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Thinking of revisiting a mosaic rosette that I abandoned some 15 years ago. Abandoned because I was never really satisfied with the outcome, although the design was a good 'un IMO. I must have had over 20 attempts, each time changing one of the aspects. Probably wasted months of work. . . . but it's calling me back.
It's a dangerous place to be this luthiery business.

I setup a bronze Lie-Nielsen #4 I won on eBay last week, worked on a few blades, and ordered the rest of the tools I need in order to start hand-cutting dovetails. Other than that I'm writing my notes from memory ad nauseam and will be all weekend. Law school finals start next week. We have two essays per class to prove we've learned the material. And if we don't, we're out.

Using the #4 felt strange, btw. Definitely different than my #5.

just bend a set of purple heart last night so I may glue that up. also have some rosewood side I can turn in to rims. may also try and bend my wenge set.

Starting to carve the neck for my challenge guitar. It's my first laminated neck, and I'm really liking the look of it.

I'm trying to dig up the courage to part with #11, while old faithful #1 is getting tweaked in the shop - refinishing the neck, finally adding side dots, and installing a pickup.
. . . and I'm dreaming about #12.
Phil

Zeke - love the laminated neck! What wood did you use for the black stripes? And how did you get them to uniform thickness like that? Drum sander?

This weekend I'm sanding the finish on another guitar, my wenge dreadnought. I learned quite a bit on my last guitar, so hopefully this time sanding and buffing will go well.

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

I'm setting up a new shop in the garage. My garage has a significant slope from back to rear-about 16". I built a platform on one half that's about 17x10.5. The entire space gets to be set up as my shop area. No usual garage stuff-tents, rakes, toys etc...

Almost caught up on repairs for the moment......Got two that I can level sand and buff and do final assembely on next week so I am building my next set of three.

First is a Dread with this insane flamed mahogany back.


The next one is a GA with this beautiful Rosewood.


And the third is another GA in this Black Limba.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Spraying lacquer.

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Thanks Rob. I actually used 0.08" black fiber veneer from lmi. It's already thickness and works great. Dark and uniform, no sanding necessary, jus cut it out and glue it. One sheet will give you enough for a neck with plenty left over. The sheets come in varying thicknesses. Check em out here:

http://lmii.com/products/mostly-wood/veneers/fiber-veneer-sheets

Zeke, you have no idea how much you've made my day! I love laminated necks, but was at a loss on how to make those thin black stripes in a 5-ply neck without a thickness sander. I'm going to put a purchase into LMI tomorrow and pick some of those sheets up. I can't wait to make my next neck now. Hmmmm I wonder what other tid-bits of info you have rolling around between your ears that I could use......

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Rob Flindall
Flindall Guitars
http://www.flindallguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/FlindallGuitars

Converting my nice carport into a serviceable shop space- a lot of extra work, since I didn't design it to be a controlled-climate space to begin with. Also will have to evict all the tents/rakes/toys Jim mentioned being absent from his garage/shop conversion.

No problemo. Glad that helped you out. They have white too which would look great in a darker colored neck. I'd like to try that. And they also have colored veneer sheets which could make for some cool stuff too. That's probably the only good info I have for ya though. I'm still very new to this whole guitar building thing.

I scored a metal spiral staircase on Craigslist for just $250! I'm going to be installing that in my 'shop to make it easier to get up to the "attic" space over the office area, so that I can store a load of stuff up there with easy access (with the object of getting it out of the main workshop area so I have more space to work!). Pics to follow.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

I started pore filling the Hurricane Sandy guitar. Is it just me, or are the pores in Ziricote really small?

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

For those of us in non climate controlled shops, the building season is open. Scored a pile of plywood scrap from the local cabinet shop for jigs, using the frame press to glue a neck blank, and a vacuum bag for my first attempt at the Charles Fox method of laminating sides, using aircraft foam in between the laminates eliminates the need for linings. Trial one was a failure, a couple of gaps that are too big to want to use, good thing it was practice wood. The frame press is from Joe Woodworker, but the bag and the foam came from this place:
http://www.avtcomposites.com/cgi-bin/co ... 6_QUOT_LFT
The bag was under $5, not as durable as Joe's heavy poly or vinyl bags, but if trying some vacuum bagging on the cheap is on your mind, this is a reasonable option.
Link to info on Charles' lamination: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/I ... s_Fox.aspx

Chris, I have a friend into the crazy looping stuff, if you have any questions, he has a strong studio background and likely has just researched the gear you are thinking of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQBQ4ufvuKo
Loving the weather.
Rob

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http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

Finally finished the latest one, #8 and Romanillos-style classical #3. I wish they got completed fast enough that I didn't see the completions as "finally"

Lutz top from Shane, EIR back and sides (Allied opportunity grade if I'm not mistaken), Spanish cedar neck. Another 18 hole bridge. Cocobola bindings, and an LMI rosette (still not willing to spend the time to get past that.)

This guitar has good volume and a decent voice right off the bench, in contrast to my last one which was the same design with Palo Escrito B&S, and which spoke with a whisper until it's owner had played it for a while. I'm clueless about what to attribute the differences to. The two guitar tops were built at the same time, using wood from Shane that came in the same order, and with identical (to within random variations) bracing pattern. At any rate, the last one has come into its own a little more and I don't worry about it - this one just surprised me. Hopefully I'll get recordings of both of them at some point.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Digging the table saw out of the garage during spring cleaning, gonna cut some plywood for a mold for #4 and #5 in the distant future. Thinking I'll dig out the jointer too for some tops and sides, debating cutting some brace and kerfing blanks. Wanna split a nice black walnut log I got from a freind aged 2-3 years and remove the bark too... then we'll see I'd liketo do some work on my challenge build too.

Just got the old motorcycle up and running and took it for a ride. Now time to work on the guitars.

Just closed the box on a D-18ish dread.

Moving all my stuff out of my current shop. I am getting a new shop (part of home addition) that should be ready in a few weeks. However, the current space for my shop is going to be re-used, so ALL my wood, jigs, tools need to be put in a temp place for a few weeks. It's amazing what we accumulate over time!

Glenn

Resawed some old cocobolo...

GIVE! I want! So amazing!

Sanding an epoxy pore fill.....sometimes I wish I DID make acoustics.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic