Guitar – Headstock

This past week in my guitar building class at Woodcraft, we worked on the neck and fretboard.  We also got some potential homework.  We had the option to do 3 things.

1) Add a different wood to the top of the headstock

2) Shape the headstock (it’s a simple rectangle at this point)

3) Shape the bridge (it’s a rectangle with a rounded top)

I’m doing (1) and (2).  My first step was to use some wood that my instructor Eli generously gave me (apparently they were scraps that were not useful in other applications) and get it ready for glue up.  Here is a picture of the wood I chose:

Next I had to sand and shape the wood so I would have a better time glueing it on to the headstock.  I cheated a bit and used a power sander.  I will still have some work to do in eavening the thickness out a bit (it’s close but I noticed 1 variant).  Here is a shot of the glue up:

After the glue dries, I’ll work on shaping it.  I think that I’m just going with a slight arch (or maybe something like an ogee) to the top.  I’ll post as I do that too.

UPDATE:  Major fail!  I’ve been using a power sander too much – one might even say as a crutch to my hand tool usage.  I still believe that power tools are useful but enjoy the use of hand tools.  I believe that power sanders have their place too.  Their place is on larger flat boards.  Smaller surfaces, even flat ones, should be sanded by hand.  Well I didn’t follow that advice and paid the price.  I sanded the headstock after the thin venere seen above was finished being glued on.  I sanded right through it.  The only way to solve it (I didn’t have enough material to try for a patch) was to sand the entire headstock flat and then go with my back up venere.  It’s drying and shortly I will sand it down (by hand, no power).  It’s a nice looking venere but no way as interesting as the above pictures.  Lesson learned!