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I've been working on binding a Katalox and Lutz parlor guitar. The top went fine.


The binding and purfling (single line of veneer) have to fit in to the tail graft and the matching back strip in both directions. While I was focusing on routing in stages that would leave me enough room to fit them by hand, I failed to notice the router bit slipping in the collet. Now the rebate is too wide on one side from the lower bout to the tail. I stepped away for a few days to contemplate how I can get new katalox to fit in and not be obvious. Thank goodness it is a dark wood!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Ouch, hard to Bear!

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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.

Dang!

Curious - what model/brand was the offending router?

M

Believe it or not, I am using a Harbor Freight laminate trimmer for this operation. I was lucky enough to get one that worked well years ago and has never caused me any problems. I keep telling myself that I am going to upgrade but I never do. . .

This really is my fault, I didn't mean to sound like I was blaming it on the router collet. I use the Stew Mac bearing set-up. I had been changing bearings several times as I did test cuts trying to decide if I wanted to do a separate ledge for the single perfling veneer on the inside or glue it all in as one rebate but cut shallower at the graft (by taping veneer on the tail) so I could fit the miter by hand. The bit had also been mounted since I did the top and changed the bearings for that too.

I unplug the router and put the wrench on the router shaft to hold it still when I loosen and tighten the allen screw for the bearing. I remember being heavy handed a few times when turning the allen screw and causing the bit to rotate in the collet. I should have been double checking that it was all still nice and tight. Lesson learned!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Hey Bryan, that really sucks. Hope you can get a good repair on that. I had a router bit slip on me last year doing a rosette. I was able to fix it but wasted quite a few hours doing it. I broke down and spent the money on a DeWalt 611 laminate trimmer and a Precise Bits collet, I figure it was a reasonable cost to be sure I avoid the problem again.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Hi Bryan,
You might want to consider making it a Jimmie Rodgers Special by Weymann, with the "rib" style binding.
Sometimes bits slip because they "bottom out" in the spindle cavity which doesn't allow the collet to tighten around the bit (although it feels tight)

I used Clay's suggestion a couple of times. Once when I sanded a hole through a quilted maple side next to the binding (asked for advice here) and another time on my first attempt at attaching binding w/CA, leaving numerous gaps on the lower edge. Both times they came out looking better than they might have without the mistakes.

Dave,

Very nice looking work.

I plan to do a falcate at some point too. I've given much thought to the bridge location challenge/pain. The typical pinless bridge is a pain for luthiers, but would solve the building challenge associated with Trevor's falcate. I have about decided to tackle the pinless bridge that Jeffery R. Eliott designed (https://www.elliottguitars.com/steel-string-model.html) and Mike Doolin copied (Doolin gives credit to Eliott). Mike's site has details on the parts' specs and design of this pinless bridge that is easy for luthiers to work on, since there are no holes for which the strings pass through to lock them in.

Got a sweet walnut SJC bear the door...

Killer Walnut, Ed !!!

Killer indeed, nearly had a heart attack when I saw that!

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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.

That's looking good. I have been experimenting with Richlite this week. I used it for a fret board and used the end to make this string anchor for the pin-less bridge. This stuff is incredibly tough to say it is made from paper. It loves tools but tools hate it - that is, it machines as clean and precise as aluminium but really takes it out on the tool bit compared to any wood.

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https://overendsite.wordpress.com/2017/ ... -complete/

Richlite is essentially machinable phenolic, similar to Bakelite that was used in the old radio cases. Tough stuff.

Deleted

Working on the second Jumbo. Trying to complete this one in 4 weeks, including some design changes to alter the tone. Using all the same woods as the first one to try and make good comparisons and learn as much as possible about the impact of changes.

If these pics don't rotate correctly, I give up!

That fretboard, head and bridge are awesome. What kind of wood is that? Inlays too! I can't even glue my head on straight!

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Why be normal?

Thanks Ken. It's Cocobolo, all from the same board. Of course, it will all continue to darken until it's about the color of the darker areas of the fretboard. But I love that wood. Wish it wasn't getting so hard to acquire nice pieces.

I have a local dealer that has small pieces so I can pick just what I want, but $60/bf.

Wow, that walnut is amazing and your choice of self binding with those thin purflings was just perfect!

Fantastic!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Yeah Ed that there one is a real looker!

Wow awesome fretboard Terrence! Too bad that it will darken. Isn't there some kind of cocobolo that will not darken?

Pat

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Pat

Thanks folks! Down to my last four sets which are all spoken for...

Alas, one cannot have one's wood and build it too...

OK, Fred, you can't just drop a pic like that and not tell us of your pinless bridge design!

Unfortunately not. You should see it right when it’s cut. Looks like a rainbow inside. Very striking.

Ed thanks for that. I have thought a few times of using that sort of string termination. Will look at your links.

Hi Ed, I've always liked the pinless bridge on my Lowden both aesthetically and for ease and speed of string changing. However, my biggest fear is the wood splitting along the line of holes or the bridge pulling away from the soundboard. I know this is probably irrational but no doubt that would happen to me. So I decided to try a two part bridge with the top part bolting through the soundboard to the bridge plate underneath. I feel this gives more strength and also compresses the bridge to the soundboard in the same way pins would. I tried this on an experimental body I have with an aluminium top which worked really well when strung up. This was a rough model and for me, the aluminium was a bit too 'bling' so I thought I would give the Richlite a go.

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https://overendsite.wordpress.com/2017/ ... -complete/

This was the fretboard just after milling it out of the blank I used: