My Current guitar project.

[Phillip Patton]

Next the bridge is shaped. I use a 10" wheel on the KMG.

I polish it to 400 grit on the grinder, then buff it a few steps later:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now I have to fit the bottom of the bridge to the top. This is done by taping a sheet of 120 grit paper to the top, and moving the bridge around in the general area that it will be glued:

But first the bottom is marked so I'll know when it fits everywhere.

Sand, sand, sand. :yawn:

After about a month, this is what we end up with. Notice the slight curve:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Here it is after buffing, sitting in it's place:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Before I go any further, I want to cut the soundport. This is a small hole on the side of the guitar in the upper bout. It's purpose is to help the player hear better. And they're a good opportunity for artistic expression.

This one is going to be a fleur-de-lis. To make the pattern, I found an example I liked on google images, printed it out, and shrunk it down with my copier. Then used spray adhesive to attach it to the guitar:

Attach securely to the bench:

I'll be using the small router with a 1/16" bit to remove the bulk of material:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Here is the first lobe done:

Second lobe:

Middle part:

I used needle files to clean up the profile and smooth the edges.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now that the bindings are sanded flush, it's time to fit the neck. First, the inserts are inserted:

And the heel is shaped and trimmed to the correct height:

The heel cap will be added later.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now the neck is installed with one bolt, not tight. The next step is to make sure the neck angle is right, and that the centerline of the neck is lined up with the centerline of the top.

The fit and angle were pretty good already, so this one required very little work:

Adjustments are made by slipping a strip of sandpaper between the body and neck, and pulling it out. This is called "flossing".

 

[Phillip Patton]

Now that the neck fit is perfect, it's time to locate the fret board on the neck. This is done by clamping it in place (12th fret right over the neck/body joint) and drilling a couple of holes for locating pins:

Now it's time to sand the entire body to 220 grit:

 

[Phillip Patton]

Time to radius the fretboard. This is how I do it:

First, use double-sticky tape to keep it in place.

This wooden sanding block has a 16 inch (or is it foot?) radius on one side, and 20 on the other. I use the 20 side with coarse paper to remove most of the material, then the other side with 220 grit to smooth it out. Then I use a radiused foam block to sand up to 1000 grit.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Some people install the frets after the guitar is assembled. I prefer to do it now. So, first thing is to cut the frets to length:

Then the ends need to have the tang removed so they will fit over the binding. This is the tool I use for that:

Here you can see what it does:

Here's how I press the frets on. A micarta block that is radiused to match the fretboard is mounted in my drill press chuck:

 

[Phillip Patton]

The frets are all pressed on, and the ends trimmed with nippers:

The fingerboard has some back bow now that the frets are in. It easily straightens out, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Here the frets are trimmed flush to the edge of the FB with the KMG, and a bevel ground on the ends:

 

[Phillip Patton]

The locating pins are just short sections of music wire:

When I glue the fingerboard on, I don't want to get glue on the truss rod, so I apply a strip of tape over it:

Trim it close:

Apply glue and peel off the tape:

 

[Phillip Patton]

The FB is then installed taking care that the locator pins go in the holes easily:

Clamps are applied, with cork under them to protect the FB:

While the glue is curing, I finish sanding the body. The sound board might need more sanding after I pore fill the back and sides.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Also, the edges need to be rounded off. Right now you could almost cut yourself on the corners:

Here's a shot with the neck and bridge set in place:

 

[Phillip Patton]

It's time to glue on the heel cap. It will be ironwood, and hopefully will blend with the binding.

Here it's glued on, and lines drawn from a ruler on the back:

I've ground off the extra, and drawn the shape of the heel on it:

 

[Phillip Patton]

A few shots of the shaping of the neck and heel. Some people carve them, I use my KMG. It's good for more than just knives.

 

[Mike Davis]

Man, your talent is astounding! That guitar is absolutely amazing! Keep the drug coming!

 

[silver_pilate]

HURRY UP HURRY UP HURRY UP!!! Sorry, my little kid side of my brain got in control for a moment. No patience....

I just LOVE these threads. I really enjoyed your last WIP, and this one is just as epic. You do a great job staying productive, and all of us thank you!

--nathan

 

[Mike Davis]

I sent you an email Phillip, not sure it sent all the pics. Here is a pic of those boards...

 

[type00rev]

Phenomenal thread.....thanks for sharing. It's amazing watching this guitar come together.