Saturday, February 15, 2014

Top

I got the Sitka Spruce book matched halves from LMII 2 weeks ago



but its been too cold do any work in  the garage.  We finally have some nice weather so I was able to get the two halves jointed and glued together.  The joint isn't as transparent as I would like it to be, but I think its solid.  When I held the two halves up to a light (prior to gluing), I didn't see any light coming through the joint, so it should be fine.


Next step is to start the rosette

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Headstock Inlay

I got the headstock inlay in tonight.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I chiseled out the hole for the inlay and then used superglue to glue the 1/32 inch thick piece of maple into the channel.  I then used some sawdust from a piece of walnut (because its a dark wood) to fill in the gaps.  Lesson learned for next time is to use sawdust from the same type of wood.  You can tell that the center triangle in the A and around the edges are a slightly different color.  From a distance of more than a few inches you wouldn't be able to tell though.  And especially after its sanded down and with the finish applied, I think it will look good.


Solera

I made the Solera (the Spanish term for the workboard that a guitar is built upon) this weekend.  I'm following Roy Courtnall's model from his book "Making Masters Guitars".  The slots and holes are for spool clamps and right-angle blocks that are used for attaching the sides and then ultimately the back.  This solera is flat.  Classical guitars typically have the lower bout dished out which creates a dome on the top of the guitar.  According to Augustine Escobar (Schertz, TX), bajo sexto's usually have a flat top.  From a structural standpoint, it seems to make more sense to put some arch on the top, but it also complicates the neck geometry.  I'm going to make this one flat, and then use another method for my next instrument (either a radius dish or a dished solera).

Additionally, I ordered some Sitka Spruce a few days ago for the top which should get here in a few days.