Build thread - Blackwood & Bunya Dreadnought

[kiwigeo]

Bending a cutaway??.......do it by hand ya Pussy!!!!

[demonx]

Bending a cutaway??.......do it by hand ya Pussy!!!!

Why waste money on a bending iron when I have the LMI bender sitting there doing nothing?

[kiwigeo]

Bending a cutaway??.......do it by hand ya Pussy!!!!

Why waste money on a bending iron when I have the LMI bender sitting there doing nothing?

There are a few things the Fox style benders cant do....and often you'll find that a side out of a fox bender will need a bit of touching up on the bending iron.

[demonx]

Bending a cutaway??.......do it by hand ya Pussy!!!!

There are a few things the Fox style benders cant do....and often you'll find that a side out of a fox bender will need a bit of touching up on the bending iron.

Yet to have that happen, but it makes me wonder, if it's being used properly why would it need touching up?

Not sure what version you're using, but once I started using quarter sawn as opposed to the flat sawn test pieces I was practicing on, it's been pretty idiot proof with a nice smooth bend every time.

Indian Rosewood will be the next set that gets bent (after I do some practice bends on this cutaway form, as I've already had a commission for my first acoustic order. I have told the guy I need to finish my current one first though so I have any faults ironed out beforehand.

The Bunya acoustic is sounding a LOT better than when I first string it up. Over the week the sound has changed way more than I expected. I'm thinking it's that the strings have oxidised a bit loosing their fresh tinniness, they're like this on electric too. I've ordered some Elixers to throw on it and the next one, apparently they are the way to go according to the string discussion on this forum a while back.

[kiwigeo]

Yet to have that happen, but it makes me wonder, if it's being used properly why would it need touching up?

Try bending herringbone purfs for a parlour rosette on a Fox bender....like I say after a while you'll discover that there are some jobs that can only be done on a bender.

[demonx]

Try bending herringbone purfs for a parlour rosette on a Fox bender....like I say after a while you'll discover that there are some jobs that can only be done on a bender.

I have no desire to use Herringbone or build a Parlour, not to my tastes, so I should be pretty safe in that regard.

[demonx]

Cut out the headstock for the Redwood dread. It's a slight redesign on the head I used for the Bunya guitar. Tapered it a bit more and knocked the top curve a bit flatter. I inlaid a Ebony logo into this one.

[kiwigeo]

I have no desire to use Herringbone or build a Parlour, not to my tastes, so I should be pretty safe in that regard.

LOL.....and you probably confidently stated a few years back that you'd never build acoustics

[demonx]

LOL.....and you probably confidently stated a few years back that you'd never build acoustics

Quite the opposite. It's always been my plan to build Acoustics, I just envisioned it about ten/twenty years from now, but when it fell into my lap that a well known retired acoustic luthier offered to mentor my acoustic builds and get me started using his methods and designs if I chose to use them, it leapfrogged to the now rather than the later.

For now I'm using his bracing designs/measurements and a few of his construction methods, but I'm using a standard Martin shape rather than his personal design, yet I'll be pinching his cutaway (at his suggestion), as the last one I did although it offers insane high fret access, also offers a slippery guitar which needs to be played seated in flying V fashion! I'm already using his bridge design, (again, his suggestion) as its simple, classy and I really like it. I played around with other designs but none came close to surpassing it. I will be changing the pin width on consecutive builds though as I like a narrower neck width than he builds. I'm also using more jigs and more power tools than in the methods he's been showing me as I'm trying to do it my own way that works for me, as some of the old world methods I've been shown, if I was to try that I'd make a mess, yet I can do the same job without thought using other tools I already have.

[kiwigeo]

Bottom line....I don't think you'll find many acoustic builders without a bending iron in their shop. Like I said a Fox style bender and silicon blankets is a great tool but there's just a bunch of things it cant do.

[demonx]

Haven't really touched the acoustic build since last update as I've been flat out doing customer builds, but I did run these off on the CNC this morning.

A couple of clamping caulks for the top and back.

I made them out of 6mm MDF. Thick enough that it will spread the clamping pressure and cushion the clamp pad, but thin enough it will bend with the radius of the body. I also made them dual purpose by adding the cutaway section.

[demonx]

Little bit more on the Redwood dread.

Cocobolo binding with a black white black veneer pref. I'm not sure if I got more glue on my fingers or the timber while doing this!

[demonx]

Handy little trick I learned: pin the purf before trying to glue the binding.

Made a pain in the a job a walk in the park.

[demonx]

Routing the truss rod slot:

[kiwigeo]

It's all starting to come together....

Would be good to see some tap test results on the finished instrument.

[Nick]

Would be good to see some tap test results on the finished instrument.

Na, don't think it will quite take off, doesn't look right somehow.

[kiwigeo]

Thats a hot tap..it should be on the treble side of the soundboard.

[demonx]

Spend a bit more time in this one today. Now that the bridge is done so I can move forward with the neck.

[demonx]

Had a look at the neck joint today. Will need a touch more finessing than the last build, but it's pretty good. I won't know till I install the bolts and pull it up.

[demonx]

It's actually a bit worse than I thought. I just installed the neck bolts and pulled it up. Looks like when I sanded back the binding I went a bit overboard. Something for me to think about next time.

Anyway, it could be worse since this is fresh off the router. A bit of attention and it should sit flush.

[kiwigeo]

Allan, probably a stupid question and something you've already addressed but have you checked the front face of the body is perfectly flat?

[demonx]

Allan, probably a stupid question and something you've already addressed but have you checked the front face of the body is perfectly flat?

My post above yours was just talking about that - maybe I was too subtle in saying I went overboard with sanding the binding.

[kiwigeo]

Allan, probably a stupid question and something you've already addressed but have you checked the front face of the body is perfectly flat?

My post above yours was just talking about that - maybe I was too subtle in saying I went overboard with sanding the binding.

Too subtle for me...

The gap isnt huge and I think you've got enough side thickness to sand the front of the body flat.....it'll save you alot of cursing and swearing while getting the neck fit right.

[demonx]

The gap isnt huge and I think you've got enough side thickness to sand the front of the body flat.....it'll save you alot of cursing and swearing while getting the neck fit right.

About a second or two on the linisher should do the trick. I'll have a look at it next week at some stage.

[colburge]

Looks nice, cant wait to see it with a finish on it.

Col