Official Luthiers Forum!

Ok guys, so it started !! I was VERY afraid that I would, well, feel that this after all was not for me !!! as when i was younger I started lots of things but never seemed to finish it ! .

I am pleased to say, that this is absolutely the most fun I´ve had for YEARS !! I cant stop !!! . I have dust in my ears, nose, eyes, and in places I didn´t know exist HAHAHA . but its soo much fun !

OK. so far 2 molds. and now I started on my first top. its a German Masterg.., looks great ! Although it was thin on one end and thicker on the other ! So I had to take it down to the same thickness as the thin end. I used a Wagner-safe-t-p... . and then sanded it by hand using a "4" stanley plane (no blade on haha) with sandpaper underneath. so after some time I had the top to the right thickness. ( was tapping it for a desired tone meanwhile )(not sure what I was looking for, since its my first, just a great tone.) The top is now 0.100 and still stiff along the grains. The taptone is amazing !!!!, it has a ring that lasts 4sec all around the board. Next thing will be to put the rosette in place, will use a woodrosette ! and then to brace it.

I have 1 problem though, I need to find an easy way to make the rosette, as for this month, I dont have the funds to get the rosette thingy from stew mac, so I am planning on building the wells/carol and have with my Bosch Colt. what is the easiest way to go ? I am afraid to get unnessesary things.
What are your recomendations for making the wood rosette, Wells/Carol, The router buddy, or she stew mac setup with the dremel that I also have. ?

Will post photos as I get further along the way.

Lars

Tjena, Lars!

I'm not familiar with "The Router Buddy" or which Stewmac setup you are referring to, but I really like my Wells / Karol jig. It can be made in a short time with stuff you may have laying around already, so there is not much cost involved except a little of your time. The channel for the rosette can be cut with tools ranging in simplicity from a popsickle stick and scalpel blade to cnc machinery, with dedicated fly cutters and router jigs somewhere between in between. The beauty of the WK jig is its adjustability and rigidness, but other methods can be as accurate. For me however, the it is just the right thing.

What style of rosette are you going to make?

_________________
Rian Gitar og Mandolin

If you have the router then I'd say go for the WK. You can make it out of wood or whatever. Hard wood so that you can tap it or use bushing if need be. The most important opperation is drilling the shaft holes square to the work and everything else is a breeze.

Lars,

I just built a Wells-Karol jig and it works great. However, if you use the dimensions from Sylvan's (sp?) web site the 1/4" rods will interfere with the Bosch Colt bolt pattern. Double check and adjust your dimensions before you start. I didn't, but it was a good excuse to go buy a second laminate trimmer. I got a Ridgid and it fits fine.

Good Luck,

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Congratulations, Lars!! No turning back now, my friend. I do all my rosette work with the dremel and StewMac circle cutter that has the fine adjust knob. Pics as soon as possible, please.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

OK. I just got back after collecting materials needed for the WK- jig. So now I will go down in the basement and start the fun !!
I got me some clear PVC of some sort, 2cm thick. Chris I will follow your videos to do the job ! so Ill blame you if it goes to hell hahaha.

Thanks steve for mention this !!! I have no more money this month so I cant afford another router . Ill look at the dimentions and see if I can do some changing Chris ! what do you say about this !.

Arnt, I was reffering to the Precision router base together with the rosette routing jig. the router buddy is a jig i found searching the internet, looks like a nice jig !

Also !! I am a bit scared about my top being to thin ?? to be precise the top is now, "on one small spot" 0.098 just inder where the fretboard goes, then its mostly 0.101(I wrote the middleway on the upper post.) It feels real stiff bending top to bottom ! and the tap-tone is GREAT ! dont want to put it in the trash ! although I have more tops waiting to be touched . any ideas on this. I read some had even gone to 0.090 on german (I do know this is not for all tops!) but like I said it feels stiff and nice to bend longways.

Lars

Lars, I built a clone of the Wells/Sylvan jig. I followed Chris' Paulick's awesome video tutorial's and it worked great. The only thing I did differently was to use a barrel nut to capture the adjusting screw. It works great. If you decide to go this route, clamp everything you are going to drill. The plastic loves to ride up the drill bit.

_________________
Aoibeann

Thanks Lillian ! will do !

Ron,l sure will post some photos as soon as I am done.

Lars.

Hi Lars, sounds great dude. Watch that sawdust up your nose though bro. Wear a dust mask if you can, we don't want you getting sick because of some exotic wood dust messing with your system.

Here's my W/K jig which also needs the main rails out further due to the router base mounting screws. Just measure your router base screws and make sure the rails don't interfere. You don't need to go as wide as I did though.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson