Thread: #2 Acoustic Build

Nice wood there Steve, Last time on my sides I developed a twist while doing it and had a hard time getting it out while at the same time trying to keep the right shape, doing it while still straight,like you say ,should be not much trouble.
Rob

Some dramatic patterns there. I think the sides are not fully quarter sawn. That might explain the twist rather than your seasoning. Just looking at the end grain it looks to have a bit too much slope. Not saying you won't be able to use it but it would be better if it was uniform across the width and fully on the quarter like the top set.

Looking forward to the build.

regards
Steve

That lumber is outstanding, is that sassafras native to Australia? We've got sassafras here in Ohio but it's pretty dull compared to that. Nice shooting board you made there, makes mine look like, well like somebodies been shooting at it. Gonna be a great looking guitar.

Thanks guys, looks like it shouldn't be a problem with the sides.

The Blackhearted Sassafras is a Tasmanian timber Mike, they've got some nice stuff down that way.

I got the long compass router jig made up for the dishes and it works great. At this stage I've only made up the 15 footer for the back. It took a couple of trial runs but once I'd sorted it out I just increased the depth and routed out the trial runs so as not to waste the dish blank.

Attachment 166543

Total cost for the jig materials from Bunnies was just $24 and $16 for each blank. It also cost me around 3 hours to construct the jig and prepare the blanks, then another hour to route the dish. Not too bad considering LMI sells them for $70 and Stewmac for $95.

The biggest downside now is finding storage for the jig...

Hi Steve ,thats a beauty, did you do it based on the you tube link Martin posted in your other thread?
And its for doing the back and sides not the top and sides?
Or is it for both?
cheers Rob

Originally Posted by auscab

Hi Steve ,thats a beauty, did you do it based on the you tube link Martin posted in your other thread?
And its for doing the back and sides not the top and sides?
Or is it for both?
cheers Rob

G'day Rob.

It is based on the youtube version that Martin posted. It took me a while to comprehend the long compass but I got it figured out in the end. Cutting the dish is definitely an outside job, it was messy.

The 15 foot radius dish is for forming the back and I'll cut another one at somewhere between 25 and 40 foot radius for the soundboard.

Originally Posted by stevemc32

The biggest downside now is finding storage for the jig...

What an ingenious device, I'll let you store it at my place if you like .

regards

Wal

Been slacking off on this one...

Punched out a 25 foot dish for the soundboard and the jig has found a home under the house for now. I'll probably cut two more dishes at the same radii so that I can have one of each with and without sandpaper attached.

If anyone in Sydney wants to borrow the dishing jig just let me know as it wouldn't be difficult to modify it for different routers. A bit too big for postage though so you'd have to be willing to come and grab it.

Getting back onto the build I glued up the soundboard and back halves last night and went about bringing the sides down to final thickness this afternoon with the sander. I don't know much about the BH Sassafrass but it must have oxidised a little as it was looking a bit dull. One pass through the sander and about 30 different colours showed up. The photo definitely does not do it justice.

Attachment 169014

Since I had picked up the Bunya soundboard fairly inexpensively I thought I might as well try a bit of hand tool work for the initial thicknessing. The toothed blade smoother was working quite well but I uncovered three splits in the soundboard close to the centre join. The second photo shows one of the splits opened up a little with a slight bend.

Attachment 169015Attachment 169016

Looks like I'll have to re-cut the glue line and join the board at the opposite edges to ensure the splits are outside of the soundboard area. Its a shame since I wanted to use the darker coloured timber for the majority of the soundboard.

Got to spend an arvo on #2 today. Good to be back in the shed.

The soundboard had been cut and reglued to get the splits on the outside. I finished off thicknessing the soundboard and back using the drum sander. Only took about half an hour after getting them mostly sorted out with the hand tools.

That was all that I had planned for this afternoon but I got a bit excited and decided to bend the sides as well so out came the iron and they are now drying in the molds. There is a little bit of borer / grub damage to one of the sides that will have be repaired but I thought it's probably a job for completion once the final shape has been achieved.

Attachment 171173

I must have really been lacking shed time as once that was complete I decided to move on and get the back bracing ready. These were cut from my stock of Spruce and shaped on the 15 foot radius dish ready for gluing up.

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Now it's time to organise a Go-bar deck for the gluing.

Edit - Thanks Rob (auscab) for a little motivation kick via PM to get it going again!

Coming together slowly but surely, anything worth doing is worth taking forever on lol
Looking good Steve.

Thanks Rattrap.

Visited Bunnings today and collected some gear for the Go-bar deck. It looks to have come up ok. I've just got Tassie Oak dowels to use as the bars but found they did a little bit of damage to the bracing stock on the test run. Shouldn't be too big a drama as the brace shaping should fix it up but I might go looking for some of those little rubber end caps that the fibreglass bars use.

Attachment 171247

Glued up the sides today and will move onto bracing the back next if the humidity sorts itself out soon.

Otherwise I might get a start on the neck. I picked up some Qld Maple for the neck last week and it looks to have some really nice grain pattern.

Attachment 172202

Coming along really nice Steve it will look great when finished.
I don't know if you still have small pin holes in the sides but easy fixed if you have not yet finished sanding, a little fine saw dust and super glue works well.
Another hint but might be too late as you have already bent the sides is you can have the soundhole in the sides instead of the soundboard, there is always more than one way to fix small problems.
Regards, Bob

Originally Posted by stevemc32

Glued up the sides today and will move onto bracing the back next if the humidity sorts itself out soon.

Otherwise I might get a start on the neck. I picked up some Qld Maple for the neck last week and it looks to have some really nice grain pattern.

Attachment 172202

Thanks Bob, I think the saw dust and superglue trick might work quite well on the small holes in the sides.

Unfortunately, I've got bigger problems now...

After trimming up the back on the bandsaw it started to split down the glue line from the top to about half way down.

Attachment 172479

I used Titebond Original but must have made an error during clamping I guess. I've flexed and pushed and pulled it to see how far I can get it to split and it looks to be fairly solid over the remainder of the join. I don't want to push it too far in case the thin timber gives way before the glue.

Any hints on gluing it back together in this state? Not sure how I'm going to get glue right down to the end of the split without making a complete mess.