main X brace on both zouks.....
and maple bridge plate on one....
rosette finished on the pew guitar, and I couldn't resist a quick splach of lacquer...... just to see!!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
lots done today. my back is really playing up at the minute so it was a lot of sitting jobs interspersed with a FEW standy uppy ones......
so rosette on the church pew guitar.....
I used offcuts from the rosewood zouks to make a 6 segment rosette....
cut the angles & glue it to a scrap of MDF
use a rotary cutter to cut the rosewood and the mahogany
route the slot....
and glue them in there.....
still to do is re cut the edges of the rosette and inlay a black & white stripe inside & out..
Also did the linings.....
the back went onto the dread mando......
and I got soundhole patches cut & glued onto both the zouk tops. this is a Lowden idea to support the edges of the soundhole so that there's less risk of it splitting
and the back went onto the second zouk.....
so rosette on the church pew guitar.....
I used offcuts from the rosewood zouks to make a 6 segment rosette....
cut the angles & glue it to a scrap of MDF
use a rotary cutter to cut the rosewood and the mahogany
route the slot....
and glue them in there.....
still to do is re cut the edges of the rosette and inlay a black & white stripe inside & out..
Also did the linings.....
the back went onto the dread mando......
and I got soundhole patches cut & glued onto both the zouk tops. this is a Lowden idea to support the edges of the soundhole so that there's less risk of it splitting
and the back went onto the second zouk.....
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
slight hold up on the second zouk. As I tested the glue join on the back, I just wasn't happy with it, so I split it and re-glued it.
the linings are now complete on the sides ready for the back to go on.
GOOD news is that FINALLY the new table saw in school is fitted, complete and commissioned, so today I got some work done on cutting up the mahogany from the church pew and made a start on the pew guitar, and also cut a load of sitka spruce top brace wood for the zouks. this means that I can start on the bracing for them this week, as well as brace the second back and get it fitted.
as to the pew guitar?
top, back & sides......
cut and thicknessed with the neck blank.......
top & back jointed (they'll need wings)
and sides bent.
the linings are now complete on the sides ready for the back to go on.
GOOD news is that FINALLY the new table saw in school is fitted, complete and commissioned, so today I got some work done on cutting up the mahogany from the church pew and made a start on the pew guitar, and also cut a load of sitka spruce top brace wood for the zouks. this means that I can start on the bracing for them this week, as well as brace the second back and get it fitted.
as to the pew guitar?
top, back & sides......
cut and thicknessed with the neck blank.......
top & back jointed (they'll need wings)
and sides bent.
Friday, February 20, 2009
zouk progress.....
As promised, I'm making a pair of these, the plan being that my beloved client will have the choice of two, and I'll keep the other.....
so, having had a bunch of free time yesterday and today after work, there has been progress.......
the back is on the first one.....
and as the first has vacated the mould, the sides of the second are bent .....
neck and tail blocks fitted and linings started.....
now unfortunately, our circular saw is out of action in school. we had a new one instaslled, but a baboon was incharge so to operate it, the following process is needed.....
1 start the saw
2 leave the saw unattended (running) and walk 75 yards outside to the extractor fan store, unlock the door, start the extractor,
3 lock the store again walk the 75 yards back and find that three pupils have evicerated themselves on the unattended saw in the meantime.....
and if they haven't, if the saw is stopped, for instance to adjust the width of the cut etc, then the extractor stops too. To use technical terms, it's all a bit pants, so HOPEFULLY this will be sorted this coming week and I'll be able to cut the lovely Spruce brace wood for the tops.
in the meantime, I've started on another dread mando!!
I just can't help myself!!
As promised, I'm making a pair of these, the plan being that my beloved client will have the choice of two, and I'll keep the other.....
so, having had a bunch of free time yesterday and today after work, there has been progress.......
the back is on the first one.....
and as the first has vacated the mould, the sides of the second are bent .....
neck and tail blocks fitted and linings started.....
now unfortunately, our circular saw is out of action in school. we had a new one instaslled, but a baboon was incharge so to operate it, the following process is needed.....
1 start the saw
2 leave the saw unattended (running) and walk 75 yards outside to the extractor fan store, unlock the door, start the extractor,
3 lock the store again walk the 75 yards back and find that three pupils have evicerated themselves on the unattended saw in the meantime.....
and if they haven't, if the saw is stopped, for instance to adjust the width of the cut etc, then the extractor stops too. To use technical terms, it's all a bit pants, so HOPEFULLY this will be sorted this coming week and I'll be able to cut the lovely Spruce brace wood for the tops.
in the meantime, I've started on another dread mando!!
I just can't help myself!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
the zouks are under way!!
today was a parent interview day in school so I had gaps between interviews to get a lot of little jobs done.
2 tops & backs joined:
plane the mating edges parallel on a shooting board...
tent & tape...
glue
flatten it out, wipe off the squeeze out
then tape the other side
two tops...
two backs
the sides were planed done to 2.5 mm, I made a set of body moulds from some blockboard using the template I made last week with the data projector.....
and I got two sides bent.
these can stay overnight to cool, dry out and get used to thier new shape.
I cant bend the other sides until this box is closed up and the mould is available again.......
today was a parent interview day in school so I had gaps between interviews to get a lot of little jobs done.
2 tops & backs joined:
plane the mating edges parallel on a shooting board...
tent & tape...
glue
flatten it out, wipe off the squeeze out
then tape the other side
two tops...
two backs
the sides were planed done to 2.5 mm, I made a set of body moulds from some blockboard using the template I made last week with the data projector.....
and I got two sides bent.
these can stay overnight to cool, dry out and get used to thier new shape.
I cant bend the other sides until this box is closed up and the mould is available again.......
Friday, February 13, 2009
I'm heartbroken.
not for me, but for Lee who commissioned Mando #42
he's just heard from his doctor that due to problems with his elbows he MUST stop playing strummed instruments, so he has to clear out his guitars, and he's asked to withdraw from the deal on buying this mando.
I don't care on a financial level as I'll easily be able to shift it as it's a good looking instrument, but I really feel for him as he worked through this build with me, checking details, making suggestions, and going loopy with praise every time I posted pics on the blog.
He LOVED this thing, even though he hasn't laid a finger on it.
My prayers are with you Lee, I hope you get a good price for your gear, And I pray that the next time you visit the Doc he'll be amazed at your recovery and tell you you can buy all your gear back!!
God Bless you mate, I'd be gutted if I was told to clear out for medical reasons.....
not for me, but for Lee who commissioned Mando #42
he's just heard from his doctor that due to problems with his elbows he MUST stop playing strummed instruments, so he has to clear out his guitars, and he's asked to withdraw from the deal on buying this mando.
I don't care on a financial level as I'll easily be able to shift it as it's a good looking instrument, but I really feel for him as he worked through this build with me, checking details, making suggestions, and going loopy with praise every time I posted pics on the blog.
He LOVED this thing, even though he hasn't laid a finger on it.
My prayers are with you Lee, I hope you get a good price for your gear, And I pray that the next time you visit the Doc he'll be amazed at your recovery and tell you you can buy all your gear back!!
God Bless you mate, I'd be gutted if I was told to clear out for medical reasons.....
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Yay!!
the postman came with a BIG parcel......
never saw the guy trying to get it up my drive, but it weighed a TON!!!
inside, a few sets of EI Rosewood for bouzoukis.....
some spruce tops for same.......
some ebony and EI Rosewood fretboard blanks for fanned fret instruments down the line......
as well as some mahogany back & side sets and a heap of spruce bracing stock, some of which looks clear enough of knots to maybe be useful for a carved mando top..... time will tell!! (no pics of those as the camera ran out of batteries.......)
and NO, I WON'T be telling my lovely (and generally very understanding) wife how much this little lot cost!!
hopefully I'll get the backs & tops joined and the mould for the bouzoukis sorted next week when I'm back at work.
here we go again!!
the postman came with a BIG parcel......
never saw the guy trying to get it up my drive, but it weighed a TON!!!
inside, a few sets of EI Rosewood for bouzoukis.....
some spruce tops for same.......
some ebony and EI Rosewood fretboard blanks for fanned fret instruments down the line......
as well as some mahogany back & side sets and a heap of spruce bracing stock, some of which looks clear enough of knots to maybe be useful for a carved mando top..... time will tell!! (no pics of those as the camera ran out of batteries.......)
and NO, I WON'T be telling my lovely (and generally very understanding) wife how much this little lot cost!!
hopefully I'll get the backs & tops joined and the mould for the bouzoukis sorted next week when I'm back at work.
here we go again!!
Friday, February 06, 2009
#42 is now done.....
here's a sound sample
this'll be off in the post after the weekend.
and I'm off school for a week for half term. yay!! after the break it's all go an a pair of guitar bodied zouks, an all mahogany guitar made from a church pew, and I want to build one for myself. Fanned frets, sound port and maybe even an arm rest bevel......
here's a sound sample
this'll be off in the post after the weekend.
and I'm off school for a week for half term. yay!! after the break it's all go an a pair of guitar bodied zouks, an all mahogany guitar made from a church pew, and I want to build one for myself. Fanned frets, sound port and maybe even an arm rest bevel......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)