New member

[scwood]

Thank's for letting me join.
I'm a 64 year old (ret) carpenter & joiner from Tasmania about to build my first acoustic guitar, I have been collecting timber for my build and learning how to bend the sides, making jigs. Have purchased the Gore & Gilet books should be here on Monday, head first into the deep end!!
Cheers. Steve.

[Mark McLean]

Hi Steve and welcome. We are here to help - always fun and challenging in equal measure for the first build, but you probably have a lifetime of skills that will assist you. I had none!
What are you planning in terms of guitar style and also timbers? What tools are you starting with?
Cheers
Mark

[kiwigeo]

Welcome to the forum Steve.

If you're heading down the Gore and Gilet route then maybe take a week or two to read the books before making any sawdust.

Looking forward to progress reports on your first build and as Mark mentioned dont hesitate to ask any questions. Trevor Gore will respond if they relate to The Books.

[scwood]

Thank's gent's, tools I have a lot! thicknesser , buzzer, table saw , band saw , routers ..... plus Japanese saws, rasps, hand planes and also have a mens shed down the road and they have a drum sander.
Timber wise i have Myrtle lining boards salvaged from my home reno as well as KD hardwood that was milled some 80 years ago so to start with i will have a go with what i have on hand. some Myrtle laid up for a back 3mm thick.
I be reading the books for quite a while based on what others have said and am in no hurry. still deciding on guitar style.

[Mark McLean]

OK, you will be good for tools then - but some luthiery specific things like a bending iron, fret hammer and nippers, bridge clamps, reamers might be additional purchases along the way. The Myrtle could certainly make good back and sides. You will want a softwood like spruce or cedar for the soundboard. There are not many Australian native timbers that are good for soundboards but if you want to stay all indigenous then King Billy pine, Huon pine or Bunya are tried and tested options. The neck wood is another important choice but there are plenty that will do a good job. Fingerboard and bridge need to be hard and stiff. Gidgee or other desert hardwoods make good fingerboards with many similarities to the traditional ebony or rosewood. Lots of fun ahead. The G&G books are the definitive texts, but a big read. Volume 1 is a lot of theory about design principles, and many first time builders might not want or need that. Volume 2 is excellent on build methodology. There are much simpler books available if you just want a plan and a cookbook-like set of instructions (I found Jonathan Kinkead’s book helpful for build 1), but as you get deeper into it the G&G books will become your main reference.

[scwood]

Mark, yes i do need to get fretting tools, I have cobbled a bending iron with a 40mm copper tube a scourer pad in one end and a heat gun it seems to work quite well, I tried bending some Myrtle, Sheoak and Tas oak, frustrating at first but with time managed to get them all to bend! the marvels of Youtube. there is a lot more to making a guitar than i would have thought but every day is a learning day
I do have a piece of salvaged red pine 250mm wide by 19mm thick at 4m long quarter sawn with a very fine grain and super light maybe for a top down the road. I'm sure my first few attempts might end up on the wall of shame. thank's for the info on the book and yes the G&G books may be a challenge (like learning a new language) but i will take my time and have fun along the way.

[kiwigeo]

I do have a piece of salvaged red pine 250mm wide by 19mm thick at 4m long quarter sawn with a very fine grain and super light maybe for a top down the road.

For first builds I'd be going with tried and true woods. Spruce for the top and Indian Rosewood for the back and sides. The neck...Queensland maple is my go to neck wood. IRW is easy to bend and spruce is a reliable top wood. The other advantage is that many of the calculations in The Books have inputs data gathered by Trevor for these woods.

Low weight is good for a top but if the stiffness is low then it may disappoint. Light and stiff is how you should be making your tops.

[scwood]

Thank's Martin for the advice, I am going to use the timber i have on hand just for the practical experience in building my first couple of guitars as i'm sure there will be mistakes made. I have been reading the G&G books (a lot to take in) and have purchased a copy of the Kinkead book. "Happy days"