Official Luthiers Forum!
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/

What's happening in your shop.
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=52257
Page 2 of 9

Author:  Michaeldc [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Bri

“I have considered a hole at the tail piece or removable strap button.
Finding a 20” long allen key is also proving a challenge, though having something fabbed is doable.”

I’m doing a bolt on M&T on my octave mandolins and go in through the hole for the pickup jack. It takes a bit of finesse but it’s not too bad. I use a pair of long needle nose to reach through the f-holes to put the bolts on the end of the Allen key which I made for the purpose.

My wrench is made from, in my case, a 4mm x 12’ t-handle, a 12” x 1/4”od x 3/16”id aluminum tube and a bit of JB weld. I made it 22” long so I can use it on guitars as well.

Top-tip: Use a piece of tape to hold the bolts in place when the neck is off. Saves a bit of messing around.

Cheers, M

Author:  Michaeldc [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

The first thing on the old bench in the new shop is this 20-3/4” scale guitar-body octave mandolin. I know, it’s not a guitar but it is largely shaped like one...

I’ve got guitar camp about a week and a half away and hope to take this...in the white if need be.

I don’t know how many of you follow Dion Guitars on Instagram. He’s been finishing his necks with ecopoxy and I really like the look! I’ve got some of the stuff on its way and he was generous enough to share his application schedule. More shall be revealed.

M

Author:  mountain whimsy [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I'm about to become a basement dweller. Moving from our home of 17 years where I had a small 200sf single car detached garage as a shop. The new house has a 31x15' "family room" in the basement that become my new shop. So a lot of planning going on for the move. It's going to be a fairly extensive remodel, walls coming down or moving, wallpaper coming off, complete kitchen remodel, etc. So I've got my work cut out for me over the next several months. But I'm excited about the basement shop. Over double the space, with a better layout. I'll probably put a divider wall in about 1/3 of the way to have a clean side and a dirty side. Carpet will come out of the dirty side. Dust collection and compressor will go in the adjacent utility room. Spraying will be done in the upstairs garage - perhaps even a small spray booth up there. So needless to say, building and any repairs have been put on hold for a while.

Attachment:
20190808_150808.jpg

Attachment:
20190808_150755.jpg

Author:  Terence Kennedy [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Hey Brian.
For bolt retainers I make the mortise a little deeper and use thin rubber washers from The hardware store. Works great. To insert the bolts I thread a length of rubber tubing through the head block hole and out an F hole. Put the bolt in the tubing and pull it back through. Hold it with the wrench while you put on the washer retainer.

My wrench is a length of 3/16 steel rod tapped on one end for the handle. The 4mm ball tipped Allen wrench is epoxied into a brass sleeve glued and pinned to the rod.

This wrench will fit through a standard reamed end pin hole so your jack can go anywhere. I actually like it on the side better than the end pin hole.

I have used this system on about 10 guitars and kept the first one which is about 8 years old and it is holding up well.

Image


Image

Image

Image

Author:  Colin North [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

DanKirkland wrote:
Nothing other than repairs lately. I did make my "neck dragon" as I call it. I stole the idea from Frank Ford (thanks Frank!). ……………………. The air blasts the steam away while you're getting the neck off and prevents finish damage. Works a charm. I just use the neck removal jig to help hold the hoses in place while I work the neck off by hand.

Brilliant!

Author:  olmorton71 [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 4:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Been recovering from a torn bicep. Just got back into the shop for some light work Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Author:  Colin North [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Ouch! Glad you're on the mend.

Author:  Chris Ensor [ Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

A little bit of this:

Attachment:
headstock.jpg


A lot of this:

Attachment:
PCC.jpg


Attachment:
handles.jpg


Attachment:
shafts.jpg

Author:  Ken Nagy [ Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I put my guitar in my galvanized trash can I use as a light box. I can't use the lid! I tried just in the sun, and the box, and got very little color in the wood. I made up some wood ash water, and it turned golden yellow. That will work. While I was doing that, I made a mock up of my inlay scheme around the edge, and tried Z-poxy as a sealer to attempt to get a smoother finish than I usually go for. I put my own varnish over it, and it works great. The back will be fairly easy to get smooth, the redwood is another story. I don't want it to look like an old barn. Some texture, but not old barn.


Attachment:
20190816_085612.jpeg


I also decided to fix a 5 string viola I messed up putting the purfling grooves in. Have you even KNEW that you should stop, but you didn't, and wrecked it even more? That's what I did. So I took the belly off, sawed a bear claw billet in half, planed it, joined it, carved in, put a bass bar in it, and glued it on. It took about 20 hours. I never counted before. I thought I worked pretty fast. Then I took the back off, and carved a new one. I'm about a dozen hours in, and the inside is pretty much complete; I may have to move one side over a little at the c bout; the outside needs more work. Maybe 4 hours. So it is 36 hours to get viola plates carved and glued on.

And that's not done yet.

Attachment:
20190816_085555.jpeg


Attachment:
20190816_090521.jpeg


I read guys saying that a guitar takes, 20-60 hours, and that's just so fast.

Author:  SteveSmith [ Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I don't know, I started logging my build time - the last one (the '37 D28 copy farther up in this thread) took just over 100 hours and that was using a CNC neck and fretboard from Andy Birko.

Author:  Clay S. [ Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Olmorton wrote:
"Been recovering from a torn bicep. Just got back into the shop for some light work "

Good luck with your recovery.
I tore loose a bicep tendon a few years ago. Rather than opting to have it restrung like one of my mother's porcelain dolls, I just let it go. At my age, arm strength is not such a big deal. Honestly I think it is about as strong as my other arm. I haven't noticed a lot of loss of function, except for rotational things like using a screw driver where continuous use creates some pain. I deal with that by using a screw gun.

Author:  guitarjtb [ Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I have been busy rebuilding and X-bracing Harmony Sovereigns from the 60's. This is an early 60's H-1260 model that I re-topped with Adirondack. These sound amazing when X-braced and set up properly.

Attachment:
IMG_5396.jpg

Author:  meddlingfool [ Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Chris that headstock looks like a couple of owls...

Author:  doncaparker [ Sat Aug 17, 2019 10:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

meddlingfool wrote:
Chris that headstock looks like a couple of owls...


I think that's Chris' special Rorschach model.

Author:  Chris Ensor [ Sat Aug 17, 2019 11:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

doncaparker wrote:
meddlingfool wrote:
Chris that headstock looks like a couple of owls...


I think that's Chris' special Rorschach model.



Ha! Yep. Spalting always reminds me of Rorschachs!

Author:  olmorton71 [ Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

First attempt with Royal Lac. 2 coats of Seal LacImageImage


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Author:  kjaffrey [ Sun Aug 18, 2019 6:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I just finished up the epoxy pore fill on a Koa OMSized guitar. Now the troublesome task of finishing and hoping for no sand/buff throughs after all the waiting for nitro to cure.

Author:  Paul Micheletti [ Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Gluing on the bindings and purflings on my latest small body classical guitar. Anyone else use rope to hold the bindings tight while gluing? I prefer rope to tape because I can clean up the glue mess with a damp rag before it dries.

Attachment:
FB_IMG_1566188873216.jpg

Author:  Colin North [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 3:13 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Some really amazing stuff going on there guys, keep it coming!

Author:  Tim L [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I just finished pore filling a Mahogany L00 using Aqua Coat.
Need to hit 1 more side with shellac and the tape off the top and then spray some nitro to finish.

Attachment:
Hog fill.jpg

Author:  Marcus [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I've been pretty busy. I am finishing up a zebrawood SJ, I think it might end up being a decent guitar. I am also trying out my hand at making a solid body, its been.... interesting. I also procured some new equipment.

Zebrawood w/ Sitka Top
Image

L** P*** (ish) solid body. shhhhh don't, tell Gibson.
Image

Oscillating edge sander, I am slowly running out of room in my shop...
Image

Author:  banjopicks [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Starting the fretboard using SM TS blade and template.

Attachment:
FretSlotJig2.jpg


Attachment:
FretSlotJig.jpg


I no sooner got this started when I got word from my daughter that my banjo that I let my grandson use now has a 2 piece neck. [headinwall] I may have to stop this guitar build and make a new banjo neck. This is the second time this neck has broken, two totally different places. It's jinxed. I'll glue it back together but I'd rather have a new neck with my own design and inlays.

Attachment:
BrokenBanjoNeck.jpg


On closer examination of the photo, it looks like it may have broken in the same place. I still don't have it to examine in person.

Author:  Luthier1975 [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 3:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

I'm finishing up a rosewood/sitka OO in my shop right now. Had a great time working with Indian Rosewood, such a great timber.

Author:  Colin North [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 4:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Marcus wrote:
I've been pretty busy. I am finishing up a zebrawood SJ, I think it might end up being a decent guitar. I am also trying out my hand at making a solid body, its been.... interesting. I also procured some new equipment.

Zebrawood w/ Sitka Top

That SJ is a beauty, love the Zebrawood. I've got 3 sets perfectly quartered sets I've not yet used for too long. Got to get round to it.
I won't tell Gibson if you tell me what finish you've got on it! Such a beautiful golden colour.
I sympathise with your ever diminishing space problem, Im the same.

Author:  Marcus [ Mon Aug 19, 2019 4:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What's happening in your shop.

Colin North wrote:
Marcus wrote:
I've been pretty busy. I am finishing up a zebrawood SJ, I think it might end up being a decent guitar. I am also trying out my hand at making a solid body, its been.... interesting. I also procured some new equipment.

Zebrawood w/ Sitka Top

That SJ is a beauty, love the Zebrawood. I've got 3 sets perfectly quartered sets I've not yet used for too long. Got to get round to it.
I won't tell Gibson if you tell me what finish you've got on it! Such a beautiful golden colour.
I sympathise with your ever diminishing space problem, Im the same.


I am assuming you want to know what finish I am using on the SJ?
That picture probably doesn't have a finish on it, although I am using a Mohawk nitro. Now that I think about it, there is probably a sanding sealer on there. I think what makes this pop is the Z-poxy pore process I do. I used a brown (and a bit of black) epoxy dye to make the pores pop.

Page 2 of 9 All times are UTC - 5 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/