Some action at last in the workshop

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:15 pm

Okay today I finally managed to get in some quality time in the workshop. Currently working on a classical for a friend in Sydney. In the pic Im working back braces with my trusty Sorby 3/4" paring chisel.

Cheers Martin

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:41 am

Looking good so far (from what I can see)Martin, can't wait to see the finished product. Do you make all types or are classicals "your thing"?
By the way,
That's a decent stack of kindling you have in the background too

Mark McLean · Post by **Mark McLean** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:58 am

Hi Martin. It is good to know that you are back from the rig and into the workshop again. Trackydaks on, chisel in hand - I bet it feels good! I am also very envious of the wood stack.
cheers Mark

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:06 am

Nick O wrote:Looking good so far (from what I can see)Martin, can't wait to see the finished product. Do you make all types or are classicals "your thing"?
By the way,
That's a decent stack of kindling you have in the background too

Hi Mark, The tally so far is two steel strings (OM and Dreadie), one 12 string Dreadie and 3 classicals. Most of the instruments are on "permanent loan" to a couple of musician friends so theyre getting regular use and I get useful feedback.

The wood stash is part of my super fund.....its the only part of my fund that hasnt gone backwards over the last 12 months!

Cheers Martin

Ron Wisdom · Post by **Ron Wisdom** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:11 pm

Good to have you back in the shop, Martin. I like the neck shape on that one.

Lots of room to noodle around.

Ron

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:47 pm

Don't know how you do it Marty. I'd go crazy if I couldn't play around in my workshop most days of the week. Do you take a guitar to the rig with you to play?
Must be nice to be back.
Cheers
Dom

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:00 pm

A couple more pics. Pic 1 showing top bracing....standard Torres fan bracing. Pic 2 is of the back glued on and roped up. The butt block is an offcut from the headstock (IRW venerred mahogany)

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:04 pm

Dominic wrote: Do you take a guitar to the rig with you to play?
Must be nice to be back.
Cheers
Dom

Dom, there's usually a 10kg baggage limit on the choppers out to the Browse Basin jobs Ive been doing of late. By the time you pack your boots and basic work clothes theres not much allowance for anything else.

Stephen Kinnaird · Post by **Stephen Kinnaird** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:53 pm

Looks too good for a seaman.
You're banned.

Steve

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 5:38 am

Thanks for the extra pics Martin, it's looking really good, nice clean job. I'm a completly unprogrammed hard drive when it comes to classicals

. Are the fan braces thinned to a known 'traditional' height & shape or is there a certain amount of 'tuning' to the top plate once they're glued in place?

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:44 pm

You must be made of tougher stuff than me Martin. Not being able to play my guitar/s every day would really drive me insane. Its a great way to unwind after the days stresses.
I have only missed 1 day in the past 4 years.
Dom

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:06 pm

Ropes off and a quick run around with the bearing twin flute flush cutter to trim the back overhang. I always draw sequence and direction of cuts on the back before I start. The router is my trusty Trend T5....its about the only decent thing coming out of the UK these days apart from Colin S and Dave White's guitars. And yes Im being naughty and Im pulling the router towards me...had to do this so as not to obscure the shot with my fat body.

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 8:38 pm

Nice to see Martin, is there any chance I could see some more detailed pics of the floor plan of your workshop, like the route from the door to you wood stock please.

Jim

Life wood be good if you were amongst Martins wood.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:48 pm

Jim,

There are two doors into my workshop...the burglar comes in through one door and I stand waiting behind the second door.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:49 pm

Why is it that whenever I post up interesting pics of me working on a guitar everyone spends there time gazing at my wood stash????

How about I just photograph my entire stash and post it up???

DarwinStrings · Post by **DarwinStrings** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:11 pm

Oh were you in those pics. I thought I noticed someone in the background.

Jim

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:21 pm

kiwigeo wrote:Why is it that whenever I post up interesting pics of me working on a guitar everyone spends there time gazing at my wood stash????

How about I just photograph my entire stash and post it up???

Jealousy is an ugly emotion.

Maybe it time to do just that. Bob, Kim are you game?

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:29 am

kiwigeo wrote:How about I just photograph my entire stash and post it up???

Can you just do it in a series of pics over a period of time? not sure I could retain my normal Zen-like state if it was all in one picture

Oh by the way, almost forgot, the guitar's coming along nicely. Hope it's going to a worthy home.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:09 am

Nick O wrote:
Oh by the way, almost forgot, the guitar's coming along nicely. Hope it's going to a worthy home.

The guitar is going to another expat Kiwi living in Sydney....shes a Christchurch girl.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:30 am

kiwigeo wrote:
Nick O wrote:
Oh by the way, almost forgot, the guitar's coming along nicely. Hope it's going to a worthy home.
The guitar is going to another expat Kiwi living in Sydney....shes a Christchurch girl.

A very worthy home then!

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:57 am

Ive done a barter type deal with the girl..her brother is the winemaker up at Mountford Estate near Waipara so payment is goiing to be a few bottles of his lovely Pinot Noir....

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:31 am

kiwigeo wrote:Ive done a barter type deal with the girl..her brother is the winemaker up at Mountford Estate near Waipara so payment is goiing to be a few bottles of his lovely Pinot Noir....

Excellent Currency! The Waipara wines are really coming on good now so a worthwhile deal I'd say. The Mudhouse is magnifique, havent sampled the Mountford but had some good reports. :serg :serg :serg :serg

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:10 pm

Toejam wrote:Nice to see Martin, is there any chance I could see some more detailed pics of the floor plan of your workshop, like the route from the door to you wood stock please.

A pictorial guided tour of the shop attached.

View of the shop from main entrance.

View looking towards main entrance. During the day theres a view out to the vege garden. On the wall is the trouble classical. Every few months I take it down and work on it and a few weeks later I get p****d of with it and it gets banished back to the wall. One day it might get finished.

The window looking out to the street below....I spend a fair bit of time sitting here staring out the window watching the world go by and thinking about things....occasionally my thoughts are on guitars....more often my thoughts are on noting down rego numbers of passing hoons and dropping them down to the local boys in blue.

Unprocessed pile of side wood thats been sitting there for 18 months. Gotta find somewhere to store the stuff. The guitar in the corner is my favourite instrument a K Yairi flamenco thats over 30 years old. Its waiting on a re-fret and new saddle.

Current project..."Ruby's Classical". Waiting on bindings and purflings from Stewmac.

Part of the wood stash and the TV.

The island bench where most of the action happens. On the bench is a Porter Cable 310 trimmer with a Luthier Tools binding jig attached. Its a quality jig but takes a bit of skill to use properly

The wall of shame......an array of stuffed up necks. The best way to avoid repeating mistakes is to have them on display so you can see them every day.

And the fleet of planes....mainly Veritas planes. Theres also an HNT Gordon in there which hasnt been used yet. The favourites are the low angle blockie and the No 5 smoother. The Miller Falls scraper plane also gets alot of use.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:25 pm

Hi Martin, good to see your workshop and the nice looking guitar thats coming along, thanks for showing.

Have you thought of taking a guitar out to the rig in pieces and assembling it during lunch break, might take a few trips. Or take a sicky and just send a guitar on the chopper.
Martin I'll be in Adelaide from April 23rd for about 2-3 weeks, any chance of catching up with you.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:41 am

Hi Taffy,

April 23rd is a bit too far ahead for me to plan anything concrete. Ive got a job starting for ExxonMobil early April but hopefully that will only run for a few weeks. At this stage its more likely Ill be around than not but no promises. Ill keep you posted on my movements and whereabouts and we can take it from there. Would be good to catch up with you.

Cheers Martin

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Some action at last in the workshop

Some action at last in the workshop

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