Official Luthiers Forum!

I've built several violins, so I'm not a total neophyte to lutherie, but since starting my first guitar I've been wondering and waiting what the first bone-headed mistake will be. Not little slips of the knife, or missing some wet glue squeeze out....but real chuckle-headed mistake.

Well, I'm posting pictures of all the steps along the way on facebook. As I was typing a caption to the picture showing the fretboard being glued onto the neck, I noticed in the picture what appeared to be a truss rod laying on the workbench.

Another hour or so, and it would have been a very difficult fix, but fortunately, with some gently coaxing I could get the fretboard off and place the rod as I should have in the first place.

Hope I don't top that one, but I'm sure its just a matter of time.....

They keep coming. Sat night I glued a new top on an old Gibson and used a piece of 2x2 and my spiffy spreader from Blues Creek to put some pressure on the neck block to hold it in position while I put the top on. Used hide glue and moved fast. All went well till yesterday when I went to take the spreader block out.............. The upper transverse brace was just in the perfect place to capture the block! Had to slice the spreader block in half with a multi tool to get it out.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm a novice at this. I've made four instruments working on my fifth. I thought only I pulled those boners. Sorry about that guys but it makes me feel better. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe we have a Doofus Move of the Month Winner .... Lol Glad you caught it !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Now there's a blast from the recent past!

Alex

_________________
"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Not so sure ...

On a Ukulele last night I pulled a side out of the bender before I went to bed and wanted it sitting in my mold overnight. It had too much excess on the tail side to fit in the mold so I took it to the mold drew a line a bit over from the center line and cut off the excess on the band saw. Oops I drew the line on the wrong side of the center line.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I was fitting a neck pocket on a Tele build today.
The bridge was too high, so I lowered the neck pocket.
I glued in a shim an raised the neck.
Unfortunately, I sawed off the ends of the screws so they would not hit the fretboard.
This is my first screwed in neck. What a pain!

_________________
wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I think learning how to do things properly is about 10% of building things. Learning how to fix and remedy mistakes is the other 90%!
(I'm a surgeon by day, and I'll deny ever saying that!)

What! That's it? OK that's a good one but I'm sure I've done comparable. My 3 bits of advice would be slow down, never try to" just get this (fill in job here) done before I head in for the day, and slow down.

I find luthiery much like other woodwork. Quick recoveries from screw ups are paramount.

Probably applies to life in general.

I think he's right about fixing the mistakes. Although I have a feeling the real pro's at this have already made those mistakes and know how not to repeat them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trusting double sided tape to hold the template while routing the sides of a neck.

On a neck thru no less. Ended up cutting off the wings and building a new neck. This time nailed the template down with brads. Live and learn.

I believe there are people who don't have days like these, (usually Mondays for me).
I console myself, that, if they really exist, they have no sense of humor, don't really know how to have fun, are poor lovers, and generaly live a bland, shallow life etc.
Crack open a cool one and have a good laugh. Your in good company.

^^^Hahaa! Well said Dave!
I recall having a similar moment - glued the fretboard, all proud, then later when driving into Home Depot had this horrid, sickening vision of a truss rod installed...upside down!
Yup! BTDT and got the t-shirt to boot...

I build guitars for a living and have been doing so for a while now. About 1 month back, I was working on a soundboard bevel and messed up badly enough to prevent the guitar from being sold (it will become a demo guitar so not all was lost). Here's what happened -- the bevel support block was kerfed in a couple places to ensure really good contact with the sides. This was an unnecessary step because it isn't that hard to get a perfect fit for the support block -- but still I did it anyway. Then later on after the soundboard was glued on, I was ready to glue in the Ebony block for the bevel. I filled the thin kerfed sections with thick CA really well or, at least, I thought I did. The end result was a quarter sized glob of blackened epoxy that seeped through a space in one of the kerfs and dripped down on the back linings. It was too far back in the lower bout and I use Ryan A4 kerfing which is quite delicate. Aside from removing the top, there was no way to repair this mistake without it looking like a repair. Years ago, I would have cleaned it up as best I could and then sold it (it is an interior mistake after all and the rest of the guitar is about as flawless as can possibly be done) but my standards are pretty high now and I wouldn't want this instrument floating around as an "example" of my work. Bottom line, is that a very simple mistake prevented me from selling what would have been a $12k instrument. Very frustrating but things happen even to those of us who have our "procedures" down very well.

I've done a number of other stupid things over the years but most of the time I have been able to go back and do the process over. The sad thing is that the further along you get with an instrument, the more "painful" a mistake becomes. I've found a full day of "cooling off" is necessary after a significant mistake is made -- it allows you time to process the frustration and approach the solution with a level head.

So don't lose heart my fellow wood butchers!!!

Thanks Simon that means a lot coming from you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do I qualify with bending the sides the wrong way. ?:)

Nah, that doesn't even count. You just get an extra wide trim strip at the tail.

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Actually I just laughed when I did it. I am making two Ukuleles at once; one is Martin tenor style, I had really want the second to be the Hana Lima style but did not want to make a mold for it. The Hana Lima is a bit narrower in the bouts Well now I have a Martin style Ukulele and a Hana Lima style Uke in their own mold.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Incorrectly bent sides don't count unless you bent the same side wrong twice like I did.

Here is my latest DOH! moment. I was getting the sides lined up in the mold and I pushed down too hard and snapped off a big chunk. I was tired and shouldn't have even been in the shop. I immediately started freaking out that I would have to find a new side to match, re-bend, and fit...but I took an hour to cool off and think it through. I ended up gluing the piece back on with some Titebond and it's invisible now. I made a doubler veneer out of a scrap piece of the side for a reinforcement, which was glued up on the inside. I can't even find the crack now.

Goodin I've experienced the same happening. It happens. I thought I was the only one who didn't know when it was time to lay it down for the night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Gil, I know that sinking feeling. Nice recovery!

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I was buffing a guitar that I had worked on for the better part of a year and was new to the buffing setup that I had. I was very pleased with how shiny it was coming out when the neck got caught in the other side of the buffing wheel and ripped it right off the heel and ruined the top. The feeling I had was so bad it took me a month to get over it and get back out in the shop. Now I only use one side of the buffing arbor. Lesson learned.

I've done the same. I consider the month off one of the benefits to not doing this for a living.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I still have nightmares......