What have you accomplished lately?

[Allen]

It's always good to see what others are up to, as we tend work a lot on our own, so here's your chance to let everyone know what you've been working on. Don't by shy. Post a picture if you can, and if not that's OK.

I've been working away on the East Indian Rosewood / Engelman OM with cutaway and Ryan style arm rest. Got the box closed up, binding channels cut and I've glued in the top and back purfling without the bindings going on yet. There is just so many pieces with miters that I want as good as I'm able, I decided to get them installed, then only have the bindings to worry about.

Here's a picture of the inside with top on.



I also managed to get some Rain Tree / aka Monkey Pod resawn and thickness sanded a couple of sets. I managed to get 6 backs and 4 side sets, so it looks like I'll build 2 guitars completely out of Monkey Pod and another 2 with some other top.

There is a loose knot in this side set, but it's going to be well outside the body depth, so nothing to worry about.



I was told that this stuff is hell to work with but so far I've loved the way it machines. I think that the concern is that the dust is toxic to a lot of people but it didn't seem to affect me.

[kiwigeo]

I had a loose knot on one side of the Allied Op Grade IRW I used on a recent classical. I flooded it with CA and had no problems with it. The knot actually adds character to the instrument.

[gratay]

In the last couple of weeks I've managed to finish the jigs needed to cut the mortise and tenon.. and this weekend I started rough carving the heel, thicknessed the neck taper and started fitting the neck..
I'm miles away from the actual line of the heel as I only have a chisel ...I need to look into maybe some sought of rasp or spokeshave or both but
I am really enjoying the carving part so far.

[Paul B]

Here's the twins, my third and fourth guitars. 000 12 fret. Number 3 is Sapele/euro, number 4 is EIR/Adi (thanks to Colin's advice on the wood combos). Both use New Guinea Rosewood for necks. Minnerichi bindings on both from Tim. I find it interesting that you can get such different looks on guitars with the same binding from the same plank, put them against different back and side woods for a completely different look. Still trying to scrape up enough cash for tuners and finish - one of these days, too many higher priorities.

Latest I'm working on is an OLF SJ with blistered sapele from Don and some Lutz from Mario. No pics of that one yet.







This is the Sapele 000. The rosette, bridge and fret board are Mayall (a desert acacia) that has some pretty fine fiddleback that doesn't seem to show up well in photos.

[Paul B]

Oh, and yes. I am just about the worlds shittiest photographer.

[Colin S]

Paul, those are looking magnificent, I'm sure they will sound great. Don't you just love slot head 12 fretters! They really do look like guitars.

Colin

[ozziebluesman]

I have been building two weissenborn style lap slide guitars at the same time since October last year. The Sassafrass/Myrtle guitar has been documented on another post here but this one, an all Blackwood from Mr Spittle has been developing nicely. This guitar is 10mm thicker that the other and it has been braced as per the MIMF plan, but much lighter. Both guitar are ready for the hard shellac finish process. I couldn't help myself and had to string them up last week to see what sort of tone these guitars have.





Tonight I have recorded both guitars and will post a small quiz shortly for you to have some fun with and guess which tonewood goes with which sound clip.

I think I am addicted to this guitar building!

Cheers

Alan

[Lillian]

I picked up an older dehumidifier yesterday for cheap. Its droning away in the back bedroom. I need to get two more layers of MDF and a layer of hardboard on my bench top. Ordered a Parrot Vise, bench dogs and hold downs yesterday.

I have the bending form about 3/4 of the way done. Need to start on the outside mold.
I was messing around yesterday with a practice set of cedar. Ended up redesigning the shooting board so it can be more easily clamped in place on the bench and I can use toggle clamps to hold the plates in place. Getting closer.

[kiwigeo]

What have I accomplished lately.....absolutely nothing.

Currently stuck at work 400km off the coast of WA with 3 more days to go before I head home. Once home Ill be back working on the 12 string dreadie......fretboard and bridge to work up and then final finishing. Dont think Ill get the thing strung up before coming back to work.

[sebastiaan56]

What have I accomplished, well not as much as I would have liked. Im in the middle of a mandola and two mandolins. The Mandola is all carved, I hard shellaced the soundboard to protect the WRC. In the middle of sanding it all off, Im going to egg white it and then finish with blonde shellac. Im happy with the rosette, It doesnt come up in the photo as the shellac isnt all off yet.

Next step is to to slot the headstock, this is the second neck, I over cut on the first.



Timbers are WRC, New Guinea Rosewood, Cooktown Ironwood for the fretboard and Tassie Blackwood for the headplate.



Body finish will be Tru-Oil

Sebastiaan

[Allen]

There's some fine work going on there everyone. Some real inspiration for projects down the track.

[Taffy Evans]

Hi Folks Heres a shot of part of my repair shop, I have three other benches in here. The four Maton repairs, the Yairi [new top] plus two violins is what was going on in my shop last week. Fitted in some building over the weekend though. I've started working later at night on the repairs to leave more time for building. I'm impressed with the quality and quantity of the work that being posted, thanks for showing it. Building is happening tho, I swept up a bucket load of dust and shavings from last weekend in my machine shop.

[John Maddison]

All mightily impressive pieces Guys!
Congrats Taffy on getting pic onto the forum; nice work.

I'm onto my 3rd of the following:

UKULELES - "The Thinking Man's Violin"


CB Uke - Front


CB Uke - Back

This Cigar Box Ukulele is based very loosely on plans by S. H. Samuels from the 1920's.

I built this uke (above) for a mate's 50th birthday, and the piece featured in the Playmakers 2008 Radio National broadcast as played by Margaret River Luthier Scott Wise. Back & sides + fretboard are Tassie Blackwood; neck is a laminate of light-weight Alaskan Yellow Cedar (sold as decking timber by Bunnings, read: cheap!) with WA Jarrah rib for strength, with WRC top.

CB Ukes had their heyday during the Great Depression when folks, probably African-American, who couldn't afford to buy stringed instruments built these things by adding a neck & strings to discarded dovetailed Spanish Cedar cigar boxes. Today there's a cult following which is witnessing a resurgence in the construction of these 'fun-to-build-and-play' pieces.

Am currently building a Tenor Uke using high-figured Tassie Blackwood scored from TimS, and am enjoying the process just as much as that first CBU.

CB Ukes are a great way for newbies to develop their woodworking skills and (gently) get into building their first instrument.

John

[sebastiaan56]

That Uke is very cool!

Taffy is that Mahogony on the bench in the front, love the colour!

[Taffy Evans]

Yep John the photo problem is history, at least with one photo anyaway, thanks for your input on that one.
Sabastiaan, the guitar in the front is a Yairi repair, it could be Mahogany, its laminated back and sides. but I suspect rosewood it's actualy a lot darker than the photo, the flash must have highlighted the grain. The bench you refered to is actually a small work station that I call the Multivice. I can clamp anything from a bridge blank to a guitar to a double bass in it safely. But thats another story.

[Stephen Kinnaird]

Thanks for the shots, guys. It's always inspiring to see other builders' work. Especially like Paul's twins, and the way the Minnerichi binding looks against the different bodies.

Here's a couple shots of a body we're trying to get out to the finisher.
It's old-growth Cocobolo, trimmed out in really dark Brazilian rosewood.
The top is a piece of almost paper-white Engelmann. Sanding that top,
we uncovered a small knot about 3" south of where the bridge will lie.
May have to 'burst this top, which will please Colin no end.
Anyway, here 'tis:










Thanks fer lookin',

Steve

[Kim]

Cut it out you guys, you are going to shame me back into the workshop and it's just too cold and wet. Must say some impressive stuff going on here.

John, I heard Scott play your uke on the play makers doco and was most impressed with the sound, and she looks real cool as well.

Sebastiaan, great work on the Mandola, looks great mate. Please keep us all posted on the True-Oil finish process.

Taffy, you are quite prolific with major repair work and builds going on your shop sounds dynamic which matches the look of the fine guitars you posted in the other thread.

Allen, as always your work is first class, crisp, clean and inspiring inside and out.

Grant, she is coming along beautifully, the binding looks sharp and the transition of the heel has shaped up nicely.

Paul, great work from you too but we have come to expected that but 2 at a time...now your just being greedy, really like the rose and the binding on the FB is just first class, excellent work.

Alan, your wiesey would make John Butler drool, I know I have commented before but it is impressive.

Lillian, you sound like your moving very close now, cant wait to see your work, if it is half as lovely as your nature, we are all in for a real treat.

Martin, you just get back to work dude. We need a glut of oil to bring the freakin price back down.


Steve, as always excellence, we would expect nothing else from the Kinnaird's.

Cheers all

SlackArse Kim

[Paul B]

Thanks for the kind remarks about the twins guys. I always appreciate feedback on my efforts especially from my peers. And who doesn't?

Otherwise I'd have to just rely on my wife's comments, and what does she know?

This is where I find out she's been lurking to check up on me

[Lillian]

Thank you Kim. That was a sweet comment.







Got him fooled don't I!

[Dave Anderson]

Nothing accomplished on my OO -12 fret lately because repair work has kept me busy the
last couple of weeks. Really a lot of nice work posted here guys!

[sebastiaan56]

Hey Taffy,

How about a run down on your multivise, perhaps a tute? It looks very useful,

Sebastiaan

[Stephen Kinnaird]

Kim, thanks for your generous remarks, mate.
Much appreciated!

Cheers,

Steve

[Bob Connor]

I'm waiting on some tuners to arrive for Captain Cook's classical so I started on another order that was placed last week.

This one's a Tiger Myrtle OM topped with some of Steve Roberson's Red Spruce. This stuff of Steve's is really stiff. You can probably see the late growth in the pic.

[Kim]

That is an incredible piece of Tiger Myrtle you have there Bob, great figure and curl. This is going to make a mighty fine looking guitar.

Cheers

Kim

[Bob Connor]

Yep. Gives me a woody.