Very slow weissenborn wip

[sleake]

Hi all.

Starting this thread more as a way to keep myself honest and finish this project. I have given it very haphazard attention over the past 4 years...... wow it is upsetting to even write that. I guess i have been distracted making furniture and collecting machinery and waaaaay to much timber.....

I have essentially made all the components, but now need to stick them all together. I have resolved not to start anything new (my worst habit) until this guitar, a set of double glazed windows and a hollow cedar surfboard are all done, but we'll stick to the guitar here.

Todays plan is to prep the sides and mould for adding the tailblock and linings.

[ozziebluesman]

Hi Sleake,
Welcome to the forum.
I am very fond of weissenborn guitars.
Have built a few myself and stiff would like to build more.
Look forward to watching your build.
Cheers
Alan

[sleake]

Thanks Alan, im very taken with your builds!

This is in a similar vein as many of yours - all blackwood with sheoak trimmings.

Too many minor stuffups led me to put it on the backburner however, after a few years on the tools with other projects, hopefully i can remedy them, or just learn to ignore them instead.

One question i do have for you though Alan is the way the back transitions to the taper in the neck. I am a bit concerned about bending a braced back down to fit the side profile without cracking it. Do you apply heat to assist? Or us it a non issue.... its a little while away for me anyway.

Anyway, one side now has linings and for the first time in too long the shed is tidy. Productive night.

[Richard]

No issues at all bending the standard ladder braced back to fit the taper. No heat or pre-bending required... just clamp it as you work your way down from the tail to the headstock.

[sleake]

Thanks Richard, comforting to know.

Used some reverse kerfing i made from scraps of newguinea rosewood, very impressed with the rigidity they have added!

Second silly question, i will use a straight unkerfed peice for the lining on the neck. Is it worth notching the headblock to accept these in a sort of tennon joint, rather than a butt (shown below) or am i over worried about making it as strong as possible...

Cheers, steve.

[sleake]

Sorry about the poor quality photos, my phone has a terrible camera

Steve

[Bob Connor]

Hi Steve

The notching will certainly make it stronger but it's not something I typically have done when building lap slides.

Regards

Bob

[sleake]

Ok thanks Bob.

As it happened, i ran out of clamps putting the linings on, so have had plenty time in between separate glueups to have a hack at the headblock. Im sure its overkill, but i want any excuse to lay into rosewood with a chisel.

Steve.

[sleake]

Wow I'm the slowest builder out there!

3 years on and some more progress.

I promise i have achieved other things with my life!

Bindings are nearly all on, bridge and fingerboard done, hopefully get a coat or two of tru oil on in the next week or so and strings on by 2025 haha

[kiwigeo]

Wow I'm the slowest builder out there!

Sorry but Im wearing that crown right now mate. 2 years since I packed up my workshop for a new house build

[blackalex1952]

I have become a slow builder due to health issues..but definitely not as slow as you are! I usually have a tune in my head that I'm keen to get out!!!....cheers! Ross

[colburge]

Wow I'm the slowest builder out there!

Sorry but Im wearing that crown right now mate. 2 years since I packed up my workshop for a new house build

You must be itching to get back into it then! How long until the house is finished?

Col

[sleake]

Bindings are now done, absolute black hole for time - probably 2 hours each edge. Used superglue which has left a bit of a glue line unfortunately but live and learn, guess I would consider them a B- overall. Still well off being clean enough to be proud. But for a first attempt they are ok.

Sanded, masked and now pore filling by sanding in tru-oil. Fairly slow way of pore filling but I'm very impressed with tru oil as a product! Wax on Wax off for the next week or so.

Anyway, thanks for looking.

Cheers steve.

[sleake]

So a slow sprint to the finish line.

A week of tru oil has built a decent finish, still needs a little polish here and there but had a great run of humidity here in wollongong this weekend so fingerboard and bridge went on.

Bit of mucking about at bunnings to mentally design a deep throat clamp from a post stirrup then back to the shed to cut my first thread since year 8 metalwork

Probably a while before Stu-Mac stocks them, but it seems to have worked, guess ill find out when I string her up, wish me luck!

[Lillian]

Looking good Steve. It's coming along nicely. But for the record, I think I have you beat by a decade. I started my first guitar about 14 years ago and had to put it a side to deal with life. The body is closed and bound. It needs to be sanded and finished. The bottle of Tru-Oil finally showed up Wednesday. While I was waiting, I carved the back of the neck last week.

I'll be cracking the bottle open here in a bit. If you have any insights to working with Tru-Oil, please share.

Your clamp looks like it will work just fine. Good job.

StewMac hasn't had any supply issues that I know of. I'm been ordering from them frequently enough that the wife cleared her throat and stared at me when I brought the last package in. I told her that I was just doing what I could to help keep a small niche business stay afloat in these troubled times. I got the look. I'll be having them send my future orders to work. It'll be safer for all involved, well for me at least.

[sleake]

Hi Lillian

Look no really good advice im afraid, as i must admit I'm not 100% happy with the finish at the moment. Tru oil is certainly a nice product but i dont think i have it dialled in yet. Though I must admit i think i have higher expectations than most, everyone who has seen it reckons it's fine as is.

I initially wet sanded with oil and 240 to pore fill, then same again with 600 then had a few days of building 2 or 3 coats a day. But i think i built it too far, as I had lots of cutting back to do. I wet sanded with turps from 600 to 3000 which levelled it but left some dull patches which i assume is burn through/witness marks. They have mostly gone with a top coat of tru oil, but I would have been better off sanding between eveey second or third coat.

So ill have some work to come. Im waiting for it to properly cure, then ill probably do another cut back session followed with a top coat or two, give it a week then do a spit shine to try and make it pop.

But strings are on and this baby sings! Gonna be hard to put her down to make time to sort the finish, so perhaps this is the way it will stay

Steve.

[sleake]

This is it so far. Fairly rough setup while things settle in, but will eventually give it some proper TLC.

Thanks again for looking.

Cheers steve

[Dave M]

Well done Steve. There is no better feeling than playing an instrument you have built entirely yourself is there?

Since you re obviously getting a grip on this stuff the next one will be much quicker...

Cheers Dave

[sleake]

Thanks Dave, yes its amazing to take a few planks of wood and eventually get an instrument.

Yes I hope this is the slowest one - though I have been on the tools the whole time, just with more bread and butter projects. I have a constant backlog of friends and family wanting furniture, doors, windows and surfboards, so unfortunately anything that brings a bit of $ gets priority over my 'fun' projects.

[sleake]

Just for something different here is my latest board getting a coat of fiberglass.

There is something about curves in timber that hools me

[Lillian]

Hi Lillian

Look no really good advice im afraid, as i must admit I'm not 100% happy with the finish at the moment. Tru oil is certainly a nice product but i dont think i have it dialled in yet. Though I must admit i think i have higher expectations than most, everyone who has seen it reckons it's fine as is.

I initially wet sanded with oil and 240 to pore fill, then same again with 600 then had a few days of building 2 or 3 coats a day. But i think i built it too far, as I had lots of cutting back to do. I wet sanded with turps from 600 to 3000 which levelled it but left some dull patches which i assume is burn through/witness marks. They have mostly gone with a top coat of tru oil, but I would have been better off sanding between eveey second or third coat.

So ill have some work to come. Im waiting for it to properly cure, then ill probably do another cut back session followed with a top coat or two, give it a week then do a spit shine to try and make it pop.

But strings are on and this baby sings! Gonna be hard to put her down to make time to sort the finish, so perhaps this is the way it will stay

Steve.

It turned out a treat Steve. Well done.

Thanks for the tut. I've never used Tru-Oil before. I appreciate you writing up your experience with it.

[Clancy]

Nice weisse Steve

Just for something different here is my latest board getting a coat of fiberglass.

And nice fish!
I'm just finishing up a hollow board as well - 8" mini mal in paulownia & recycled western red cedar.

The glass & fill coats went on ok

But the gloss coat didn't self level very well
Lots of sanding ahead of me......

[sleake]

Nice pin lines!

Pity about the gloss coat, not that I have things dialed but have found the warmer the better for epoxy to flow nicely, sorry if that is old news.....

Guess nithing to do but grit your teeth and enjoy a bit of quality time with the orbital

Love the logo inlay up at the nose too!

Hope you can score it's first ride soon.

Steve.