Official Luthiers Forum!

Many thanks everyone!!!

Terry you are right, my drill press was set for a much higher speed - thanks for the tip!

Hesh another utilitarian approach for those soundhole slugs may be something like this!



Pretty schnazzy, I tell you what!


I'm pretty sure you know this, but for the Nu-B I thought I'd bring it up. The main useful properties of Conventional/Climb cutting are in conventional the cutter has a tendency to cut into the work by the cutting edges wanting to scrape into the work like a chisel.



In climb the cutter wants to deflect out of the work by the cutting edges cutting more directly into the work thus forcing the cutter out.


For good clean cuts I like to start with a climb cut thus leaving a few thousandths material in the work, then I reverse and conventional cut to shave off that few thousandths to give me a way to also sneak up on a dimension.

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

BTW! Great Heshtatorial ! Your getting better and better at these!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Anyone use chunks of mismatched wood for a rosette? I recall seeing an awsome Spalted Maple that was parsed out from pieces it looked really cool. McNight I think did it.

_________________
Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Billy, those are a bit big, but I know a few woman who would wear them.

_________________
Aoibeann

You aren't seeing it right Lillian !
Those are "Bro Rings ™ "!
Just the size needed !!!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Nice tut Hesh!

I've been experimenting with cutting solid wood rosette rings using my laser.

Pro: Apart from saving a whole bunch of time, I end up with a nice coaster with no hole in the middle

Con: The edges are always slightly singed from the laser cutting process, however, once the piece is inlayed and sanded level, you don't see the edges.

Here's a 1/8" bamboo rosette ring I did recently:



Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Dave your rosette looks great

I would be very interested in learning more about your "laser Lutherie" so would you consider starting a thread showing us your rig and how you use it?

Many thanks!

Great tutorial Hesh.
Now I am ready to takle on some spalted maple for my rossettes. First time for me, only used traditional rossette building to date.

Billy, my wife's seen those earrings of yours and loves them. Now I am trapped forever. No coasters only earrings.

Todd

Tell your wife, I'm OFFENDED Todd!!!!
Those are Bro Rings!!
Only for MEN!!!

I would be interested in a little tour of that laser work too! You have a special machine or just one of those Star Trek Phasers set to luthiery!

I czeched on a special project the other day and I understand most engraving now is done by laser! The old scribe and groove craftsman is dying out. Sad!

Billy T

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Hesh, when I have done a little bit more experimenting and actual building incorporating the laser as a tool, I'll do a tutorial/expose... first, I ought to get to finishing my first git!

Billy T - I have a 45W Epilog 36EXT


(click to see hi-res picture)

Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Wow Dave buddy I am envious - one could really heat up their turkey pot pie in that thing.........

Thanks Hesh for an other GR8 toot-tor-ial. You never cease to stimulate my imagination.

You're da man!

_________________
"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Hesh, Thanks for the great toot! Please feel free to do more.

One thing you could do with the cut outs of various kinds of wood is to use them for inlay. It would be great to get a toot on doing inlays. Anyone up for it?

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

CRAP!! I was hoping it was a Star Trek Phaser!

That's extremely cool! Smaller than I thought! The work has to be relatively flat right? Thanks for posting!

Billy T

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

That's pretty much how I do them to, my good man... I think that if there is a Luthiery Heaven, your continued selfless sharing will certainly earn you a choice spot, my friend!

Just one thing. Instead of drilling with twist bits, starting small and going progressively larger, why don't you use a good brad point bit? I use the ones from Lee Valley and believe me, once you try them, you're never going back to the others. If you take it slow and use a back-board (which I know you do) you'll never experience any blow out...

Then again, I'm the impatient type! Ha!

_________________
I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

That's pretty much how I do them to, my good man... I think that if there is a Luthiery Heaven, your continued selfless sharing will certainly earn you a choice spot, my friend!

Just one thing. Instead of drilling with twist bits, starting small and going progressively larger, why don't you use a good brad point bit? I use the ones from Lee Valley and believe me, once you try them, you're never going back to the others. If you take it slow and use a back-board (which I know you do) you'll never experience any blow out...

Then again, I'm the impatient type! Ha!

_________________
I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Todd, just wanting to let you know that you may want to do a couple of solid woods with this method first before you tackle the spalted maple. Spalted maple is very fragile and easily will break. Also I wouldn't tape it down at all, rather run the router/dremmel so it doesn't but through the plate. Leave it so there is about 0.015" material left. Now run it through your drum sander if you have one or just use an exacto to cut it free from the rest of the plate.

This is the first one I've done and it broke in several places. Now the nice thing with spalted maple is that you'd never be able to find a joint line from the brake.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Rod buddy I have not worked with spalted wood either but it occurred to me that perhaps you could laminate the spalted wood to something more stable, say maple, make as above, and then thickness sand most of the maple off.

Do you think that would work?

Here is another method of making a wooden rosette, instead of cutting it out, I bend mine. This limits how wide that it can be made, but, I really don't like the looks of a wide rosette myself. I can bend up to 1/4 inch wide rosette with no problem. A rosette around a sound hole is not just cosmetic, it strengthens the perimeter of it to prevent a crack from spreading, much like the purfling around a violin does. I suppose that running the grain of a cut rosette perpendicular to the top's grain would serve the same purpose though. The trick, is to start out with a piece that is as thick as it is wide. If you want it to be 1/4 inch wide when inlayed, then make it 1/4 inch thick too, otherwise you can't bend it without it flipping over. I then mist it with water and bend it around a hot bending pipe. I have a small jig that is nothing more than a round piece of wood, approx. the same diameter of my rosette, that I clamp the bent piece around till it drys. I glue the full thickness bent piece into my top and then run it through the drum sander till it is flush with the top. Works great! Very strong. See examples below.

Mark L.

Great ideas!! I like them!! Any second the motion?

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Mark buddy your rosettes look great!

I am with you, I like thinner rosettes too and pretty close to the sound hole as well. Your method sounds very cool - thanks for sharing.

Billy bro - seconded!

Anyone cut them on the lathe?
Would seem to be a good idea if making a few at a time.

I like to save my cut-outs but I have no clue as to why.......


Attachment:

Hi Hesh,
I suggest you make more rosettes with those off cut.... Heres how....

more pictures... I hope it make sense! sorry guys I'm not good in writing..