Fourth guitar - Panama Exocet

[DLJeffs]

Woo hoo, went down to my coach's shop to give him a hand and started my fourth guitar today. We sanded sides on a couple of his and glued on end blocks. Then we glued up the torrified sitka top, prepared and bent the sides for my 4th guitar. and then I glued on the end blocks. This one will be Panama rosewood back and sides, torrified sitka top, mahogany neck, and cocobolo fingerboard,binding, bridge, and headplate. Hence the Panama name. Then helped the other guy who works in the shop glue on kerfing on the guitar he's building for his Dad. He usually builds electrics and is totally new to acoustics so I was able to help him.







About two weeks ago I went down and helped him build three extra workbenches, that he hopes to use when he offers guitar building classes. He liked working with me to build mine and thought it'd be a nice way to add a little extra income since they moved to a larger shop with enough room for more work benches.

 

[Eric Rorabaugh]

What are you doing with all these guitars?

 

[SENC]

What are you doing with all these guitars?

I think most people play them. Do game wardens have other uses for them?

 

[DLJeffs]

What are you doing with all these guitars?

Well, I originally planned to make three - one for me, and one for each of my two kids. But my coach saw that cocobolo board in my garage and when I told him the history of it, he said we could use it in a guitar. That sounded like a really cool idea so we're making a fourth one. So I'll keep two and my kids will each get one.

 

[DLJeffs]

I think most people play them. Do game wardens have other uses for them?

Uh oh, here we go...

 

[Nature Man]

Uh oh, here we go...

In his other life he is a guitar warden…

 

[Eric Rorabaugh]

I wish I could play guitar!

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

I have wondered what it would be like to be able to play. I have owned about 3 or 4 different guitars, electric bass, acoustic flat tops, electric fender knock off... In the process, I realized the main thing I liked about them is the woodworking, the main reason I would learn to play would be to know when the build was just right.

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

But I sure love watching you fellers build em in the meantime!

 

[DLJeffs]

Got the kerfing and side bracing all finished. Went with slightly smaller side bracing - mahogany about 1/4" wide and 1/8" thick, tapered to smoothly transition with the kerfing. The side bracing's primary purpose is to prevent cracks in the thin sides and if a crack does form, the bracing prevents it from progressing beyond the nearest brace. Some guitars simply glue fabric ribbon type material as side bracing. Next up bracing the back and then making the rosette (the top needs to be thinned on a wide belt sander first).

 

[DLJeffs]

Started the rosette today. Made a little jig for cutting out the ring segments. Made 18 segments in order to keep the width small enough so I could use the cocobolo cutoffs from making the headplate, fingerboards, binding strips, etc. Then dry fit all the segments until I was pretty sure they were darm close. Then used the paper layout I created to begin gluing the segments. Lined each segment up on the layout paper, used thin CA glue on the joint so it would wick down, hit it with some accelerator. Then fit the next segment and repeat, 18 times. The segments are now glued to each other and to the layout paper which is actually helpful. The layout paper has the center marked which makes it simple to fit the center over the pin for the Dremel cutter. Used 4 strips of double stick tape to secure the layout paper to the board, centered around the pin. I also made a small insert that is the same thickness as the ring segments so the Dremel doesn't wobble as I rotate it. Set the Dremel cutter to a little over half the thickness of the segments, set the radius to a hair over 2 inches (the sound hole on a 000 is 3.875" and we leave a 0.125" space before starting the rosette. By setting the radius a hair over 2.0 I leave room for a couple thin strips of purfling. Important note: remember to measure from the far side of the bit because that's the side that establishes the inner diameter. Then route the inner cut, increase the depth of the bit and finish the inner cut. Reset the radius to a hair over 2.25" (I want a ring that is 0.25" wide) and repeat the process to cut the outer surface. Important note: measure from the inside edge of the bit because that's the side that establishes the outer diameter. Last, carefully peal the ring up, lightly sand the edges (careful not to break the ring) and then sand the surfaces with a random orbital sander. Now it's ready to route the dado in the top and glue in the rosette - tomorrow's task.

 

[Nature Man]

You make it look easy, but I suspect it was a tedious job! Chuck

 

[DLJeffs]

You make it look easy, but I suspect it was a tedious job! Chuck

Thanks all. It really isn't very difficult Chuck. Cutting all the segments took a little time because I do it using one of those little Japanese saws (not having a band saw). If I had wider cocobolo thins to use, I could have made fewer segments (fewer segments means wider segments because they have to cover the curvature of the ring) but I needed to keep my segments no more than 1/2" in order to use up the cutoffs and not have to cut extra thin pieces from the cocobolo. I find the last segment always needs a little tweaking (e.g. careful sanding and testing and sanding and testing) to get the joints to mate up perfectly - for some reason. Tiny discrepancies magnified over 18 joints always seem to make the last one a little pesky. But cutting the ring with the Dremel is a no brainer because it rotates around the pin. The only way you can mess up is if you set the radius wrong - which is why I mentioned the parts about remembering which side of the bit will face the ring when you're done. If you forget and measure from the wrong side, or even the center of the bit, the width of your ring will be off by the diameter of the bit you're using. I'll route the top today and when I do that I set up a test area so I can make very tiny adjustments of the radius and test fit the ring and purfling before routing the actual top. That way I ensure the ring and purfling will fit snug without gaps.

 

[DLJeffs]

Rosette is glued in place. Had to re-make the cocobolo ring - because I screwed up the dimensions on the first one (inspite of all my thinking and double checking, still screwed up and made it too small). Anyway, remade the ring, made a test station, routed the groove for the rosette, cut and fit the purfling, and finally, mixed up some 2 part epoxy and glued it all in. Only one minor glitch, had a small chip out between the inner ring and the sound hole. Should be able to repair it by inlaying a little piece I'll make from the sound hole after we cut it out. Next up is bracing.

 

[DLJeffs]

Scraped and then sanded the rosette flat (well, 99% flat, have to be careful because the spruce is much softer than the cocobolo and purfling). Put a light coat of shellac to see what it will look like with finish on it. Imaging this with a cocobolo bridge and fingerboard! Pretty cool.

 

[T. Ben]

 

[DLJeffs]

Spent much of the day at the guitar shop. Braced the back on my guitar. Kerfed a couple more, cut braces, bent another set of sides...