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I tested it and it works but I want to add some fine adjustment to it. I could use it like it is but I think it might be difficult to accurately adjust.

BTW, this is scrap spruce.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I started making a couple more cam clamps for attaching top braces in the spare air conditioned room. I have a go-bar deck in the basement for winter stuff but it isn't portable. I would be building more but I have to get some more maple boards, I used up all I had.

If you look close you might see some burning from the cheap bit I borrowed from a friend. I may try to sharpen it. Any tips on that?

I think I need to start using my Nikon for pictures, they always need rotating from my phone.





Trying something



Seems I need to crop and resize with a different program. Sheesh!

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Made a practice run with my clamps while I wait for the the dehumdifier to do it's job. 45% RH is my target. Probably the worst time of the year but if I can't get it in the basement, I'll bring it upstairs. Anyway, here's why I built those cam clamps. I shaped the braces to the plan instead of my DIY dish. There was too much discrepancy so I'm gluing them free standing.

In the meantime, I've started working on my neck and dovetail template. More photos to come.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Started hand cutting the dovetail this morning with a yard sale backsaw. It's a little rusty but cuts real good. I thought I was going to have to sharpen it but no need. I'm going to finish it with the router plane to get it perfectly level tonight or tomorrow.



I was trying various ways to level it before remembering I have the router plane.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Got a little further along over the weekend. The diamond valute is going to be a challenge.



This was very satisfying.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Hutch

You are a better man than I if you could get that router plane to work on that end grain - good job

Ed Minch

I'm not and I didn't. I had to use a paring chisel. I'm buying a laminate router soon.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Good job, keep it up!

This is all going fairly well. I thicknessed the peghead with chisels which turned out to be easier than I thought it might. The volute was a piece of cake and now it's final shaping time. I'm thinking I should have the fretboard temporarily attached for the final shaping.

Notice that giant rasp I found at a yard sale this past weekend. Holy crap does that remove some material. I'm still wondering if I would be better off with a dragon rasp or something else.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I have 3 Iwasaki half round files that I use all the time. A medium, a fine, and a small extra fine. I have a small flat one that I only rarely use. I rarely use flat files. I have other rasps and files that I don't use anymore. I just like the way the Iwasaki's cut; like a plane; and don't just tear and rip. I don't like those surform things at all, except for grating nutmeg or something. I saw a curved half round at Woodcraft the other day, and told my wife; "That one is for Christmas."

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Why be normal?

I have a medium on it's way to try. Thank you.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I had a lot of chip out on this board using my SM circular TS blade. It's only been used 7 or 8 times and I've never had this issue. The only thing different is I don't have a zero kerf insert. I guess I just answered my own question. If you have any other ideas for stopping the chip out, let em fly. Fortunately I'll be radiusing this board and that should get rid of some of it. I'll have to fill the rest.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Nope, you answered your own question. Zero clearance insert. I have two I made for my table saw, one for the fret sawblade and one for the 7 1/4" Diablo blade. Since I only use it for guitar work those are the only blades I use.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I do it the way Steve does it, only with three different blades and three different inserts: A Diablo 10" with a 1/8" kerf, a Diablo 7 1/4" with a 1/16" kerf, and the StewMac fingerboard slotting blade. It solves a lot of problems to use a zero clearance insert.

I used a hand saw and eyeballs. It worked. I'll have to make up something to check the depth.
But then again I'm cutting a 2mm deep, .5mm wide purflng groove as part of my inlay design on the arch top. The belly is done, and wasn't too.bad. The back is a lot like work.

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Why be normal?

Congrats.

Is that a Wenge FB?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Ebony from SM.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

We use a SM blade in a shop-made sled and absolutely no tear out or chipping. Zero clearance will not really work with a hollow-ground planer blade unless the insert is quite thin...the reduced thickness part of the rim is quite shallow.

If that is ebony, there is some serious runout on your saw arbor or the blade is already trashed....in either case, you have a serious problem.

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For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

I got most of the chip out sanded out and I'm saving the dust to fill anything left. I believe I'm going to make a miter box and cut by hand from now on.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I have a used Rigid ts and love it for most things. There isn't any play in the arbor but I suppose it could be bent. I don't want to experiment on ebony so I'm going all by hand in the future. Handwork always comes out right.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Now I'm thinking about binding the neck. What thickness looks good on a neck? I'm thinking .040". This will be carried into the peg head as well. I'm also considering no dots or inlay on the fret board.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

This things starting to take shape. Not much chip out left.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

For fingerboard binding I stay pretty much with the body binding size.

Your neck looks good so far. The thickness of the neck at the 10th fret looks a little hefty for a rough out, but you have just started. I'm sure it will be fine once you have it shaped up.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Regarding no fret markers, leaving them off the face of the board is pretty common these days, but I always at least do the side markers. I guess it is up to the player.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust