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| Author: | Andy Zimmerman [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:23 am ] |
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I have a customer that wants a cutaway. I have never done one. What are the tricks to doing one???? Any picts of how you alll do it would be appreciated. All advice welcome Thanks |
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| Author: | Anthony Z [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:56 am ] |
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Andy, will it be a venetian (rounded) or florentine (pointed)? What kind of wood will you be using -- some bends easier than others which may necessitate a change in approach? |
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| Author: | Andy Zimmerman [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:57 am ] |
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I think I would rather do a venetian, but the customer also likes the look of a forentine. The wood would be cocobolo |
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| Author: | Rod True [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:11 pm ] |
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Andy check out Bruce Dickey's glue up method in the jigs, tools and techniques section. |
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| Author: | L. Presnall [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:22 pm ] |
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Hi Andy, many florentines started out as venetians!  They both have their little quirks, but at least if you break a venetian, you can use the set for a florentine later! PM me your email address and I'll fwd. you the stuff Bruce sent me a while back in making florentines.
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| Author: | Bruce Dickey [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:31 pm ] |
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Builders like Hoffman and Olson build strictly Florentine. My first and second were venetian in Indian Rosewood and it went fine. Then on number three, cocobolo, crack, straight across. We looked it over and made a switch to Florentine. Search back for the pics of Kevin Gallagher's African Orphanage Mission Guitar, that has a cool florentine and I like how he did it, solid wood point. |
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| Author: | Rod True [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:50 pm ] |
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Andy, here's a link to the post on my #4 guitar which has a florentine. In the link you will find a preaty good tutorial on building the florentine. Basically, you have to like the look of one more so than the other do decide which you will offer. Now the customer may decide for you, but this doesn't sound like the case with this build. Also as Bruce mentioned, check out Kevin Gallagher's Orphanage guitar. It has a totally killer florentine. |
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| Author: | Shane Neifer [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:21 pm ] |
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Andy, my first guitar (still working on it) is a venetian cut-away with black acacia. It went so well that I even bent the cutaway twice! Well one of my slats kinked, I removed it, pounded it out and paid more attention and right away re-bent it. The second time went perfect. Here is what it looked like: 
I used a fox bender I made from the LMI plans and just figured out where to put the extra press for the cut-away. I still just use light bulbs (150 watt I think) in my bender. When I get real big I will buy a blanket, I can totally see the benefit of them, having heat on the wood even before the bend. I thinned the sides to about .085. They bent like butter and still feel substabtial in thickness. I have some staining but I won't be sanding/scraping it out until I have the bindings installed just cause I don't really want to go much thinner than .080 I will probably end up at. I tell you it was a scary evening when I decided I was just going to do it but it sure felt great when it was done! I know that you will have NO PROBLEM!!! Get to it Andy and I'm with the rest of the OLF'ers rooting for you! Shane |
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| Author: | SniderMike [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:41 pm ] |
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I'm working on my first cutaway right now as well. I went with the venetian, and it's going well so far. I took the side pretty thin where the cutaway is (under 2mm i think, maybe 1.6mm?), and it bent very nicely. It seems to me like one of the most important things is getting the cutaway to meet up with the heel block at just the right place. If you have too little room between the cutaway and your centerline, then your fretboard will hang over the cutaway, and if you leave too much room... well, you get the idea. I would also suggest gluing up each side to the heel block separately. I think doing them both at the same time would be too hard, but then again I'm just a rookie. Other than that, good luck and have fun! Mike |
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| Author: | Serge Poirier [ Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:21 pm ] |
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WOW Shane, that box is looking great dude, your side braces look a bit like mine on my first! Neat job! Andy, good luck on that cutaway, i would go for a venitian, less mitering to do but hey it's your call Doc!
Whatever you choose, it'll look great i'm sure!  
Serge |
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| Author: | charliewood [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:38 am ] |
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Shane that is looking great man - Im gong to be hittiing you up for lots of advice seeing as you are closest to my area code - well besides Ed Dicks, PS Rod True - what ever happened to that phone call??
Cheers Charlie |
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| Author: | Michael Dale Payne [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:50 am ] |
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On straight graind wood I do not over thin the cutaway. I do thin on high figure like quilted Sapelle, mahogany and Maple. Also on crack woods like Coco and Ziricote. High quilt figure seems to want to seperate where the grain changes direction but this can be pulled back in and CA'd |
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| Author: | Sylvan [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:59 am ] |
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I wrote a step by step article on making a Florentine cutaway for Guitarmaker magazine. The article is posted on my website at http:// www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Cutaway_Article.htm. (I still cannot get this to post properly!) Check it out! |
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| Author: | Andy Zimmerman [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:07 am ] |
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Thanks for all the great help!!!! |
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| Author: | Dave Rector [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:13 am ] |
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Here ya go Sylvan, Sylvan's cutaway article. |
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| Author: | Wade Sylvester [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:13 am ] |
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Andy, Another consideration is if you want to have your cutaway bend fit the contour of your heal. It's not as tough as it looks and is a nice touch. 
Wade |
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| Author: | Andy Zimmerman [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:21 am ] |
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Sylvan Where do you get your side piece for the cutaway??? Do you just rebend the existing piece of the cutout side or do you have extra sides around just for this???? |
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| Author: | Sylvan [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:47 am ] |
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Andy - I have extra sides which I use for just that purpose. At least on my design, the actual cutaway portion is a bit too short to be used. Making the cutaway with this method is really quite easy once you get over the apprehension of bandsawing a hole into a perfectly good instrument! Seriously, just be very careful with your measurements and where you cut. Don't forget to allow for the thickness of the side you will be inserting next to the block (don't ask how I know this). |
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| Author: | Rod True [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:48 am ] |
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[QUOTE=charliewood] Shane that is looking great man - Im gong to be hittiing you up for lots of advice seeing as you are closest to my area code - well besides Ed Dicks, PS Rod True - what ever happened to that phone call??
Cheers Charlie[/QUOTE]  I know Charlie, I've been thinking about you everytime I log on to the OLF. Ok, how late do you stay up? That will determine what time I call. 
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| Author: | charliewood [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:09 am ] |
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Rod, Im sleepwalking through half my day, and I wake up on the couch 50% of the time - so you can hit me quite late.
Mr Sylvan Wells, that was the first time I have been to your web - absolutely fantastic stuff btw. May I ask? I am especially enamoured with the Atlantic Cutaway Supreme! Did you find that you had to enlarge the soundhole after it was completed, as a matter of rectification soundwise? or was that the concept from the start? truly a beautiful instrument! Cheers Charliewood |
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| Author: | charliewood [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:15 am ] |
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PS - Shane and all you other BC boys arent off the hook either! > If your a 250 or a 604 your on my "bug" list.  Although I have to especially thank Jeff from braziltonewoods for his offer of help w/materials, instruction, and encouragement, even though he is half way round the world - lengthwise.
Cwood |
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| Author: | Sylvan [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:36 am ] |
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Charliewood - The Atlantic Supreme you saw on the website is a conscious design. It was the concept from the start and something that I almost alway do. I am glad you liked the web site! |
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| Author: | charliewood [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:40 am ] |
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I certainly did enjoy it, although I will be back in order to check out the articles more in depth-ly. Very beautiful guitars - That AS model is definitely my fav - archtops aside. Cheers Charliewood |
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| Author: | Shane Neifer [ Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:01 am ] |
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Thanks for the remarks you guys! The top is on and yup...a nice piece of Lutz. Just working on a binding jig right now but waiting for Ted Thompson to do some machining for me (he built lots of Larrivee's jigs). Still need to decide what to bind it with though...  .
Anyway, Andy, anything at all you think I can help you with please let me know. I have tremendous accumulated experience of ONE! But sometimes that is good because the anxieties still exist! Charlie, anytime man. (250)638-0125. Shane |
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