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While waiting for Cyclone Oswald to go on it's merry way, and having seen the work the rest of you are doing, I decided I didn't like my first rosette for the tenor. So, Routered it off and did it over. Still need to cut it out, but I like this one better.

I'm slowing down, and decided to stop trying to keep up with you lot. I've got til October, after all.......

anyway, new rosette....

Looking good mate, I like the look of the centre strip on the soundboard, I don't recall seeing that anywhere.

Col

I don't either. There is probably a very good and equally obvious reason for NOT doing this, but I'm buggered if I could think of one, so I thought I'd giver her a whirl.

Likely, the reason will rear it's ugly head soon enough, but the look is, I think, going to be pretty cool, once all the purfling is tied in round the top, back and sides.....

Haven't had too much free time lately, but I did finish my drum sander. I sourced all the bits a year ago, and they've just been sitting there. So, rather thatn using my usual method(hand-held belt sander) I thought I might as well finish this.

Don't know why I didn't do it sooner. The bit of timber is something I found under the house, and may use for the fingerboard on the tenor

On the cent strip on top, one question might be how the bridge will look on top. I wonder if running the strip around the bridge would tie it together similar to the rosette.

I've got two ideas, and will mock them up when I get that far. Either run a strip up and over the bridge, as I plan to have the same up the centre of the fretboard, or, rout out a rebate and run it around the base of the bridge like a purfling between the top and the bridge, which would have the most visual impact from the side or on angle.....

We'll see

I did take a couple hours this morning before coming to work to try out the sander. Top, back and sides for the Sassafras OM done within .2mm and two blackwood plates and a blackwood headplate for something else. All done to 80 grit. 120 to go on tomorrow and final thicknessing...easy.

Randy,
Upon further review, the plan has changed. I forgot that this guitar has a floating bridge, and a tailpiece. So, I've decided to provide a "tunnel" via a carefully placed hole, offset enough to allow the strip to be visible. Job done.

Had a bit of rain, so I can't finish the wife's windows this morning before work, so I resolved a problem I encountered. There was a small borer tunnel passing perpendcular to the top in the upper bout of the sides. I reinforced the inside with CA, and gave it a quick sand, and sanded straight thru. So, what to do?

It's in a position to accommodate a soundport, but i don't want one. I have to remove the side material, or it'll crack/break thru on finishing......

So, here's what I did. I cut out a shape drawn freehand. An asymmetrical 4-point star. This follows a trend from the first one I built, which also has a star on the back of the headstock to cover up an ugly glue joint(see the 1+ers build thread). Then I chose a bit of tiger myrtle that has some nice markings and made a reinforcing plate, carefully exposing a nice bit of timber, and glued the sucker in using a couple clapming blocks I made. Let it out, and cleaned up a bit of glue, took the pix, then stuck it back in the mold to clamp overnight.....

Here it is....needs a bit of final cleaning and shaping when I get back to it....Now off to work. Bloody restaurant....

Currntly gluing up the headstock veneers on the tenor, so I thought I'd suss out the bracing for the top. The plans call for a simple ladder, which I'll use, but I plan to add a couple A-braces around the soundhole into the neck block to support the fretboard extension. I don't think it's needed on this guitar, but plan to incorporate that idea into future "regular" guitars, including the Sassafras OM...

I'll taper them to almost nothing at the second brace for this one, but interlock with the first. There's also a fourth brace, which I'll cut off the top for the OM.

Next, I started thinking about the rosette for the OM. It's to be a wedding gift for my wife's cousin's fiancee(sheesh). Her favourite colour is turquoise. Now, despite searching all over, I haven't turned up any timber of that colour. My wife donated a cheap-o turquoise bead necklace, and I'm shamelessly stealing an idea I saw somewhere. I can't remember, or I'd give credit where credit is due, but, it's a sort of scattershot rosette using the turquoise beads instead......

Opinions?

I really dig it, it would look awesome if the turquoise bits were inlaid into some rosewood or mac. Ebony.
Looks good regardless, just my .02

Great job!

I'm staying away from dark colours on this one, but might see what's left from the back and sides to do a ring of sassafras with BWB borders, or just a couple BWB rings to "frame it, though I was thinking of a less structured look.....

Hmmmm....putting them together is easy. Putting them together with a good asthetic is somewhat more problematic.....

I like the way that rosette runs down the center line, very cool looking. And yeah that back wood is crazy beautiful.

Thanks Jeff.

Thanks in large part to 40+ consecutive days of steady rain(I am on the very edge of the tropics) not much has happened, tho I have been working on the necks.....

Bookmatched headplates, and the tenor is shaped, the Om has a little bit of fine tuning to go...Cheers,
Nick

I think, in the spirit of the competition, I need to resign from the challenge.

Due in most part to 6 weeks of rain, and the need for my de-humidifier to be used in our Holiday Rental, I finished my third guitar. Just finished setting it up this morning.

This one, started some time ago, was at body and neck roughed state when I joined the competition, but I was getting bored, and was about as far as I could get, AND it's meant to keep raining here for the foreseeable future.....

So, have at it boys....and good luck to all.

This one is Bearclaw Sitka, NZ Heart Rimu back/sides/neck, jarrah headplate/rosette(burl), bridge and fingerboard. Lacewood binding on body/fingerboard. Grover tuners with Ziricote buttons and black buffalo horn nut and saddle. Ebony pins. TruOil finish-no polishing....

Hope you all like....I'll keep watching your submissions....

Good looking guitar, but go ahead and finish your challenge build...... We have till October, let the mods sort it out.

I'm with clinchriver. Looks great but I don't see a reason to drop out. You had to have built 2 or less at the beginning of the competition. Not the end. To me you still qualify.

Let's see what the powers that be say, and I'll abide by the decision.....

Still gonna keep on with the others regardless.....

Thanks for the comments. I like the satiny finish with the TruOil alot, and it's easy as to use. Feels nice too....

I hope you stay in the challenge, Nick. I don't think you should drop out because of some crap weather!

Alex

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Cheers, Alex.

I'm still in, but have been a bit busy lately, so little to show. Hope to have a chance to do a bit of work this weekend.....

Nick I Laud your Honesty .... THAT is EXACTLY what the spirit of the competition is all about

You have made it known to everyone the situation , go ahead and finish your challenge build. Let the vote decide. People can choose to vote or not vote for your build based on the facts . Personally I see no reason why you should back off now.

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I haven't been active on the guitars lately, but decided that I need to create some order in the chaos in which I usually work. So, given that most of the damage I do is under the house, i decided to make a decent work bench insterad of throwing a slab of something over a couple sawhorses.

So, having been a builder for many years, I picked thru the piles of reclaimed timbers I have stashed away, and made a work bench from all-reclaimed timber, bar the plywood top, which cost $41.

I.ve made an access panel which turns that section into a router table. I like plywood, as I tend to make temporary jigs and forms by screwing into the bench top. If it gets too crappy, I cam simply unscrew the top and replace it....

Anyway, I've got a fair bit of work to organise the rest of the space, but it's a start...

And go bar deck?

No humidity control down there, it's literally a house on 6 foot piers. Gravel floor, etc.... My Go-Bar deck is in the little room I use upstairs. I have a dry box into which I'm incorporating the go-bar deck, with access similar to a neonate's incubator, and will do the RH sensitive stuff in there when necessary....

Not too much of a worry as I leave the box out once closed. many guys I know do that, as the box is going to face the environment eventually, so why not make sure it can take it now....?

I know there are plenty of builders who won't do any part of the build unless at 45%, but that isn't the environment hte guitar is going to live in, is it?

Time will tell on mine, I suppose

Managed to squeeze in a bit of guitar work the past few days, and ended up bending the sides for the OM, without a cutaway, as my wife made a face about that idea. I tried very hard to get a good match up on the tail of the body, as I want to forego the tailflash as often as possible, so a couple pix with the sassafras sides bent, profiled, neck and tail blocks and lining all done. One shot of the tail. I'll give it a light sand to see how it comes up, but I like it so far....

Nice, Nick! I saw that mold construction method in the Kinkead book and I really like it. Planning on making a few of them this week. How is the QM guitar coming?

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Hey Casey, yeah, I kinda like the semi-hollow mold. I can't imagine how much Doug's weighs with 5 1/2 inches of MDF.....

The Tenor hasn't had much action, tho I did cut out the soundhole, but the photo is on the other computer. Tomorrow, I'll put it up.

Been frustrated by high RH. Like 80-85%. I know, it's nothing compared to NYC summer(where I grew up) Gonna load up the poor man's dry room soon, and close the box on one of these.

Just had a guy I know come in and ask if I'd cut a new nut, fret level and dress, and set up his new(to him) JetKing, so I want to get my stuff in the box first. 4-5 days, and I'll be sweet. Tenor first, I reckon....