What have you got done this weekend?

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:51 pm

I've built a dolls house for my 5 year old daughter despite the fact that the RH is right on the money for guitar building this weekend. Priorities, what can you do...

She's thrilled with it BTW.

Maybe guitars tomorrow...

What have you achieved?

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:10 pm

Most of the day doing up a fullscale drawing of my 12 string so I can work out string spacings and pin locations on the bridge.

Had a visit from a friend who plays the shakuhachi (Japanese flute). he brought along his collection of flutes, most of them made from Aussie woods.

Now.....chilling out watching The Bill with a glass of red.

Pics of the flutes. The bloke is Ray the owner and player of the flutes and the cute little Japanese Girl is my wife.

Tiger Myrtle

The rest of the pics are of a native plum instrument (forgot the exact species but its from WA)

The boss tries to gently coax a note out of the flute

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:16 pm

I am still working on growing grass, the lawn kind......, and when not out side I am ordering the wood and associated parts for my guitars when I start building in earnest in early 2009.

I have also been playing a lot of golf and loving it!

WaddyT · Post by **WaddyT** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:17 am

Hesh, I thought your shop was going to be in your basement. I didn't know you had another shop in earnest!

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:01 pm

I started work on a new instrument, or at least I hope that it's going to end up being a new instrument. It's Raintree / Monkeypod and I hope to make the body entirely out of it. I bent the sides up, but they've rippled quite severely. I've had a go at trying to iron them out a bit on the bending iron, but they seem to have a mind of their own. I'll end up trying to massage them into submission during the week.

I got the back and top joined, and I think that they look spectacular. If I can't manage to get the sides to behave, I'm going to have to find some other body material to try these out on as tops.

I've take both sets down to 2.6 mm. They are incredibly stiff lengthwise, ( I can hardly get them to flex at all with the grain) and about where I think my 000 spruce tops are at across the grain.

I also got some clear sprayed on the 0M and will post a couple of pictures in the adjustable neck thread, to show what I did this time around with the floating fingerboard.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 4:32 pm

Paul B wrote:I've built a dolls house for my 5 year old daughter . Priorities, what can you do...

She's thrilled with it BTW.

On ya Paul. Man , they grow up quick. Make the most of their younger years . We only get one chance at it !

Cheers mate

ozziebluesman · Post by **ozziebluesman** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:24 pm

I finally finished my first build, the sassafrass, myrtle weissenborn copy this weekend.

It is Hard Shellac with a final application of Beez Wax. Iam happy with the result.

Next, record a few sound sample.

Here are a few pics

Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan

Paul B · Post by **Paul B** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:40 pm

Cheers Craig mate, She painted it herself today and it looks awful, but she's happy with it. My wife said "we try to make it look perfect, but she just wants to make it hers" Sums it up I guess.

Alan that is looking excellent!

I actually did some work on a new guitar today! Blistered sapele from Don W, OLF SJ, now it has a back strip/center seam reinforcement. Progress is always good, no matter how slow.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:39 pm

Allan, that first guitar is a credit to you mate, well done. It looks very clean and tidy workmanship.

My weekend was mixed. Sprayed the last coats on the '000' I'm building, cutout the pearl inlay for the solidbody resonator guitar project and did some work on the neck, and for a change I built a jig. This one is to aid in routing the rod slot in the neck blank. I've done it the same way for years but find this new way quicker.

Spent Sunday arvo pumping out the blues with the boys in the band. No repairs yippee, well not until Monday anyway.

Allen have you had experience of different side and back timbers? I've got a great piece of walnut [parlor guitar back size] but not enough for sides. Customer wants me to use this walnut somehow.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:46 pm

I cant think of a good reason not to use different woods for sides and back apart from a blind adherance to tradition.

Go for it Taffy.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:31 pm

I've not built anything with different back from sides, but no reason at all why it couldn't be done. I think the trick is going to be to find a combination that will be complimentary in the aesthetes.

What sort of walnut is it? And what's the color? I have some Queensland Walnut laying around the house.

Edit:

Taffy, I just had a look, and I have a set of orphaned Qld. Walnut sides that are a very straight grain, 1/4 sawn and a dark brown. Identical to the ones on my 2 PJ's. If they will do the trick you can have them. Let me know.

James Mc · Post by **James Mc** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:07 pm

Allen. I helped a guy build a guitar out of Morton Bay Fig and we had a similar problem with the sides. He ended up building a little pyramid roller from 50mm steel pipe heating it with the gas axe (oxy torch) and over rolling the sides after a good long soak. Bit of effort and a couple of hours spent building the roller, it but worked a treat.

Alan... looks great!

matthew · Post by **matthew** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:26 pm

Ok this weekend has been mightily interrupted, BUT:

... Almost finished adding some spruce cleats to the inside of the cedar top.

Sheesh that looks like a weissenborn, doesn't it??

... State of the nation; Three of my five basses!

... Been making frames for Rita's exhibition out of whatever leftovers I have. I have made 26 frames so far. Hide glue and V nails, finished with danish oil. These two are beauties. they might be keepers, not sellers.

first one is from a stick of worm-eaten blackwood i was going to burn.

This one is from a leftover of silky oak from Ed's stash.

Dave White · Post by **Dave White** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:08 am

Martin - Fabulous flutes and your very happy wife playing one.

Allen - fabulous looking Monkey pod. So the sides are being little monkeys then

Alan - that looks great, bring on the soundclips.

Taffy - My first Weiss had sapele top and back with English walnut sides. No reason at all (apart from that dreaded word "tradition") not to pick and mix.

Matthew - That's just another dimension alltogether for luthierie. Awesome.

I spent the weekend mending a snapped neck. Before:

And after:

Plus a lovely long planned get together with our four lovely daughters.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:33 am

Thanks Dave and Allen, I'm sold, tradition can get in the way progress at times. I even find it hard to follow someone elses plan at times, I just gotta tweek something.

Allen the walnut is very dark, not sure what type, but not Queensland, I'll post a pic tonight, my customer had it given to him by his wife as a gift for a gun stock. He did not use it but wants me to use it, I have already built him a Mandolin and he does not want another.......yet. Thanks for the offer of the sides might have a deal there.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 5:01 pm

Hi again Allen
Here is a pic of the Walnut, I have not sliced it yet, as I said thatâ€™s a parlor size outline shown. I love that figure and it does not look as dark as I first thought.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 5:19 pm

Here's a picture of the sides.

They're pretty plain looking compared to that piece. You can see a completed image of the sister sets to these on my website. Not the greatest pictures of the sides, but they end up being quite a dark chocolate brown.

Queensland Walnut / Australian Cedar

It's hard to tell from the image, but it almost looks likes you you try some Blackwood as well for the sides.

jjh · Post by **jjh** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:24 am

Here's my current build been bracing the top this weekend in the order of construction

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:37 pm

Allen I have Blackwood sets and as you suggested and it is not a bad match; however they are parts of sets.

I hit this piece of NG Rosewood with shellac to darken the color, and I donâ€™t mind it. Itâ€™s got figure as has the back timber, and I could darken it further when I fill the grain. Iâ€™ve built quite a few guitars from NG Rosewood in the past.

Thanks for the offer of the orphaned sides of yours, but I donâ€™t think I could give them a home this time.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:53 pm

jjh wrote:Here's my current build been bracing the top this weekend in the order of construction

Hi jhh, (a name would be good)

Welcome to the ANZLF, what book are you using as a construction guide? From the look of your mold, it could be Kinkead's yes?

Cheers

Kim

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:26 pm

Lots and nothing. Lots around the house and nothing in the shop. And it looks like all I'll be doing in the shop for a while is packing it up. We're moving. After an year and a half of a seriously tedious commute, it has come to my attention rather forcefully that besides being tedious, it isn't good for me.

We found a house that is walking distance to work for me and Fran can walk to the bus station to get into Seattle. It needs a ton of work, which is why we can afford it. It has an unfinished basement that I will quickly claim as "SHOP" territory. We're going up today to have a real look at it. And even if we don't like it or they laugh at our offer, I will still be busy getting this place ready to sell. Sanding, scraping and repairing are on my list of things to do, but not in the shop.

Once we move and get settled, oh baby! I'll have serious shop time. I get a full day back each week by not commuting, I did say it was a tedious commute didn't I? My brother lives up there now and is already making plans for us to build kayaks in my shop. He's good to me that way, doesn't want me to be bored. Which of course has nothing to do with the fact he doesn't own any tools nor has a clue as to how to use them.

So, I may fall off the radar for a while, go into serious lurking mode, but I'm not gone.

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:46 pm

Lillian my friend good luck on the possible new digs. I know that your commute takes hours a day so this sounds very promising.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:58 am

No worries Taffy. I think the rosewood is a good choice. Much better match than my walnut.

Lillian, I don't know how you could handle a commute like that. I've never had more than 5 minutes to work in my whole like, and I'd absolutely never change that. Me time is just too precious to waste it in a commute. Good luck on acquiring some new digs.

Lillian · Post by **Lillian** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:55 pm

Well Allen, actually I can't. When I first took the position, we were going to move and then the housing market up here tanked. So we put it off. Now its time to move.

I'm hoping to we can sell this place quickly and find one up there that is close enough to walk to work or at least ride a bike.

matthew · Post by **matthew** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:38 pm

I drive 40 minutes across Sydney every day to get to work. I figure that's a day's work a week in the car. But no choice for me. If I didn't travel to that work, I wouldn't be able to afford to build basses for a HOBBY!

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What have you got done this weekend?

What have you got done this weekend?

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