This Week in Wood

Guitar 2 – Scarf Joint

glennth — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:13:30 +0000

OK, I’ve begun the 2nd guitar in ernest. I started with the neck.

When building a guitar neck you need 3 basic elements.

The neck body. This is where the fret is on up to the 14th fret.
The headstock. This is angled down from the neck body by about 15 degrees and is where the tuner machines are placed.
The neck block. This is underneath the neck body at the opposite end from the headstock and contains the bulk of the material that make up the tenon which joins the neck to the guitar body.

I started with the headstock. The raw neck blank is at least 30″ long. You cut an angled cut and smooth the surface so that you can have a tight glue joint. I cut the joint with a hand saw. Given the neck is maple, this took a lot of effort to do at all but more importantly get close to square. I used hand planes and scrapers to do this smoothing and final squaring.

My next step will be the neck block. Here are some shots of my glue up of the headstock from the scarf cut. In the second shot, you can see the tight joint I was able to get. I did use wax paper to keep from glueing my glue calls to the neck.

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Guitar 2 – Scarf Joint

OOPS! Missing Parts

glennth — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:41:24 +0000

When building a guitar from the ground up, you need to build a neck. A neck blank is usually 30″ long. This is so that you can create an angled head on the guitar for the tuners (it usually angles down about 15 degrees from the fretboard side). Even after you use some for the headstock, the remaining neck blank is still too long for the actual neck. The material that is too long is cut off and pieced together to be glued to the bottom of the neck where it adjoins to the body. This makes the tenon or dovetail or bolt on location more substantial (making the guitar stronger) and makes a more complete connection to the guitar.

Well, I used Luthier Mercantile International (LMII) which based on the wood I got, really puts a lot of effort into getting quality wood for it’s luthier customers. The grains are gorgeous where they should be and straight and in the proper direction where they should be. LMII really does a good job. Unfortunately guitars are complicated beasts and so ordering all the pieces of wood you need for a guitar is also very complicated. LMII has done a very thorough job in creating a web based ordering system but because there are so many mandatory pieces and optional pieces in a guitar it is exceedingly complicated. Especially for someone who has built just one guitar. When I ordered the neck blank, I chose birdseye maple but LMII only sells it in 24″ lengths and I needed 30″ or at least a neck block blank in the same material.

Another missing element goes inside the guitar body. The sides are 2 very thin pieces of wood bent to the desired shape of the guitar. I’m going with an Orchestra Model sized guitar (slightly smaller than a dreadnaught sized guitar) and it’s going to have a cutaway for access to the lower frets. When you glue and assemble the sides, you have a block of wood at the bottom of the body and another one at the top of the body (where the neck joins the body). Both add structure to the sides but the top also is the material that you create a mortise for attaching the neck. I missed the top block in ordering my wood.

I have ordered the wood and asked for accelerated shipping so I can get back to my guitar project (though I do have a few small things to work on anyway including the rosette around the sound hole on the top and some jig components for when I do get to glue up). Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll be back on track.

Differences – Guitar 1 vs Guitar 2

glennth — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:03:49 +0000

I thought I would briefly talk about the differences between my first guitar project and my next project.

My first project was based on a kit from US Guitar Kits which makes a decent selection of ready to build guitar kits made from good quality solid wood tops and good quality plywood sides and back. These kits come with much of the work done for you including rough shaping of the neck, the sides bent, the back attached to the side, the bracing installed on the back and top, fret board pre-slotted for frets and inlays. It is a great starter kit for a first time guitar project. I learned a lot from building this project and it gave me the confidence to tackle a more extensive guitar project. Here is a picture of the kit:

Sorry it’s not a very good picture but it’s from their website and it shows some of the points I made above.

My second guitar project is made from wood I am getting from Luthier Mercantile International (LMII) which sells wood and tools. They are different from Stewart-MacDonald in the way that they will put the wood needed for a guitar into a kit-form which makes it simpler for new guitar builders like me. LMII also offers services to do some of the work for you. For instance, I do not own a bending iron or bending/heating blanket so I had LMII bend the sides for me. I also let them rough finish the top and bottom (including glueing the book matched pieces and sanding to near finished thinkness) – not sure why I let them do that but I did. The fretboard also came pre-slotted but I don’t remember asking for that service.

I ordered a form for holding the sides in place (though I’m going to have to make some adjustments since I’m doing a cutaway) and I ordered a template to locate the bracing for the top.

As you can see, I have a lot of work ahead for this second guitar that I didn’t have to do for the first. Some of the items include:

install decorative strip down the middle of the back
install bracing on the back
install decorative element around the sound hole on the top
create the sound hole on the top
install heal block to the sides
install bracing on the top
install top block to the sides (those 2 steps give the final shape of the guitar
install glue supports on the top and bottom of the sides
attach the back to the sides
attach the top to the sides
install binding and purfling on top and bottom of body
make mortise in body for attaching neck
create neck including angled headstock and a thick healstock
shape the neck
install headstock and healstock veneres
install fretboard
create tenon on neck healstock for attaching to the body
…and it goes from there (lots of specifics left out but you should get the point that there is a lot of work)

It’s should be a very challenging project that should really test my skills.

Guitar #2 – Wood and Supplies Arrive!

glennth — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:45:08 +0000

I just received and unpacked the wood (and various other supplies) for my second guitar.

As you can see, I am using a spruce top with maple sides and back and neck. I’m using ebony for the fretboard and some access via purfling to contrast the light maple color. I’ve also got some bloodwood for the headstock and purfling. This is going to be a challenging project. I’m looking forward to it.

Transitions – New Project Ahead

glennth — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:08:39 +0000

My normal pattern between projects are usually minor shop improvements, simple adjustments, and sometimes even bigger projects like shop furniture. As I wait for the wood for my next project (remember, I’m going to tackle my 2nd guitar), I thought about what has worked and what hasn’t.

My first project was a hack improvement. By that I mean that I took scraps and made some larger shelves to replace a set (also a hack) of smaller shelves. These heck jobs are all about function and not style or finish.

I’ve also been working on storage. In a shop this size (it’s 9′x16′), storage is always an issue so I’m always about improving storage. I always seem to find something to fit better in a certain location than others.

My last improvement project was simply adjusting the lighting. I have plenty of light (some florescent and some incandescent) but based on my last few projects, I wanted to move one of my lights. I think everything is in good shape.

My next project while waiting on the wood is sharpening my plane irons and chisels.

Luthier Tools

glennth — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:30:45 +0000

I’ve been planning (after finishing my first attempt at guitar building) to build a second one. In parallel, I’ve been putting together the tools that I would need along with the wood that I will need for the 2nd guitar. I’ve been getting the tools from a few different sources.

I’ve gotten a FesTool trim router as I had some work experience with this in our guitar building class. It had a nice feature set along with some that aren’t included in many trim routers. To me, it was worth the premium cost of the router.

In addition, I got a fairly inexpensive tool set that will allow assembly and creation of various guitar parts. Here is a shot of my first (probably of a few) drawer of guitar making tools.

You can see files, sanding pads and sanding blocks, luthier clamps, hand circle cutter, hand purfling/binding cutter, bridge clamp, router bits, fret hammer and fret cutter. I’m waiting for some parts to build a go-bar clamping setup. This should get me going and any other tools will need to be made or bought along the way.

I should be able to start the 2nd guitar in a week or two when I receive the wood.

This post is a test

glennth — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:34:07 +0000

I’m testing out some blogging software and want to see how it works.

Here is an image:

Standing Laptop Desk – Finished

glennth — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:34:49 +0000

After a lot of work, I have finished my Standing Laptop Desk. My intended purpose was to house my laptop for use when playing, learning, improving my guitar playing. While installing, I was actually able to reduce the furniture load in that corner of our living room (well, it’s more of a music room than an actual living room). I made the entire project by hand (with the only cheating was that I used a Festool hand sander prior to finishing). I also used solid maple (man, what a hard choice when doing hand tools) except for the drawer bottom. The desk uses mortise and tenon joinery while the drawer uses dovetail joinery. For a finish, I used about 12 coats of superblond shellac followed by 3 or so coats of amber shellac.

From a personal point of view, I have achieved the best fitting drawer I have ever made and I have achieved the best finish I have ever attempted. I am very pleased with the result and it fits quite nicely with the rooms existing furniture. Here is the final shot:

P.S. I am taking the simple rout and ordering a simple wood stool with a swivel seat. I thought about building it but I wasn’t satisfied with that as my next project.

Sloped Laptop Stand

glennth — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:59:25 +0000

When using my laptop stand, I like to have it tilted. Right now I use the elegant solution of a couple of packages of post-it notes. Since, I’m nearing completion of my new Standing Laptop Desk for use with my music gear, I figured to create a more fitting laptop stand. I used a few scraps of maple to match my desk. Here is a quick shot:

P.S. I’ve got close to 10 coats of shellac on the desk and stand. I’m going for about 15 or so before I do my final sanding and final coat. It’s looking good (even Kathy is starting to think so). I hope to have it finished and installed by middle to end of next week.

Unwanted Detour

glennth — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:12:12 +0000

OK, I started out the day doing some pore filling on my desk (see previous post). All went well but drying time was making me wish I had something to do and then…I remembered that Kathy wanted me to look at our fan in our shower. I did and took it apart and cleaned it which improved it’s operation a great deal but…while I was up there I saw (for the millionth time because it’s been there a while) a little spot of mold be our sky light. So…

I decided to repair this spot. I removed the affected drywall (and a bit around it too). I’ve replaced new drywall after an inspection that showed that the mold was just surface mold. The sky light has a mechanism to open it so that is an issue. I had to remove the bulk of the mechanism leaving a short chain. After trying to work the drywall mud around it I got some painters tape and taped it as much out of the way as I could.

I’m an ok, not great, but ok mudder but I had a bugger of a time getting the mud up there and taping it. I even hollered at Kathy during it cause it wasn’t going well (sorry sweetie!). I did finally get it up there. It’s not one of my best mudding jobs but I think I can work with it on the next coat or two.

Needless to say, I’ve got a project that will slow my finishing work down and on top of that, we’ll have to use the kids shower for a few days (got to put up the other coats and prime and paint it). Fun time at our house - for sure!

UPDATE: Well, I finally finished this project. We got to shower in our own shower for the first time in about a week and boy was it nice to have some elbow room. Back to working on my desk (I made a little laptop tilt to help the laptop stay cool – I’ll post pictures tomorrow).

Back to the desk (Standing Laptop Desk)

glennth — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:54:16 +0000

While I was working on the guitar (see previous post), I’ve had a nearly completed desk in my shop. It’s been quite handing with having another surface to place tools, work items and such on. However, it’s been nagging at me to get it done.

Well, this week I was able to get BACK TO THE DESK (movie title?).

The only woodworking left to do was to build the desk. I wanted a thick drawer front with half blind dovetails in them and full dovetails in the back of the drawer. The half blind dovetails were not all that hard (other than cutting them out in maple vs the drawer sides in a form of pine). I clearly need to work on them more as they were not perfectly tight but as I’ve learned with my dovetail practicing (many posts ago), this does get better as more are cut. I like this for drawers so I expect to see more of these. Here is a shot of the dovetails:

In addition to the dovetails, I needed to fit the drawer and ran into a problem. I had cut a groove and made some wood clips but unfortunately, the wood clips were too wide and hitting the drawer which is full width. I switched out the wooden clips for desktop attach clips I got from woodcraft. They went on very easily and freed up the drawer slot. After a little hand plane work on the slot and the drawer, I got a nice fit. Here is a shot of the drawer sliding in it’s slot after all that work.

I’ve used a plywood bottom (seemed too costly to use a 1/4″ glued up panel – both costly in time and money) so it’s a cheat I can live with. I’ve glued it up and tomorrow I start doing the finish sanding getting ready to apply a finish.

Guitar Finished

glennth — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:27:46 +0000

OK,it’s been almost 2 months but I’ve finished my guitar. It all started off when I enrolled in Woodcraft’s Guitar Building Class. Woodcraft partners with US Guitars. US Guitar’s kits are simple but complete. The back and sides are a thin plywood. The sides are pre-bent and already attached to the back. The back and front (soundboard) also already have the bracing attached. The fretboard is not attached but already has the fret slots cut into them. The neck has been roughly shaped. The kit allowed us to learn about attaching the top (though the back is similar) to the the sides, attaching purfling and binding to cover the end grain on the top and back, shape the neck, shape the headstock, finish the guitar (though this is not really part of the class), attach the bridge, do final tune up including attaching and position the saddle and nut and strings.

It was a great experience. Here are a few shots of the finished guitar.

Last thing, here is a quick audio clip of me playing the guitar. It’s got a nice full and simple tone. This clip doesn’t illustrate it but it’s also got a nice volume.

Blackbird (4th try)

Guitar Building – Last Class

glennth — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:34:15 +0000

The last class was simple but somewhat time consuming. We had several things to do.

Fit the saddle into the bridge.
Fit nut between headstock and fretboard.
Attach machines to headstock.
Drill out holes for string in bridge.
Attach strings.
Readjust saddle and nut (raise height, lower height – in my case, I raised the nut up using a shim and lowered the saddle by sanding the bottom off a bit).
Tension strings.
Tune strings.
Using a straight edge, monitor how string tension deflects the neck.

Over the next 2 weeks, I will do a lot of steps 8 and 9. I may have to adjust the truss rod a bit.

My last step (I hope to do today), is glue in the peg for the strap at the bottom of the guitar. Overall, it sounds pretty good. I do believe I will make a second guitar in the near future. Here are some pictures from my last class:

OMG – French Polish is amazing!

glennth — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:25:24 +0000

OK, I’ve spent the last week putting many coats of shellac on my guitar project. These have all been base coats. French Polishing the guitar is rather tedious but not very strenuous. Each coat is super thin so it takes a lot to get a good cover over the wood. After about 15 coats, the finish felt pretty smooth but had a lot of swirl marks (which looked like circular cracks in a class). I was a little worried about the final look at this point.

The next step is to apply a few final top coats. This is exactly the same technique with some minor differences. The first difference is that you level the previous coats using a high grit (I used 1200) sand paper with some soap and water (water for lubrication and soap to help the sand paper not get clogged). This took a bit of time but was also not very strenuous. The result had scratch marks that were nearly impossible to see but the cracks were gone. The next step was to rub in (in a circular pattern, hence the swirl marks) the shellac but this time with a few drops of paraffin oil. This oil allows you to rub out the swirl marks and get a glass like finish. After making sure there are no visible swirl marks, I then run the shellac pad with the grain making any marks nearly invisible.

I’ve done a few coats of this and the finish, while not perfect (hey, I’m still learning this), is absolutely amazing for any finish I’ve ever applied. With these kinds of results, I could get to like finishing my projects.

Now, I’ve got to do the same to the back and sides (I’ve done the top and neck). I will glue on the bridge first thing Saturday morning so I should be in good shape for my last guitar making class. This will allow me to come away with a working guitar. I’m very excited.

French Polish, My midway point

glennth — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:50:01 +0000

OK, I’ve been progressing on my french polishing work. Each coat doesn’t take very long or really much work at all. The problem is it needs a zillion coats (ok, maybe closer to 12-18) and you have to wait a few hours between each coat. I’ve progressed up to 7 coats. My approach has me doing simple coats and then after about 14 coats, I do a little sanding. Follow the sanding with a few more coats with a little oil so that I can rub out swirl marks. I hope to be to the point of the last few coats with the oil on Thursday. This will allow me to glue the bridge on Saturday and be ready for my class on Sunday. I’ve been really pleased with the results so far.

The color of the sound board is not as even as I wanted but this is primarily due to my pore filling technique so hopefully this improves as I move through my guitars. Notice in the picture of the neck that I have a cover next to it. This cover is for the truss rod adjustment access. I am super pleased at the feel of the nec too. It is nice and smooth and feels much like the best guitars I’ve gotten to play.