Official Luthiers Forum!

Thought some of the newer folks might be interested in checking out the build journal on my current guitar. It isn't meant to be instructional, and a lot of folks probably wouldn't agree with how I do things, it is there as a progress report for my customer (and guitar playing buddy). Figured some less experienced folks might get some ideas, or just see in what order I choose to do the assembly.


Old Man's journal for the Manley Denton Celtic Guitar


Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

What a great idea Ron, I will be logging in as you go and enjoying this build with you. She is going to be one heck of a pretty guitar.

Cheers

Kim

Thanks old man ! looking forward to the next chapter.  MAN i love this stuff !

Hey thanks for the pics!! I have a question about the thickness sander you have... is that home built? Keep the pics coming if you can! 

_________________
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Ron,

Cool - this newbie is loving it

And I'd love to hear more about the thickness sander - it's on my next "would like to build" list.

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Nice job Ron. Nice Zoot too.

Cecil

Very nice!

Ron and I have almost identical sanders, great minds think alike!

By the way, that is one hefty mold, it must weigh a ton! Looks plenty sturdy though.

_________________
Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Ron--

This is very nice. Thank you for sharing with us!

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

That was great Ron. Much appreciated! I'll be watchin'
your progress.

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Thanks Ron...just what I need at my stage ....

What a great post!  It is easy to see how each step is a project in itself.  We newbies can get a lot from posts like this.  Can't wait to see the next steps.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

[QUOTE=Dave White] Ron,

Cool - this newbie is loving it

And I'd love to hear more about the thickness sander - it's on my next "would like to build" list.[/QUOTE]



Yes, Christian and Dave, that is my homemade sander. It really works great. It will sand up to 22" wide from a thickness of about 2 " down to nil. The drum is made from a 4" turned solid piece of pine and covered with velcro, so it is quick to change paper. The motor is a
1 1/2 hp. 1725 rpm running through 1:1 pulleys. The bed is double layer of 3/4" mdf, hinged on one end and raised and lowered with a press screw mechanism to adjust thickness. Any other questions?   I spent about $250 on the whole thing, most of that was the motor; it was a new Grizzly motor.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

[QUOTE=Arnt] Very nice!

Ron and I have almost identical sanders, great minds think alike!

By the way, that is one hefty mold, it must weigh a ton! Looks plenty sturdy though.[/QUOTE]


The mold was my first and way overbuilt. Mostly mdf but it has two layers that are 3/4 plywood. Very heavy and sturdy. Actually that is an advantage when sanding the rims with the radius dish.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Thanks Ron,

I like the idea. It's a great record of the build and I'm sure your customer appreciates seeing the progress and the effort that goes into building the instrument.

Thanks again for sharing.

_________________
Michael Lloyd

“I was born to ignorance, yes, and lesser poverties ...
I was born to privilege that I did not see ... I didn’t know it, but my way was paved” – John Gorka

YAY, I qualify!!

Great stuff, 'Ole Man!!

Man alive! Love the owl inlay - great work! I want to be able to do that!

Thanks, Ron.
Very nice work- both on the guitar and on the photos and website.
BTW, I really like your setup for doing the end graft- grabbing the tailblock in the vise and clamping the guide to the workbench. (I think I see it right?).Just shows what you can do with a bench which allows lots of clamping along the edges.

Cheers

John

Excellent documentation and clear pictures! Many thanks Ron.

Great pictorial and documentation!

So far, this is exactly the way I build them. I do have a Jet thickness planer though..... spent a fortune on it

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

That Celtic knotwork inlay is astonishing!!

That was fun, Ron! You make it seem so easy!

Great journal Ron. Very nice.