Octatonic's guitar buildery thread

octatonic

Cheers- I have an ebony fingerboard, bridge and headstock veneer too.

I am considering making ebony binding too- but that will be a major ball-ache to execute cleanly.

octatonic

Some more progress today.

We had a free day so I went in- for 90% of the day I was the only person from my year in the workshop.

It was great- I was able to spread out and get stuff done.

I corrected a couple of high spots on the end graft.

Then I rough shaped the back and soundboard, within 5-10mm of the final line- doesn't need to be exact.

You don't cut too close as you don't want to draw lines on the soundboard for the bracing as a pencil line looks like a gap, and vice-versa.

I line up on the overhang and it works much better.

I radiused all of the braces- I am using 3mm for the back and the soundboard.

Usually you would use 6mm for the back but this is a parlour guitar- small body so IMHO 6mm isn't necessary.

Then I made a strip for the back out of 4 pieces of soundboard off cuts- the joins will be under the braces that cross them.

Then I glued them to the back, using a go-bar deck with a radiused board (3mm) using a straight edge to set them level.

Tomorrow I'll chamfer the edges of the back strip and glue the back braces on.

Some pics:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/532188_426279914168462_2096386167_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1467401_426279734168480_102559330_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1426417_426279780835142_895179877_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1398017_426279994168454_783868998_o.jpg

frankus

aw .. unlucky James... looks like it's turning into an acoustic guitar

octatonic

frankus said:

aw .. unlucky James... looks like it's turning into an acoustic guitar

LOL.

Today was a productive day.

The soundboard was braced up- it is in the go-bar deck now.

I scalloped out the back strip ready for the braces.

It has come out really nice- I should have the back braced by Wednesday (would be tomorrow but there is a strike at uni tomorrow).

Pics to follow.

octatonic

Well, pic.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1465764_428144210648699_1521419658_o.jpg

Kebabkid

Nice one James.

Will this be purely an acoustic guitar or are you planning on adding a pickup system during the building process, afterwards or never?

Good stuff.

octatonic

Kebabkid said:

Nice one James.

Will this be purely an acoustic guitar or are you planning on adding a pickup system during the building process, afterwards or never?

Good stuff.

Short answer is I don't know quite yet.

I'd like to put a decent piezo in it (and do some experiments with a stereo jack and putting a condenser or dynamic mic inside the body too) but I don't know if it will be this one or the next one.

A decent piezo is a couple of hundred.

I don't see any point in putting a cheap piezo in- they generally suck but I don't want to overcapitalise on this instrument if it isn't very good.

randomhandclaps

Keep coming back to look at the ebony end block - it really is a cracking choice.

octatonic

Thanks mate.

I have an ebony headstock veneer that I should put on this week.

I might bind it.

chrispy108

ThePrettyDamned said:

Every minute I could.

When I studied chemistry, at 3k a year, I worked out how much each lecture cost and they ain't cheap! Chemistry is VERY intense, lectures every day for most of the day and lab when there were none, but it was daft to miss any, even though this offered better value.  So, lectures were attended, even when hanging like a twat. 

My house mate studied English Lit, and he worked out that, with just 4 hours of contact time per week in the third year, he was paying hundreds per hour! Weird thing was, he'd still miss the odd lecture... Seriously! 

Get the best value you can mate.

Mad isn't it! I did the final year of my degree (Physics), whilst working full-time (not a good idea), and my attendance was still in the top 5% of the class! I'd get to a Thursday afternoon lecture having been in work since 7am, and they'd be students who'd just fallen out of bed moaning they were too busy to get the work done!

Guitar's looking ace Oct! Is this course just for an awesome hobby, or is there a business idea at the end of it for you?

octatonic

chrispy108 said:

Guitar's looking ace Oct! Is this course just for an awesome hobby, or is there a business idea at the end of it for you?

I want to be a professional builder.

chillidoggy

It's a fascinating subject Oct, and I'm really impressed with your work so far. Plus, I've just noticed the guitar shape reminds me of the missus, somehow........

octatonic

Thanks chilli- it is good fun.

The strike today has been a PITA- I just wanted to get into the workshop.

Ah well... tomorrow.

Parlous guitars are definitely feminine.

octatonic

Ok, well, I made a stupid error.

I put the tone bar on backwards.

It is easy to do- the drawings show the brace placement from the top down but you brace them from the back.

Lots of people make this mistake.

So I removed it with a chisel and stanley scraper blade, made a new one, radiused it and put it on in the right location.

Oh, and I braced up the back completely.

Good day, considering I was only in for 4 hours.

Pics:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1482917_429132890549831_1958224774_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/999795_429132947216492_1402362598_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1426268_429132997216487_681328404_n.jpg

octatonic

Next up- profile the braces and glue on the patches around the sound hole and under the bridge.

Then the prep for gluing the soundboard and back on.

octatonic

Braces went on great- no gaps and all is good.

Friday was spent cleaning up glue squeeze out & shaping two of the braces of the back.

No pics yet- Once post more once all the braces are shaped.

octatonic

Some pics of the brace shaping.

Still have some work to do- want to get them roughly shaped the same, with the same curve at the sides and the same profile.

Quite time consuming to get right- although I could probably put it on now I wouldn't be happy with it.

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1452177_431378913658562_1025406942_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1496237_431378983658555_486350691_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/886152_431379013658552_1592656823_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1465875_431379046991882_1474018079_o.jpg

ThePrettyDamned

Oh my god, I love this thread. I'm going to wow you.

octatonic

Thanks TPD.

Today was spent shaping the braces finally.

They look great now- won't have pics until Thursday though.

Then started cutting out the notches for the braces to sit in on the ribs.

Very tricky now- it takes a lot of time and might not update for a few days.

octatonic

I forgot about a thing I did yesterday.

I had some small dents on the ribs from where I put in some sticks to push the ribs into the mould.

I should shave use a small piece of wood for the sticks to protect the ribs, but a few times I didn't and they were dented in variou splices.

The fix is quite ingenious- you get 'Big Bertha'- the massive soldering iron in the picture- up to temperature and put a wet cloth in between it and the rib.

Steam does the rest.

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1488185_432402693556184_1240337722_n.jpg

It worked brilliantly- I should have taken a picture of the finished product, but trust me it is perfect now.

The most fun to do, too.

Also... that isn't my hand.