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Bevel / ribrest tutorial
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=15994
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Author:  James Ringelspaugh [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Bevel / ribrest tutorial

I just completed an armrest bevel and rib rest and thought I would share my methods. Surely there are other ways to do this; this is what worked for me. Hopefully someone out there will find it useful. Also please note that I am not the best writer so please ask if anything is unclear.

I have been reluctant to do a bevel because I couldn't quite wrap my head around how to route the purfling channels on the sides without doing a bunch of hand work. Using .030" wide purfling this was not a task I looked forward to. Then one day it clicked that I could make a template that I could clamp to the sides to act as a guide for a router. I did a dry run on a mock-up body and decided it was good enough to attempt on a real guitar.

First off I made the side template, which is made of two pieces of mahogany bent in the side bender and then laminated together on a mold in a vacuum bag. The template actually sits atop the actual sides on the mold. I laminate my sides using vacuum as well; this makes everything nice and stiff and everything fits together quite well which is absolutely key. Here is the side template being glued up:

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Next up I added an extra strip of lining to the sides where the bevel and ribrest would be. I just bent a couple extras when I bent the linings in the first place.

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Once the top/back were attached, I dug right in and rough cut the bevel with chisels and a rasp, going a little deeper than the final bevel to make room for a veneer overlay which will match the bindings.

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Once roughed out, I rubbed a piece of paper on the bevel to get a flat representation of the 3-D shape of the overlay (it helps to have dirty hands for this job):

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Next I transferred the shape to my veneer and cut it with scissors. I put tape over the cut line for support to keep the veneer from splitting down the grain. Ask me how I know to do that... :oops:

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Next I glued the overlay, taped it on, and cleaned it up:

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Next I routed the binding and purfling channel for the rest of the guitar as if there was no bevel there. Sorry I didn't take a picture of that.

Next comes the heart of the system. I clamp on the templates as best as I can and route the purfling channels. I used a dremel with a 1/32" spiral bit, using the shank to register against the template. You have to keep the tool moving at a reasonable speed or you will burn the template. On the dry run I used a laminate trimmer with a guide which should also work if you're concerned about using the bit shank as a bearing. I was really wanting a Cochran plunge base for this operation!

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For the middle of the ribrest, I cut as much as I could with the stewmac base:

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and made a custom base to cut the convex portion:

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After routing the channels the guitar should look like this:

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The purfling is glued up just like normal; there is no interruption at the start/end of the bevel:

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Once the bindings are glued in everything is cleaned up and it's finished:

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Here's the finished guitar:

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-Ringo

Author:  Steve Walden [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

I believe Lex Luthier is a genius! Too bad Superman! Ha! :D

Thank you for the great tutorial! [clap] [clap] [clap]

Author:  Jim Watts [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Nice job Ringo, I appreciate your sharing that and it's definitely food for thought for me.
Thanks!

Author:  Jebarri [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Thanks for the tutorial, I may have to try that someday.

Author:  WaddyThomson [ Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Cool job. That looks really nice. Front and back. [clap] [clap] [clap]

Author:  John Kinnaird [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Thanks for that great tutorial Ringo. It is going directly into the archive.

John

Author:  Arnt Rian [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Absolutely LOVELY! Your description of the process is clear, thanks for the effort.

Author:  Dave Anderson [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Yes, Thanks much for your efforts Ringo!
It's Very clear and precise! [:Y:]
BTW- Beautiful guitar !!

Author:  Hesh [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Very well done Ringo - thanks for sharing with us! [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]

Author:  John Kinnaird [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

BTW, beautiful linings inside the guitar.

JOhn

Author:  DGr33n [ Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Bevel / ribrest tutorial

Thank you very much for sharing, I look forward to learning here at OLF

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