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Just installed the rosette, haven't finished thicknessing the top yet, and was wondering if there's an agreed upon time to cut out the sound hole?

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I usually do it after the top has been thicknessed (is that a word?) and the rosette installed.

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Thanks Rod,

I thought that made sense but I have an amazing ability to get ass backwards and have to chase my tail-again to get things right.

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Definitely a word on this side of the pond, where a (US) jointer is called a "planer" and a (US ) planer is called a "thicknesser" ...

It depends on the method of thinning . I do mine with a thickness belt sander so I do mine at the same time I route the rosette.

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John Hall
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Join the top.
Scrape the show face smooth.
Shellac it to keep it clean.
Thin from the back to near final.
Route the soundhole almost all the way through.
Install rosette.
Cut the last bit through for the soundhole with an x-acto knife.
Finalize thickness.

Gotta be able to flex with one hand through the soundhole to judge the ideal thickness But if you do deflection testing while it's still in rectangular form, your order of operations might be different.

I cut mine sort of like Dennis,

I set my router to cut about the thickness I want the sound hole to ultimately be and rout a channel from the top at the same time I am doing all of the other routes for the rosette. After thicknessing the I usually end up with the inside of the sound hole attached to the top with a very very thin veneer. Toward the end of the project or when I need to get into the sound hole I use an x-acto knife to cut out the center.

Pictures might help, in the first picture you can just see through the wood for the sound hole cut.

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Great technique John, I'll try that 'next time.' One thing you don't want to do is route all the way through the top on your first pass intending to sneak up on a final dia. That will of course divorce the top from the hole and your out of business with the router and circle jig. You might even have to whittle the last bit of sound hole by hand to get it to final dia. Sigh.

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Whatever u do, don't do it until rosette is done. DAMHIK

Mike

Good point, I also glue in the rosette and level it before I route the sound hole.

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before bracing....

After the rosette is done, the top is thicknessed (if we use it enough then it is a legitimate word ), and before installing any braces. Although on my latest build for the challenge I used a backing plate for the soundhole and I glued that on before I cut the sound hole.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"