Official Luthiers Forum!

Jose's rosettes are just so stunning!

Waddy - How wide is the stem connecting the heel and interior heel block? How did you remove the material in between? (I imagine it as a tablesaw operation.)
Why is the top of the connecting stem cut below the surface of the foot and heel?

I'm getting inspired and may try this on No. 2 of the batch I'm working on now.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Jim, my web is about 25mm at the top, and goes to zero.  The reason it is so low at the bottom is that the neck has not been trimmed to the proper depth.  It is way proud of the final thickness.  I have a lot more work to do before I'm ready to actually do this for real.  I was just, sort of, seeing how all this stuff that I've done goes together.  Just a dry run to make me understand the concept better.  Confidence builder.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

OOPs, I forgot to answer your slot question, Jim.  It probably could be a Table saw or Radial Arm saw operation, but I cut it by hand and chiseled out the waste. All part of my desire to do this whole thing using hand tools as much as possible.  I folded and bought a band saw for cutting some stuff, like the little rosette logs, and glued up rope and stuff like that, because I couldn't get square results using a miter-box.  Did you see Dave LaPlante's custom saw and jig for cutting slots by hand?  Jose, apparently does it with accurately spaced back-saws welded together, at least that's what Shawn told me.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

The neck heel-heel block web goes to zero at the base of the heel to ensure that there is enough heel surface left after carving for the sides to set against.  You don't really need to go to zero there, but close, it depends upon how you''re going to carve the heel.

I've done several guitar using the double wedge method, the first before I saw any drawings or photos of the method.  Daryl Perry made mention of it to me once, and I figured out the geometry and method.  I was pleased, when I saw Jose's method details, that I got it right.  Once the slots are cut right, its very easy to clean out with a chisel.  I have found that it makes life easier if you glue in one of the wedges (the one with the wide part to the top of the guitar) prior to to gluing in the sides.

David, I never suspected that you were a Cyclops!

I'm still trying to figure out what the purpose is of having the tail of the guitar drop like that.  I understand the geometry, but not how its an advantage over a simple dome which keeps the perimeter of the guitar in plane.

I'm enjoying the discussing of classical guitars.  Its a nice balance from all the steel string chit chat.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/