Sydney Guitar Making Course - Intensive, Jan 2022 photo journal - very photo heavy

[Steve.Toscano]

Hey all.
Thought I'd give a look into my intensive guitar making course running from my Sydney workshop.
This course started on Jan 3rd and runs for 15 days Mon - fri / 3 weeks.

Its a crazy 15 days - for me and the students. I take a well needed weeks holiday at the end of each of these courses.

I run these courses in January and July each year (when covid doesnt get in the way).

5 students in total, they are making:
3x falcate braced Steel string OM's, 2 with a cutaway.
1x Traditional Classical
1x Flamenco Blanca

Some of these students are complete novices, some have made guitars with me prior.
They make everything from raw materials, but due to time restraints start with pre joined soundboards (and Jason making the ebony classical pre joined the back plates), they will primarily use hand tools.

I'll do a post for each day.

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 1, 3rd January 2022

Cut out plan, make and glue in rosettes, start making braces.

The orders stuffs up

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 2, 4th January 2022

More brace making, soundboard thicknessing (hand plane), neck glueups.

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 3, January 5th 2022

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Fitting and glueing down top braces, joining backs, thicknessing backs and sides, side bending. Misc - starting on bridges, fretboards, headstock veneers etc... Plus: theory discussions and plenty of banter.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 4


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Brace shapeing (top and back). Laying down Carbon fibre tow.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 5

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More brace shapeing. Cutting mortice and tenon neck joints. Carving heels. Headstock shapeing.
Plus - it was Friday so.... pizzas were eaten and beers were consumed (post machinery/tool use).

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[Mark McLean]

That looks completely awesome - and exhausting. The quality of work that I can see there is fantastic, and it must be really inspiring for the five of them to be there working together (as well as for you, Steve).
How is the humidity - down the road from you the RH in my workshop is 88% today and the dehumidifier is not coping, so I am having to delay closing up the box on my latest job. I love the last photo - sharp chisel and bandaid on finger, but getting on with it.
Cheers, and best wishes for successful completion of great instruments.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Steve....great photos.

[Steve.Toscano]

That looks completely awesome - and exhausting. The quality of work that I can see there is fantastic, and it must be really inspiring for the five of them to be there working together (as well as for you, Steve).

Thanks Mark, it certainly is all the above.

How is the humidity - down the road from you the RH in my workshop is 88% today and the dehumidifier is not coping, so I am having to delay closing up the box on my latest job. I love the last photo - sharp chisel and bandaid on finger, but getting on with it.
Cheers, and best wishes for successful completion of great instruments.

I can control RH in my workshop to an extent, have a very large air con, been sitting at around 55% in the main workshop space the last few weeks. However more importantly I have a dry room that sits at 40 - 45% 24/7. Work in progress lives in the dry room and comes out for glue ups.

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 6

Blocks and sides glued. Headstocks, and more fretboards.

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[seeaxe]

Impressive. Im loving that ebony back and sides. That will look spectacular under finish

[Steve.Toscano]

Impressive. Im loving that ebony back and sides. That will look spectacular under finish

It does!!! He put the first session of french polish on it today (im 5 days behind in posting photos ). Problem is the photos dont do it justice, so much nicer in the flesh.

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 7
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More sides on, side braces, and bridge making.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 8

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Side braces, back kerfing. The first of the backs are glued.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 9

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More backs on, bindings, tail piece, fretboards...
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[paulvdb1]

All done today !!!

One of these guitars is mine and sounds great. Steve was able to manage a great course in which we all got to make fairly high-end and customised guitars. For students, we all got to use premium woods, and were able to do quite a bit of customisation - within reason. Whilst all of us had a little to solid wood-working experience, the process we followed was clear and at no time really rushed. There was enough time to get some quality into our work and re-do when required (not too many items had to be re-done - and no disasters)

We finished the 3 weeks with 5 very playable, and great sounding, guitars. Even if our guitars had only been OK I had a lot of fun doing the course and getting to play closely with lovely timbers and tools (without too many scars)!!

Thanks Steve

[kiwigeo]

Steve, you appear to be using pre mortised and drilled head blocks on some of those guitars. There necks also appear to be rough shaped and fitted prior to the back going on. Would you kindly be able to provide details of the process?

[Steve.Toscano]

Steve, you appear to be using pre mortised and drilled head blocks on some of those guitars. There necks also appear to be rough shaped and fitted prior to the back going on. Would you kindly be able to provide details of the process?

Good observation Martin.
Yes, i go about assembly of a steel string acoustic a little differently to 'conventional'.
I (or students) make the neck block and mortice it by hand prior to guitar assembly, then make the neck heel and tenon to match. Bolt these all together (as per conventional with brass bar and 2x 6mm bolts). Then get it all aligned up and glue the neck block to the soundboard with neck bolted on, at this same time i also glue the tail block to the soundboard. After glue is dried unbolt neck and fit and glue the sides 1 at a time to the neck block/soundboard/ & tail block. Sides already have linnings attached and shaped.

There's a number of reasons for this assembly method, mainly:
1) Its hard to stuff up, well harder to stuff up then routing the body mortice once closed.
2) Its easy to teach and instruct - keep in mind that most of my students are new to guitar making and wood working.
3) It's all done with bandsaw/tenon saw, and a chisel. In a class of up to 6 students I want to limit noise and dust so limit the use of routers.
4) Students can go home and repeat the build without the need for as many jigs and tools.

As to the necks, The heels and headstocks are completed, & the neck width is rough cut on the bandsaw prior to the box being closed yes.

I'll try to do a separate thread further explaining this method.

[Steve.Toscano]

All done today !!!

Thanks Paul, was a pleasure having you along for the ride. Your guitar is amazing, well done!

[Steve.Toscano]

Day 10


Im a week behind with posting the photos. Will try to catch up today.
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Sanding, more fretboards, glueing bindings..
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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 11

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More bindings, freting, neck shapeing, glueing fretboard over body.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 12

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The guys who are further ahead started french polishing. The others are shapeing necks still and sanding.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 13

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French polishing, fitting and glueing bridges.

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[Steve.Toscano]

Day 14
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2nd last day. French polishing, bridge glueing, and an afternoon of fret leveling.

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[Steve.Toscano]

The BIG Day 15

Setup and string up day.
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2 guitars french polished and rubbed back to a matte, another will be french polished at home, and the other 2 are off to be sprayed.
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