OM Acoustic Build (Mark Bailey Course)

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Ebony Veneer stuck on to the front of the headstock. This is a little tricky to do because the Veneer can slide around all too easily whilst you're trying to clamp it up.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yYLpHr5CRuo/Vrfg449xj5I/AAAAAAAABkU/dH0UH46-qNkxIU0SfZjMm8QVpRJAPikNgCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0355.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Carving the Neck. Firstly, the surface of the back of the Neck has to be taken down to a fraction over the thickness you ultimately want. You need to decide how thick you want the Neck to be (maybe take measurements off the Neck of your favourite guitar for example).

Then, if you imagine being able to look at a cross section of the neck, at this stage it's a rectangle. So what you do then is to take the corner off the edges of the back of the Neck, and then you take the corners off the angled surface that you have just made. You then steadily head towards making a rounded surface - first with rasps and, in the end, with sand paper. So there's the start of the process.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_hdDQ7r2N9I/Vrfg8J_X68I/AAAAAAAABkU/qeUsPsVlfhQQP-4HRWTyy2fqArmjJ-RBQCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0368.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Then taking the corners off the corner.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iueortPBztY/Vrfg7mQOPbI/AAAAAAAABkU/R0PQ6IxfXd4EaYPBUJo3fT9Wv1XNHO2pgCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0373.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

After a bit of sweaty work, and it's round. You the have to seek out low spots, and high spots, Some may be obvious to the eye, but this is one area where you discover how sensitive your finger tips are. You can feel lumps and bumps much more easily than you can see them. One trick, for low spots, is to cover the Neck with pencil marks.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M4nsf0iiBTQ/Vrfg-NrCUxI/AAAAAAAABkU/juObryRqd68sKHjtd_IpqpfQ6PYjQps2wCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0382.jpg

Then, when you sand, the pencil will remain where the low spots are. They can be a real pain, because you have to keep sanding the whole of the rest of the Neck to get rid of them. Ultimately you want feel that the Length of the Neck is smooth as you run your hand up and down. You can also hold the Neck as if you were playing it to see if the thickness of the Neck is right for you.

ArchtopDave · March 2016

At this stage, the length of the Neck itself is finished. The Heel and Volute were both carved to a fair degree, but not fully finished until later.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hh1NbEICoz0/VrfhHN04REI/AAAAAAAABkU/THDyE2coXDEIHa6a5ufhIDYj2wi5mErtQCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0398.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ykWUnJJK8aw/VtqwX0bw5PI/AAAAAAAABo0/c9EMBScZg5YyBvCyai5cydOAJT9huD2awCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0399.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

The Fretboard Inlays I bought. I make my own Headstock Inlays at home. Here's my little home setup.

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A piece of plywood clamped to a table with a slot in it for cutting the Inlay material (Gold MOP waiting to be cut). Clockwise from this, the Saw, and then my Headset with magnifying lenses and LED's on it - very useful bit of kit for doing fine jobs on the guitar. The LED's are great because they light up the area you want to see - they're set round the edge beside the lenses. Next a copy my full sized drawing and the scalpel that I use to cut out the individual pieces of the drawing of the Inlay. Tube of Lube for the Saw Blade, and some Forceps (would you perhaps guess I'm a surgeon!!). Two fine files, and a sheet of New Zealand Paua.

ArchtopDave · March 2016

I cut out pieces from the drawing, and stick them to the Inlay material with Photo Mount Spray Adhesive.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aVaJDYvh-A4/Vrffo_W4hmI/AAAAAAAABkU/rYO_gU17-PcDOEPLTKQcb7od_qiWDlQSwCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0285.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

I was a bit careless cutting this bit out and managed to break not one but two saw blades. Still it was a photo opportunity.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-di5yZpVJREE/VrffsPlwnTI/AAAAAAAABkU/1KLHUSGWnqUF-oSi5q6m8woXuzaQK7NggCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0291.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hlHrqM_NJWA/Vrffsn_r3-I/AAAAAAAABkU/yyn9PRV_COYOhKVJWsmWhzO9T92nXFVFQCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0295.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Here's the lot cut out. I then peel off the paper, and smooth the edges of them, and do any final shaping, with my fine files. These Inlays are all inlaid into the Headstock separately, so I do not have do any work on matching any of the pieces to each other.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GyqwWZhQrcw/VrffzVjhZ7I/AAAAAAAABkU/_fICE9P-HGEdzyap9ncHzBhq4nAIb34ugCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0301.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Back in Mark's Workshop, the inlay pieces are positioned, and stuck to the Headstock with small drops of glue, and then a line carefully scribed round each piece of Inlay.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YsbDN_79I4g/VrfhH2IhsLI/AAAAAAAABkU/216h1Acwdp0Gn4c7WwzQwTQ_dB10nTpWwCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0384.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Then make the cavities for the Inlays with the Dremel. I find the Headset with it's LED's and magnification incredibly useful for doing this work.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IVwDZgBY4fQ/VrfhKffnoVI/AAAAAAAABkU/5FznVwwc7pwQF_YOa2a2xohvuz3Qn-PUACCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0385.jpg

Here's the first stage of the first hole. Later each cavity will be taken down to full depth. Notice how fine the scribed lines are - you can easily imagine how easily they disappear from view when you're using the Dremel, which is, of course, producing sawdust. You can help yourself a little by rubbing white chalk dust into the scribed lines.

ArchtopDave · March 2016

All cavities down to depth.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zqM9aOoPmjM/VrfhRZ2GYmI/AAAAAAAABkU/am28FginjlItgLw2YpePeNabd5EbkM4IwCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0392.jpg

With the Inlays in. There's the odd place where I've lost a little bit of control of the Dremel. To give you some idea of the degree of error, the Gold MOP Teardrop at the top right hand end has a maximum width of 4 mm.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8r478COePaY/VrfhTTxDDKI/AAAAAAAABkU/N9X0GFPYMEEv_niS9k_U9umKKQRG9IGswCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0390.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Again, with Ebony, black Super Glue is your friend. The wet look to the left end is due to this area having been stayed with Glue Accelerator. Here's also one cavity filled with glue and the Inlay about to go in.

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Once all the Inlay pieces are in, extra glue is applied round the edges to fill any cavities as far as possible.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BiKllfJ0Kf4/VrfhYMqNOlI/AAAAAAAABkU/fPvuPSRRrLIGBrfCxoYP2ktNJ1TVRWoeACCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0397.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

When sanded down, there are always a few air pockets in the dried glue,and theses need filling in and re-sanding until you get rid of all of them.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R3n7-lCQN0w/Vrflkj-NWNI/AAAAAAAABkU/2d9tr9kqZTEfqtuk9CqtjlsZrm4miOrhwCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0058.jpg

Job done.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SxXh7FI-RoI/Vrfll20C-gI/AAAAAAAABkU/6P_I8Y69PZI9X0_x8sVOwP2CHAZmLlGoQCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0062.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

The Headstock then needs to be bound. Strips of Tasmanian Blackwood bent to the shape of the Headstock.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YRUASZ3apqU/Vrflrs1JFDI/AAAAAAAABkU/J5_cisaXyvchRJzY3vowpQIBD-QGo6glwCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0067.jpg

ArchtopDave · March 2016

Then glued and taped. I did ask Mark, if there was any reason for the sequence of glueing the strips on. He explained that, if you imagine that you are playing the guitar, then when you look down on the Headstock, you cannot see the joints between the Binding pieces. Small but neat detail. Prior to glueing each piece in, you have to chisel the correct angle on the end of the piece to fit the one that's already glued in.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vmyJcJovie0/Vrfls2x9EHI/AAAAAAAABkU/u3MwJll2o1YYgy_yk-E4H_9ILTyjVUhCQCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0068.jpg

All glued and taped.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sqTvr0-XObo/VrfltllaipI/AAAAAAAABkU/o-zocUggy3cwA5s66G250KSCNkUyaqx5QCCo/s800-Ic42/DSC_0071.jpg