| Blog series by Craftsman on the lake | updated 12-26-2020 07:28 PM | 15 parts | 13329 reads | 48 comments total |
Part 1: Taking Inventory
Long, long ago I used to make guitars. Forty years later I’m thinking, can I still to it? I break out the stuff I put into storage in my early twenties and see what I still have to work with getting ready for a winter pandemic, “one more guitar”, build.This video is the story of how I got here and my ‘guitar stuff’ from the late 70’s getting ready to build One More Guitar. Wish me luck. It’s been a long time..
Part 2: Prepping and gluing up the top, and a bit of nostalgia
Today I used a couple of hours to joint the sitka spruce guitar top and glue it up in a simple jig. I also break out two books that I’ve had for a very, very long time on making a guitar. In one book I find a catalog for guitar wood that I had used to order the wood I am currently using… from 1976. This is a short video just a bit of progress. No rush. It’s going to be a long, pandemic, winter.
Part 3: Gluing up the neck and back plates, prepping the mold
The past couple of days I glued up the neck, glued the rosewood back plates, and prepped an old mold I had from long, long ago in a size and style I liked so I decided to use it again. The video Here.
Part 4: Prepping the top, back, and rosette
The past couple of days I prepared the top, and back and began making the soundhole rosette. Making a guitar is sort of like building a machine. But in this case you don’t buy the parts and assemble them. You make the parts first, then when all the pieces are made you can assemble them. I’m at the point where a number of parts are in the process of being made together on a rotating basis. You can see the short video here or click the graphic below.
Part 5: The rosette: made and inlaid in the guitar top
The past couple of days I fashioned a sound hole rosette and inlayed it into the top. A short Video of it here, or click the picture
Part 6: Bending the sides
The past couple of days I managed to bend the sides and fit them to the mold. The end blocks were made and the kerf put in the top side. I’m making ‘one more guitar’ after a 40 year hiatus. Last one I made was in the late 70’s. A pandemic project! A short video shows the process. This is part 6..
Part 7: Bracing the soundboard
All pieces of the X bracing for the soundboard are made and glued in place. Then, the braces are preliminarily carved down to rough shape.This is one more guitar after a 41 year hiatus from making them. The last one made when I was 24 years old. It uses materials purchased at that time and tools and jigs of that era. See the video here
Part 8: Shaping the Neck
Here I finally take the neck I glued up in an earlier episode and shape it with drawknife, rasp and sanding. This is part 8 of the making of a guitar after a 44 year hiatus from from having made them long ago in my youth. It is as I learned it in Camden, Maine from Luthier Nikos Apallonio in the mid 70’s. The process uses only ordinary shop tools and simple homemade jigs. The video:
Part 9: Gluing on the soundboard and prepping the back.
The braced soundboard is mounted onto the guitar sides in this video. The back is also prepped with braces, getting ready to enclose the sound chamber. The video is here or click the following window.
Part 10: Attaching the back and cutting the fret slots
The sound box is now enclosed, the neck needs finalizing, and the fret slots will be cut on the ebony fretboard. This short video shows that process. I’m making a guitar after a 44 year hiatus. The last one I made in my early 20’s.
Part 11: Adding the binding and purfling
After the sound board and back are in place, binding is added to the edges to finish them. Also purfling (the stripes) are added at the same time. In this video the edges are routed with a palm router and the bindings are heat formed and glued in place..
Part 12: Aligning and attaching the neck and fretboard
A critical element to good playability is the proper alignment of the neck. The video shows that alignment and the attachment of the neck and fretboard. I also begin making the bridge..
Part 13: making and attaching the bridge to the soundboard
The bridge is formed and the peg holes and saddle slot are made. Then it is properly aligned and glued to the soundboard.
Part 14: Sanding and Applying the Finish
Yup, part 14… geesh when will it end? One more episode after this though, fretting, setting up and playing the thing. Anyway, this entry shows the very involved sanding and wood preparation process and making of the oil based finish for the thing. Lots of ways to do this. Some a lot better. This is just one of the possibilities. The video below shows this process. “
Part 15: With a big sigh I post a final disappointing video: It's done...
So, Guitar is finished but humidity differences from fall to winter raised havoc with it. The neck took a set with extreme low humidity and it’s a buzzer. Even got a humidity crack in the top. Not much to do about it short of neck removal can fix it. I actually kept my fingers crossed that this wouldn’t happen. I used to have a climate controlled closet for keep this in check. With making guitars it’s very important. The Weather went from fall monsoons to winter super dryness. Anyway, the fin...
