The Luthier Community

Yeah, that would be a good use of the workable fixative. Helps to give the label a bit more body as well..... to tell the truth, I'm not sure what I last used it for, it's left over from my artist days, fixing drawings, pencil and charcoal....

But hey, the most important thing is to see you're hip to the most valuable point of these build threads...... prowling other's shops to glean the subtle clues as to how they really do things!

"what's he doing in there?" ........ Tom Waits

'We have a right to know'

You bet we do Dave!

Okay, I've managed to get back in the shop a bit, been digging up gravel with my tractor and getting my road back in shape so I don't tear out the bottom of my Honda........





Got the braces on the top carved and tapping good. I tell you though, I'm finding this thermo-wood to be pretty dang brittle stuff. In carving one of the braces I wasn't being careful enough in keeping it all well supported and had the end of a brace pop up from the back. Now the glue didn't let go, the glue held but the top kind of split or sheared, thickness wise, not a crack along the grain. I was able to work some glue into it and glue it back in the go-bar deck.

Now this top is braced to a 12' radius and I've always just carved them on flat carpeted surface and never had any problems, but with this stuff I see I need to work on my radius board so everything is better supported.




Working my back braces with the block plane.






And how's that for action shots?




And back braces all carved. You'll notice that I am working the braces with the back clamped into my radius dish giving me better support and no problems.




And there they are ready to glue to the rims.

I also ran into that splintering problem when I was chiseling the slots for the back braces from the back cross-grain seam support. Usually I cut on each side for the brace and then can just pop out the piece in between pretty easily. This stuff the glue, Elmer's carpenters glue, holds and the back wood wants to pop up instead. Separating, so I had to be very careful chiseling it out.

Thinking about the brittleness of the cooked wood makes me think tucking the ends of your braces is probably a good idea. I usually just fade mine out to nothing before they hit the kerfing, letting the top move a little more. Others tuck their brace ends to give more protection from a brace end peeling away from the top in case it gets a blow. With this stuff the glue won't peel away, but sure looks like the top might.

I don't know, just looking down the line........

Beautiful bracing, Joe!

E

How are you coming along on this one, Joe?

Thanks Eben!

I've got the box all closed up and I'm pleased with it as a wooden drum. Taps good, very lively, and that's always a good indication to me that a guitar worth playing is on the way. We'll see.......

Just haven't been in the shop lately. As my dad would say, I've been stirring crap....... trying to sort, organize and dispose of a lifetimes worth of accumulation. Never any fun...... but sure needs to be done! Also trying to get up the winters wood supply. It's always something.......

You still just drummin' on that box, brother? Or have you done some more on this guitar?

By the way, I got back the thermally modified wavy flatsawn Birch sides back from Grant. So, there are enough slices for you and I to build a parlor guitar with it. You were the first person I thought of. It's figured, but (typical with Birch) in wide waves rather than tight curls, and the boards were mostly flatsawn. Old timey Birch. It would have given C.F. Martin an erection. As I mentioned to you on the phone, I'd love to send you a set. Are you ready for it?

Hey, it's supposed to be -9°F here tonight, but up to 38°F by Friday! Just about warm enough to hang a hammock...

Okay Dennis, see the power of guilt.......... it's not much but I did go into the shop today and installed the end-graft......





Ivoroid bordered with the same purfling I used in the rosette. Some material I made up some years back, can't remember what the wood is.......

Anyway, it's a start....... when I get the binding done I'll take some pics of the box.

And yes, I'd love the curly birch, except I feel guilty about bringing more wood into the shop as slow as I've been about building.