The Templates

So it's been a couple of days since my last post. Honestly nothing much has in the physical realm has taken place. I've been busy working away on cut out templates for the lattice work of my radius dish. The beauty of being a visual effects artist is that I can design and build all my jigs in 3D to make sure that all my measurements line up and everything be as it should. I've been running into a few errors and lack of details in the book and dvd's that I have. I've had to essentially reverse engineer the radius dish using the François Charles Plans. At some point I'll create a post on all the steps I to create the dish, just need to finish creating the dish before do so.

Anyways, Templates! Yes, the reason I am posting in the first place. Shortly after I purchased my scroll saw ( same day, infact) I figured I'd break it in buy making the templates that everything here on out would derive from. Using 1/8th hardboard I was able to cut out the templates pretty easily with the scroll saw. I used print out templates like I showed in a previous post to transfer the design and dimensions to the hardboard. Using tape and spray contact cement I'd adhere the paper template to the hardboard, then proceed to cut out the shape on the scroll saw. Worked out wonderfully, there were a few close calls as far as maintaining a close cut to the design as I was and am still honing my skills with the saw. Yet the more I work with it the more confident and precise I am getting with complex shapes.

So the Templates cut relatively easy. Final shaping was done with sanding blocks and a shaving gel bottle with sand paper, which was cool because it match the radius I needed exacly to shape the curve on the cutout. I made sure to pay special attention to all the curves, making sure there were no bumps or lumps and that everything flowed nicely, that the curves matched completely up to the cut out on both halves. I'm pretty stoked seeing this early shape. Also, if you notice, I took the time to mark off all the bracing for both sides. Not only did I put where all the bracing is located, but also the thickness of each brace as well. This will help as a quick reference to make quick marks on the actual top and back of the guitar. Also will help with cutting the brace material to proper length and the appropriate miter each brace will have when it butts up to the sides.

Here is a view from the other side showing the sound board bracing. I'm not sure if its entirely visible but, you might make out the pliage dashed line between the 3rd and 4th horizontal brace. This is where the peak of the arched top is located. Well its getting late, but I figured I'd post something. Oh btw, I got my go bar fiberglass rods in on monday, I'll post pics of them while I am gluing together my radius dish.

Greg

A shave and a trim! A new tool has arrived.

Lookie what I got here, my Laminate Trimmer / Palm Router arrived today (well technically yesterday since I am writing this after midnight Sunday morning). Its a Bosch Colt PR20EVSK variable speed Palm router. This particular one is actually a factory reconditioned unit I purchased onine through CPO.Since it was factory reconditioned I only ended up shelling out around 80 dollars as opposed for the 120+ if I were to buy it brand new. Which the way I see it is a better way to go, since its the manufacture who makes the tool reconditioning the tool as if it were new, just a few cosmetic blemishes but hey, its a tool right? Its not meant to look pretty. Anyways This is definitely a usefull tool for the luthier, from routing out binding, perfling, and rosette channels, for cutting the sound hole, shaping the head stock, carving out the mortise and tenon joint for the neck, plenty of uses that may seem a bit overkill for a big 2hp router that otherwise may seem too cumbersome. Not to say that a router still isn't needed. I chose the Bosch because it seems to be the king of the hill for palm routers at moment. It gets remarkable reviews, seems more like a router than a laminate trimmer, plus its a full 1hp of power, making it beefier than the competition. Plus this particular model has 6 speed settings so I have the ability to cater the cutting speed to the material. Definitely will be a useful tool for this project.

Well gotta call it a night. Gotta get up early for a canoe race tomorrow in the chilly winter weather. Isn't Texas supposed to be hot?

Greg

Go Go Gadget Go Bar Deck

So one of the quintessential tools that you'll find in most luthier's workshop is a go bar deck. This is a handy device used for gluing braces to the tops and backs as well as other gluing tasks. So they play a pretty vital role in the construction of an acoustic guitar. Luckily they are a pretty simple concept. You have a top deck and a lower deck. The items are placed inbetween the decks, and fiberglass or wooden rods are used to put clamping force on the items being glued.

Here's an example of someone's go-bar deck in use:

What makes these particularly useful is if your top or back has a radius to it. Like the image shown here, the back is placed in a radius dish to support the back and braces. when the go bars are applied that the pressure is distributed evenly. For the Selmer, this is essential because both the top and the back are arched. Since the Selmer, uses a moveable bridge like you find a violin, cello, or a mandolin, it has what is refered to as a pliage which is a fulcrum point or apex to the bend which where the bridge will reside, meaning the arch is not a uniform radius. For this reason I need to build a compound radius dish to accomodate the bend in the top (as well as the back) but befor I could do that, I needed a go bar deck that would aid me in the process of building the dish.

So after lurking around the interwebs and reading a couple of threads on forums from people who made their own decks. I decided I'd do the same and make one. Since space is a commodity that I cannot afford right now, I could not make an elaborate deck that you would find Michael Collins using in his video, or large decks that double as work benches that could accomodate 3 back to be glued at once. Since I'm only doin one guitar for now. I'll start small, similar to the picture shown above.

I was originally going to create one exactly like the picture above using threaded 5/16th threaded steel rod, washers and nuts to create my supports, however I read somewhere that it could be a bit unstable can be a little wobbly under the stress of several go bars, increasing the chance of a go bar slipping and wreaking havoc on you items or anything in the general vicinity. The suggestion solution was to use 1/2" pipe and some floor flanges to act as supports. For deck material, I used two 2' x 2'x 3/4" MDF boards glued together to make both the top deck and the bottom deck. I wanted to make sure that the decks were stiff as hell and that no possibility of deflection would occur. The only real minor set back to this design is that the space between the decks is 25 inches. This is by no means a problem just that the fiberglass rods that I ordered, are 48 inches in length to be cut down to 24 inch go bars. Meaning my rods will be a little short. No matter, I can simply use extra mdf or other material as a riser so that the rods can do there job.

Overall its a very solid structure, enough so that it doubles as a stand for my scroll saw and a rack for my clamps. Like I said space is precious, gotta squeeze as much out of ever square inch. currently I have some rubber feet on it, however if I am going to have it double as a work station for my scroll saw or any other bench tool I may aquire in the future. I'll probably put castors on it so that its easier to move around.

Also notice the box? Got my first shipment from LMI. Woohoo!

Getting Crafty

So one of the first tasks that seems to be the inevitable for building somethign as intricate as a guitar, is templates, whether for the guitar its self or the jigs that help you along the way.  Templates seem to be a necessity.  I could try to test my draftsmanship and try to hand recreate many of the templates by hand, but with photoshop and 3D software so easily at my disposal, I'll forego the hardcore traditional route with tools that are second nature to me and will offer much greater precision.
 

The pickle though is since these will be made via computer, they need to be printed. I don't have access to a plotter (printer capable of 42"+ prints)  nor do I have the inclination to find a place that has one that I can use for a fee. So I came up with the  simple solution of printing the templates in segments then attaching them together to create the final product. I figure for my purposes, this will provide a precise enough template, plus there was something kind of fun about piecing together these templates.


Using a couple of push pins and piece of hard packing foam, I would attach each piece of the template via registration marks that I added to the template design in photoshop. Each printed segment has 1 inch overlap to allot for the registration marks and any line up that may need to be done. Using one of the push pins, I'd carefully poke a hole at the center of each registration mark on all of the printed segments. Once the holes are punch. I then proceed to align each segment together using the push pins and the foam board. Once happy with how everything lines up, I take regular tape and attach the segments together. Now that I have a finish template, using contact spray cement, I'll afix the template to whatever material that I am cutting. In this case I it is a template for sound board bending heat box.

Thats it for tonight. Tomorrow I'll show off a the Go Bar deck I made.

cheers!

The Master Plan

So for some time I have been working out a diligently of how I am going to pull this project off.  Of course behind every project there's got to be a plan. So for me, since my experience in building a musical instrument of any kind is null, as much pre-planning and research as possible must fill in the void of practical experience.  So for starters, I think it was necessary to gather as much material on the fabrication of these guitars as possible. Luckily a Luthier out of Canada, named Michael Collins, has publish a book and a 10 DVD set on the production of these guitars. Having bought the book and recieving the DVD set for Christmas, I also aquired plans by Françios Charle through www.elderly.com, I believe I have sufficient info regarding specific details of the Selmer guitar. Of course there is still plenty left to figure out when it comes to general lutherie practice that I'll need to figure out, for that I have Guitar making, tradition and technology by William R. Cumpiano and Jonathan D. Natelson as well as The Luthier's Handbook  by  Roger H. Siminoff.  The first book mentioned from what I gather seems to be heralded as the definitive book when it comes to making acoustic guitars, according to several posts I read on a few luthier forums. So I definitely have my reading cut out for me, but thats all part of the master plan! 

Greg

So it Begins

So for some time I have been fascinated with the age old art and craft of building stringed instruments, namely acoustic guitars. As this fascination grown it also harvest a festering interest in actually building my own guitar. Around the same time, another interest decided to make itself known to me and my ever evolving eclectic taste in music, was that of gypsy jazz music made famous in the 30's by the guitarist Django Reinhardt. When it comes to guitars, there is only one that is synonomous with Gypsy Jazz or Django and that is the Selmer Maccafferi Guitar.   When I was googling around the web on these guitars I stumbled upon a book written by a luthier in Canada, Micheal Collins,  that illustrates how to build one of these guitars.   So from that point I said to myself "hell.. why not!"  Thus starting my odyssey into the wonderous world of lutherie!

So it will be an interesting experience to say the least, I have no formal training in the craft. I will be learning as I go, however I have a determination that rivals a famished lion hell bent on catching its prey, a razor sharp attention to detail that is sharp as a razor, and just a natural knack when it comes to build things. So I figure I'll either end up with a half decent guitar or a very expensive  bushel of firewood. Either way it will be a good experience.

I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible, this also my first real shot at making a blog as well. I figured it would be a good medium to chronicle my progress and endeavours as I have seen others do the same.  Anyrate, its late, got work in the morning,  so hopefully I'll find some time soon in the near future to bring this blog up to speed as to where I am currently with the project.   Thanks for readin!

Greg