Thread: Recycled/scrounged wood guitar as first build

Not exactly the set up I use (wedges on my jig go along tops of the top battens) but looks like youve achieved a result so no big deal. Good work mate!

Cheers Martin

Martin

Thanks Mate!

Yeah I'm quite pleased so far. I have some more finish sanding to do- its not very even...

But hey -see how I go.

I did find the method worked very easily, thanks for the idea.


The wedges are my own SUPERQUIK WEDGE (TM) design



Cheers


Matt

A few weekends ago I went to Matthews Timber in Vermont for a look, and ended up buying a piece of mahogany.

I cut a peice out of it for a neck, and let it rest for about 6 weeks so far. I spent a couple hours today starting the guitar neck. Its a 15 degree angle scarf joint, its really hard without a table saw and jig for the angle! I used a small pull saw.



















I also finished the Lazy Kate i made a week or 2 back- Its a chunk off the piece of mahogany.

That lazy kete came up real nice mate good colour nice and smooth looks good.

ya had any luck with the back and sides yet? good to see the neck coming together!

Hi tbkmagic


Thanks for the comments, I spent a few hours sanding that block of mahogany

Its come up pretty well, the finish is a number of wiped-on coats of shellac, with some sanding up to 320 grit in between each coat.

I have just got back from the wool show in Bendigo this weekend, my partner now has a lot of wool for spinning- the lazy kate should get a workout!


I haven't found a bit of wood for the back/sides yet, but I bought a peice of Tassie blackwood that should work. Will post pics soon.


I also made a side bending tool last weekend, out of a 3" stainless steel exhaust pipe scrounged from the local Midas muffler shop. ( helps if you just spent a mozza there!)

Heres some pics-






It doesn't really work, as the pipe wall is too thin, about 1.5mm , to conduct the heat. I had to heat it up, reverse it, and bend on the hot end. Its only warm otherwise.

I have since bought a peice of 60mm OD stainless steel pipe with 5mm thick walls. Haven't built it yet tho.



Cheers

Matt

Hi Matt
Looks like you are doing a great job so far. I haven't heard any good reports about the liquid hide glue and a few bad ones, so I wouldn't risk it. Everything I've heard and read suggests that fish glue is a good option for guitar making, as strong as hide glue and dries hard so no vibration dampening as with pva. It also avoids the need to melt it then rush to get the joint together as with hot hide glue. sounds like a good all round option to me.

Milburn guitars have a great tutorial on french polishing on their website. The method they use is a very traditional one, but you can use the basics of making a muneca (rubbing pad) and and loading it with a little oil and shellac, as a starting point to getting a nice rubbed on finish. http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html

Cheers
James

Originally Posted by Slashbot_427

I waxed the cross peices where the glue jopint crosses, but at the last minute I added some silicon baking paper as well. Didn't have any sticking!

Slashbot, I missed this comment in earlier post. Silicon is a guitar builders worst enemy....if theres any silicon on a surface then a finish is highly unlikely to adhere to same. I recently had a french polish finish fail on the back of a classical and the root cause was tracked down to the silicone release agent residue on a non slip rubber mat the guitar had been resting on during construction.

For future top glueups just use the normal supermarket grade wax paper...it works fine. If you've rubbed a candle over the bottom of the cross bars then that by itself should be sufficient.

Cheers Martin

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Slashbot, I missed this comment in earlier post. Silicon is a guitar builders worst enemy....if theres any silicon on a surface then a finish is highly unlikely to adhere to same. I recently had a french polish finish fail on the back of a classical and the root cause was tracked down to the silicone release agent residue on a non slip rubber mat the guitar had been resting on during construction.

For future top glueups just use the normal supermarket grade wax paper...it works fine. If you've rubbed a candle over the bottom of the cross bars then that by itself should be sufficient.

Cheers Martin

I agree. Wax is the way to go.

I just checked the baking paper, it doesn't say on the box if its silicone or not. It doesnt look like the greased paper tho, so it could be silicone.



Hopefully it hasn't come off on the wood. I waxed the battens pretty well so I'll stick to that (pun not intended ) in future.

Thanks FeralFelix, the tutorial is very good, I plan on doing a french polish, so Im practising here an there on offcuts of the wood I'm using as I build. Hopfully by the time I need to put a finish on it I'll have some Idea.

Also re the fish glue, theres some available from Aust luthiers suppliers up in Mount Tamborine in QLD. I nearly bought some a month back, but wasn't sure. I think I'll get some and try it out.


Cheers

Matt

Bump..

I am still plugging away at this git, so over the xmas holidays I should have some progress to show.

I hope everyone here on the forums had a great Christmas and New year.

I have been working on a couple of areas of my guitar over the holidays. Getting close to finishing some

of them too!


I have been working on the rosette, thicknessing the top, back and sides, getting the hot pipe bender to

work, practicing splitting stock for the brace material, building a dovetail neck joint jig and ordering

the correct router bit, testing hot hide glue with my new Brazilian wax pot, reading my Cumpiano christamas present, drinking christmas cheer,routing the truss rod slot in the neck, and visiting

relos.

The guitar is shaping up to have

Cedar top
Sitka Spruce Top Bracing
Mahogany Back Bracing?
Mahogany Linings/kerfings
Rosewood premade bridge
Jarrah Fretboard
Tasmanian Blackwood back and sides
Mahogany neck
Mahogany Bindings, end graft, and back stripe.
Gold Gotoh tuners



Here are some pics..

Back Plate = Tassie Blackwood. Mahogany back stripe. Wings added as insurance as plans are 381mm, and backplate is 380mm wide at the lower bout.




Cedar top. Top is 4 mm thick here, not too sure how thin it should go for a steel string. 3mm?



Routing the Truss rod slot for a Martin style truss rod.



Template from Tassie black wood for the Rosette binding rings. Rings are also blackwood, bent on hot pipe thingy.



Copper hot pipe thingy.



Rossette pie made from Mahogany and Jarrah wedges, and Blackwood strips.



Rosette binding strips.




More to come..

fix those picture links!

Oww jeepers


That was quick Andy

Hows it going?



Yeah I missed some of the markup stuff some where...

im pretty good man,

how are you?

have a good xmas?