined.
Bob
Just eyeballed a few of the bracing patterns that we had and drew it up on some butchers paper.
I have'nt made any perspex templates for any of these yet because I'm not sure what they're going to sound like and the bracing pattern may need some "massaging" before the final placement is determined.
Bob
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Here's a couple more pictures. The top is glued on today as well, but I'll wait for a picture of that until I get the binding on.
There's a lot less work getting the braces inlet when you don't have to do the lower bout . Great tip that I think Hesh made. Makes a lot of sense too when you're trying to free up the lower bout. That's something that you don't get on any of the plans that I've seen yet.
This is my first attempt at making a neck block like this. Thanks to Colin for posting pictures of his. I'm going to be trying the butt joint heel and using hanger bolts along with the fret board extension. For me this has been the weakest part of my building skills, and Hopefully this will solve some of the problems that I've encountered in getting this part of the build under control.
There's a lot less work getting the braces inlet when you don't have to do the lower bout . Great tip that I think Hesh made. Makes a lot of sense too when you're trying to free up the lower bout. That's something that you don't get on any of the plans that I've seen yet.
This is my first attempt at making a neck block like this. Thanks to Colin for posting pictures of his. I'm going to be trying the butt joint heel and using hanger bolts along with the fret board extension. For me this has been the weakest part of my building skills, and Hopefully this will solve some of the problems that I've encountered in getting this part of the build under control.
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