Official Luthiers Forum!

Yes, I recently joined. I want to avoid power tools as much as I can within reason. I like the workout I get, I really need it sitting at a desk all day.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

That sounds interesting. I'm a Neanderthal too. I used my flat finger plane on the back and belly overhangs. It worked really well. I'm a BIGGER Neanderthal though. I'm not on Facebook! Hah.

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Why be normal?

You're a step above some neanders, you're member here!

I would have used a finger plane if I had a larger flat one. My flat one is only 1/2", to me, that's too small for the job. Now that I've used the spokeshave, there's no going back. It was like a knife through butta!

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Finally got to neck fitting stage. All cut by hand and will require some shims. I'm ok with that.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

What is the tool in the second picture?

Its a hand router.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

AKA a router plane.

It's one of my favorite tools.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Or, a Witch's Tooth - I always liked that one.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Old woman's tooth, widow's tooth, but my favorite is hag's tooth. It had been around since Roman times, used by carvers, inlayers and woodworkers. In it's most primitive form it is a chisel in a holder, or for a long time, since blades were expensive, a plow plane blade like this one

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-payne-widows-tooth-440402139

Essential for hand tool woodworking- works great as a marking gauge too. Limited use on guitars, but I use a small one in the same place that Picks does

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/42631083021/in/album-72157688488198220/

click left and right

Ed m

Nice work Hutch. I just fit a violin neck yesterday. Same thing. WAY smaller scale! I did my usual problem of adding a little too much back angle on the taper, so I glued a strip on each side of the neck at the very end so I could trim it to fit the slot. No one knows.

I'm always surprised how quickly the neck drops with very thin cuts off the sides of the dovetail.

I like your guitar vise. Thin boards on the inside that can give. Good idea. I hold everything in my hands, and it doesn't take much from a sharp chisel before you have to get a little bandaid. I did saw the sides of the dovetail while the ribs are still on the form, so it is flat, and can be clamped to the bench. So why didn't I clamp it to the SIDE of the bench? Maybe I'll remember to do that next time.

I thought of getting a hand router for wider rosettes and purfling, and for cutting truss rod slots. A laminated neck could do that slot too. I like making chips, but not noise.

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Why be normal?

I have the dovetail fitting well, still 3/16" to go but before I go any deeper I need to do the calculations without the fretboard installed. I just noticed the top is flat to concave. I also noticed the humidity is down to 25% which may have something to do with that. Because of that, I think I'm just going to get it close and wait until the finishing is done. This is one dry basement.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I don't know if this is a good way to do this but I posted on FB and wanted to try posting the link here. So here I go. [url] https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 430045/url]

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I made a big blunder with the back. Because I added the back strip in after the fact. I kept chasing the perfect fit until now the strip is as wide as the inside strip that is suppose to span tha joins. I also don't like the binding results. So, I'm considering ordering a new back and doing it right, this will be the 3rd back but I know how to do it right now. Should I just run with it or get a new back?

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

In addition to the above, where can I get just a rosewood back relatively cheap

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

The back is off.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

New back ordered through the above lmii link.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

This time, rather than route for the backstrip, I'm going to sandwich it between the back halves. This what I should have done the first time, I think.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Working on the neck last night I was measuring for the trussrod adjustment hole in the neck block. I had installed the rod upside down. Thank fully it is isn't glued in so I was able to remove it with pliers and a rubber mallet
All good now.

As I was prepping the rim for the new back, I found it difficult to get the rim tight in the mold. I got it but wonder how much the back might Defoe after I install it and remove the stretchers.

Though I can't wait to start number 2, I just hate to let anything go. So this is the 3rd back on its way and the top is the second. No sense building a shutty guitar. I just could've with it.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I agree with you. There's mistakes/repairs I'll let pass but if it's beyond a point then it's time to replace it.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

And those backs won't be wasted. I'll turn them into parlor guitars.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I have the new back in hand and I'm undecided on a backstrip. For one, I don't have one and will have to make something or order one and wait for it. I miss having a nearby Woodcraft, they carry them. I'm pretty sure I want to build the strip in though.

I spent some extra time making some spreaders for some problem areas and sides fit the mold pretty good now. Just for the heck of it I tested the old back and I had to laugh. It was so far off. I was pretty sure it was and this was proof.

I have few more days to work on this but having just recovered from Covid, I have to take it slow, probably the best thing anyway

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Well pleased to hear you got over the plague Hutch.

I would just point out that if sandwiching a back strip, the mating surfaces do have to be very good. Flat and smooth which isn't perhaps the easiest thing to achieve with these small strips.

The last one I did by cutting the grooves for shallow strips I the back while it was still flat. The strips could then fitted to the grooves relatively easily. You have to pretty careful with alignment when getting the back on of course.

Cheers Dave

I have thickness sander so getting all the edges of the strip I'm using was pretty easy. I like what you did there and ideally I would do the same to match up to my end wedge. I'm too afraid of doing anything but the simplest things right now as you can imagine if you've followed along with this build. I just want to get it done now so I can start another. This ones very close

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Before I put the back on this again, I want to add the clothe to the top cross braces. What material is acceptable for this. I don't have any linen, would gauze work? I really don't want to purchase a bunch of linen just for this.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!