Official Luthiers Forum!

I tell ya' all my life I've learned everything the hard way.
(Sounds like a Rodney Dangerfield opening line).

Everything was going so well on #4 I suppose something had to go wrong
so I can continue to grow. )I think it was Cumpiano who said you cannot
be a master until you have made all the mistakes).

To make a short story long...
I was routing for my end graft when the bit came loose, unbeknownst to
me until it was WAY too late.

I sit here embarrassed even bringing this to the attention of you all but
I'm hoping there's some saving grace here. Peter was kind enough to pass
along a tip that he NEVER routes for the endgraft while the top and backs
are on, and from now on I will approach it this way.

Here's what I know for sure:
Back thickness: .095
Side thickness .095
Kerfing .220
Depth of endgraft gone awry .320
Width of endgraft top: 1.63
"        "     "    &nbs p;   back: .63
Binding width .09

What I've done so far to correct: Cut 2 pieces of mahogany to fill the
overcut and installed my endgraft. I also cut a matching piece of spruce
and the anigre for the back and pieced them in. So, structurally we are
back to where it should be. Aesthetically, I have very few ideas on how to
hide the grafted pieces on the top and the back.

Peter suggested perhaps a vine inlay that just kisses the top and back and
comes down the end graft...just enough to hide the seam.
I was originally thinking of just doing an extra wide purfling but then
again, there's not a bearing made for my cutter that would give me the
width I would need to be a ble to hide the seam and honestly, I think it
may look funny to have that much purf on the top.
I know I could just cut off the top and back and start over, but I'd like to
see if I could salvage this somehow without it looking too contrived.

If need be, I can post a pic later tonight of how it sits as -is.

I am really looking forward to hear any ideas you may have.

_________________
Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

In that situation I would probably make a feature of it and use a piece of the end graft material on the top and back as well, bit like a wrap-around end graft, rather than trying to graft and match the grain etc on the spruce and anigre.

By the way I never rout my end grafts, always score with a craft knife and steel rule then chisel out. By the time you've set up a router, you've finished with the chisel. It's just one job that I think a router is overkill. In your case almost literally .

Colin

_________________
I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Sorry for the problem. I will let you decide on the fix.

I will give some personal advice. If you are going to rout make sure all is well with the router first. But you now know this. Right?

Here is a tip, I inlay my endgrafts by routing off the material to be removed. But the first thing I do is to Score the perimeter all the way to the butt block with a Zona saw using a straightedge as a guide. I do this while the rim is open, ie. before the back or top goes on. I then rout just shallow to full depth but not quite to the edge boundaries. This prevents any pullout by the router. Once the majarity of the material to be removed is routed out is gone I then clean up the rest with a sharp chisel. This leaves a nice square and clean edge for the inlay to fit. My end grafts are triangular in shape. I make them 1/4" longer than needed at both the top and bottom ends (extending the desired angle of the triangel longer both ways)and glue any purflings to the endgraft before inlaying. This allows me to tap the wedge in to place for a dead tight fit.

I use the 6" rule and craft knife too. If you use some double sided tape to stick some 220 grit on one side of the rule it'll stop it moving while you score with the knife.

Make it look like it was done on purpose. I'm thinking some kind of inlay, or a .250" wide purfling. I made one guitar with a pretty wide flamed maple purfling.

If you used herringbone purfling from LMI that is 5/32" (.156") wide, you'd need to create something about .100" wide to go under or over the herringbone.


You probably remember this one with the wide maple purfling.   
No, it was not because I did what you did!
Yes, I am perfectly capable of that kind of mistake.    

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Chris,
like I told you before....bind as normally and then do a nice floral inlay creeping up the side through the top.

_________________
Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Love the dove inlay SteveS !

Chris, I like the idea of wrapping the end plate around onto the top for a short way just to make it look like you did it on purpose.Call it "artistic flare" and go for it ! Of course Peter's idea of covering it up with some sort of vine makes sense too. Just what ever you do make it look like you did it on purpose!

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H