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Nice. I like solid linings and will probably use them on mine too.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I wanted a sound port and I really wanted to bid it with maple/jatoba/maple like the side purflings. I've never bound a sound port before so I guess this is more "something new". I couldn't really figure out how to do it (I still may being the dark there) but I came up with a plan. I decided to do a round port hoping it would be easier than an oval. I used a 1 3/8" hole saw to cut the port itself. I made a matched caul and riser for the inside to prevent chip out and to raise it up so the rim would fit around the drill press table.

I made the caul with thermo plastic thinking it would match the inside curve and side reinforcement perfectly.

That worked really well but I didn't think about the heat from the saw softening the thermoplastic.

The plug melted into the caul and it took a while to clean off the saw, but at least the hole came out nice and clean.


I cut a matching hole in some scrap and lined it with tape to build the binding plug in. I had a hard time bending and scarfing the rings but even worse was figuring out how to clamp them while the glue dried. I needed more clamping force than tape could provide and the hole was too small for clamps. I cut open some plastic conduit and cut some grooves to weaken it a bit. Once it was inside the ring, I planed a small taper on a down and hammered it inside the conduit. I have no idea if this worked or not. Tomorrow, I'll take it out and clean up the edge to see what I have. Then I have to hope it fits in the actual hole. . .


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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Nothing to report. I haven't even seen the inside of the shoppe in that last 2 weeks

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Still no progress but I did get in the shoppe once this weekend. I was half done with rearranging/reorganizing my Ye Olde Workshoppe when this project came along. I tried to work through the half completed mess but I just can't do it. I need to get stuff put in a semi-permanent space so I can have my horizontal work surfaces back. This weekend I picked up a couple craigslist drawer cabinets which is the last thing I needed to procure for the rearranging project. Now it is a matter of deciding where to put all the stuff, getting it put away and moving out all the bulky storage stuff I am no longer using. Then a good cleaning and I'll be back in business. I hope.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

"A place for everything/everything in it's place" doesn't apply when everything is on your work bench! Giving the shop a good tidy up is the best way to make your shop time more productive.
Drawer cabinets are a great way to unclutter, too. I have a couple of old dressers that hold a bunch of odds and ends, with my chop saw on top of one of them. Looking forward to seeing your progress, Bryan!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I bet it'll be a real pleasure to work in when you're done. I'm in the beginning stages of a shop remodel myself. Once I get well underway work will have to wait until the remodel is done.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

It is a good thing you all talked me into a long deadline. My better half asked me to re caulk the shower in out master bedroom. I decided it would be best to dissemble the doors and trim and such, get it really clean then put it all back together and seal it all up nice and neat. Well sometimes simple home improvements find hidden surprises or fall victim to the "while you are doing that, you might as well. . .". Long story short, the bathroom is mostly gutted and I am waiting for a decision on what floors will be going in (hidden surprise) and if the flooring in the bedroom will be pulled to match whatever goes in the bathroom and if we need a new sink (while you are doing that. . .). While we were looking at flooring options, we also got paint samples for the rest of the house and looked at recessed ceiling lighting for the family room.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Ha - when that happens you know you have truly fallen into the pit of home renovation. It could take months to climb out.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Well there's a story I've heard before. Not that something like than could ever happen to me. Said no man!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Well after 8 weeks of absolutely no work on this project, I finally got a few hours in the shoppe. I was so excited, I forgot to take pictures so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I got the plates to final thickness, braced the back and prepped the braces for the top. I don't want to brace the top until I know I will be able to get it all done and closed up in a reasonable amount of time.

I started to prep a neck blank. I had intended to use this old hunk of cherry that was bolted to my tablesaw when i got it off craigslist years ago. I pulled it out and it was not as large nor clear as I remembered it being. It also wasn't cherry at all. It had darkened to a light cherryish color (that must have been why I remembered it being cherry) it is really a hunk of maple. Since the box will be cherry with maple bindings I decided to laminate a neck blank out of it anyway. I have recently seen a few guitars with maple neck and darker bodies and have been meaning to try that someday anyway. I know the Cherry isn't going to be that much darker but it could look cool. The dimensions and grain orientation the of clear section are not quite right to make a neck blank with either of the methods I prefer. But I have also been kicking around the idea of a laminated neck shaft and a horizontal contrasting laminate between the shaft and the heel, such that the contrasting laminate gets carved into the curved part of the heel transition. So I guess in keeping with the theme, that's what I'll be doing.

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures soon.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Being that my guitars all have black soundboards, I almost always go with light colored necks. I think that is a good contrast.


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Glad you're back at it but we'll need photos soon for proof

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Not much progress but I did make it in there to snap a few photos.

The back is braces and just need some clean up (the rim too). I'm not 100% pleased with the sound port. I used 3 layers maple/jatoba/ maple just like the binding. After it was flushed up to the inside of the rim, I added a veneer of jatoba and maple. Then I cut out the circle in the veneers. The idea was to have the side purfling theme on both edges of the sound port binding. I think the idea was sound but my execution leaves something to be desired.



I'm on to bracing the top. I clamp down the x brace with no glue so I can fit and glue all the other braces. After they are all glued and carved I glue in the x braces. Hopefully next weekend I can have the braces on and be ready to close the box.



Edit: I thought this pic shows the sound port but I see now it didn't show up well.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Hey Bryan, glad to see you're making progress!

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Bryan, the top and back plates look dead flat as the braces are glued down. Is there a radius that the camera missed?

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Got on the computer and now I can see the sound port. I think it should look good under finish. Just a thought, you might consider beveling the edge of the port a bit. That would increase the width of the Jatoba line but maybe not too much. I bevel the edges on mine and it seems to help make them a bit more organic looking but I don't have a purfling line like yours does.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I use the same radius for the top and back. I don't actually know what it is anymore. It is the same radius as described by the offset spline method in Cumpiano's book (the one recommended for the SS top radius). I no longer have any recollection of what it measures. I use this for the top and back even though (probably) most use a tighter radius for the back. The back is domed to that radius but tapered from the waistish area to the heel block so that dome changes. The perpendicular braces keep the radius but north of the waist, the back also bends toward the heel.

As for the top. . . the UTB is nearly flat. I use a plane and take some strokes of differing length off each end to end up with a very shallow curve (much shallower that the top dish) towards the rim but the center is basically flat. I glue that down in the go bar deck first on a flat surface and let the braces spring back slightly once un-clamped. That is why the UTB is already glued. I have to do that first. The rest of the braces are matched to the dome. I clamp the x down into the dish to push the top plate down into shape while I am gluing the other braces.

You'll notice on the pic of the rim that the top surface has already been roughly notched for the UTB. If you look carefully, you'll notice the notches define a path right past the heel block. I am trying something new and the heel block and UTB will be butte right up against on another. I don't know if this is a good idea or not but that and the hefty heel block should make for a rock solid support under the fretboard extension.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Thanks Steve, that's a good idea. My only real worry about the port binding is that it is hard to flush up the inside purfling and make it clean and crisp. Beveling might just solve that problem. It will look much nicer than it does now once the sides are blocked and everything is level and even.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Looking good Bryan.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

A Tony sighting! Holy cow, how've been!?!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Pretty good. I've been lurking a bit but finally logged in.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

I got an extra day off this weekend and I am hoping to turn part of it into some real shop time. I'm in a good position to get the top braced and carved and get the box closed so that will be my goal for the holiday weekend. If I'm feeling really efficient, I might get the box trimmed and blocked so I can think about binding. . . that might be a pipe dream

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Hope you make some progress. I'm hoping to get back to my size 5 as well; I need to fit the neck joint then I can finish carving the neck.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

The bracing is in and carved down to my best guess since I've never done a parlor and this is a new design. I just need to clean it up before it gets glued on. The back is on. I was hoping to close the box tonight but it looks like that isn't going to happen tonight.

It finally feels like something has been accomplished even though I am probably only 20% done. At least it is starting to look like a guitar. . .


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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Looks good Bryan. I haven't been in the shop yet this weekend. Good thing we've got plenty of time

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"