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Well, it didn't work. Here's what happened....



I put it back up on the shelf with the other parts and will address it another time. I have a laminating form for that shape so will try to use that as a fix someday.

Dang...

Hi Carl,
Remember I said I didn't think about all the little flaws? You just reminded me of a couple. Another reason the sides laid around the shop were the buckle fractures that occurred during the lamination. Usually the epoxy wets out the veneer enough for it to conform to the form, but for some reason it didn't. I could have retouched those areas before finishing to make them less obvious, but I didn't.
I used CA to glue them but hide glue would have been a better choice.

That's actually pretty impressive and I thought if anything CA glue would make it stain and show more.

I'm on my 67th guitar now and I have NEVER cracked sides before till I got hold of this really old BRW and most luthiers tell me, pffft it bends like butter! I've cracked 4 sides two of which were in a bending machine which I purchased becasue I got a sever case of the yipps and thought I could never bend sides again. It must be the the wood!

Glued a bridge on last night. I had a little trouble with the last one I glued on shifting when clamped, so I checked alignment repeatedly as I got it clamped up.

Drilled the pin holes this morning and took the clamps & cauls off.

dang thing is ~5/16" off side to side, like it needs to be shifted a whole pin hole over. Got so laser focused on making sure it was right front to back that I completely spaced the side to side.

Of course I scraped the nice sunburst amber lacquer off for a good glue surface below the bridge, so I'll have to fix that too.

Ugh.

That sucks.

I double stick tape the bridge where it’s going to go. Then check positioning very carefully. Then I drill the two e string holes and use the bits to hold the bridge while gluing so it can’t slide around...

That's pretty much what I do too.

I tape off the bridge area before finishing so I put down tape over where the bridge will land and carefully mark a center-line on the tape. I use my home made version of the saddlematic to locate the bridge distance according to the saddle slot and make sure the center-line on the tape matches the center marking on the bridge. Then I clamp it all down as if I were gluing it in place. I double check everything and then drill through the two E holes into the top and through the bridge caul. I use drill bits in these holes to ensure it doesn't move while I cut the tape around the bridge. The saddlematic gives me the North/South location and the center-line takes care of the East/West.

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Yeah that does suck but you can recover. I use 3/16in bolts to align in the outer Ee pin holes.

I think it's a consensus, we all use bolts or pins to keep the bridge aligned while it's being glued.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Yep, I can recover.
I’ve done screws thru the pin holes for bridge reglues - going to adopt that on new installs to prevent shifting.
And make myself a saddlematic type jig.

And pay more attention, lol. Measure many times, cut once.

It’s funny (not really) but I’ve been studying mindfulness. Obviously I’m not practicing it very well.

Happens to us all

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Speaking of bridges - very timely. I build about one a year, so never get really comfortable with some procedures. Locating a bridge today with my home made saddle-matic. Nothing Matic about it apparently. Put the wrong side of the saddle against the jig

Oh man, that hurts! That is the trouble with non-belly bridges. I have caught myself almost doing that before. In fact, you post just made me get up and double check the two guitars I'm working on right now.

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Oh ouch. What would you think of a Gib-ish reverse belly bridge?

Oh dang..::(

Hahahha I wonder if that's what started that God awful design in the first place

Hey! At least there is precedence. It's a great idea actually.

If you look carefully (not), you notice a separated seam in the area and pitch pockets everywhere.

What happened is I glued the top to the side in sessions, one area at a time, and I misjudged where the center seam is (the glue line is VERY hard to see) and so I had glued the neck portion off by about 4mm. So I had to heat and unglue that section and reposition it. Unfortunately it raised some sap and separated the center seam in the heel area. Fortunately they sand out, and the underside has been reinforced very well, and a fingerboard will go over that. I will also route a pocket where the separation is to accommodate the truss rod, so all is good. One bonus is that portion is likely torrified so will result in better tone.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

That particular section is where most of the tone is so you got lucky...

I think I can hide the two holes next to the bridge adequately. The guitar needs the pyramid bridge because it has a Stauffer neck

Ed Minch that looks fantastic!

From vintage Martin.com:
http://vintagemartin.com/Martin1837HudsonSt_B033r.jpg

Hi Ed,
I think you pointed out to me the decorative inlays some of the old guitars incorporated around their bridges. If the bridge footprint doesn't cover the holes this might be a way to bury them and add a little more embellishment to the guitar.

Um... I don't see any holes.

_________________
Hutch

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

Thanks J

That interesting decoration on the head is adapted from one that JG Stauffer did in the very early 19th c, but his metal plate was on the back. My ivoroid plate is on the front

Clay - great idea. I have the holes patched and if they show poorly under that Endurovar you sent, then there is an option/

BP - I like your attitude

Ed

My last build: I mistakenly routed the back instead of the front. ..... now everybody knows the back purfling is a dum-dum feature.

_________________
Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

I did that with rosettes when for some reason the channel is too loose.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com