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I hear about 50/50 on product availability from those who look, and that hasn't changed for 10 years. It's an odd thing. Can't tell you about "padding" it on. Let me know when you know.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

Thank Bruce - If I can find some, I'll do some testing applying with a pad.

Not only will any of the likely varnishes I've tried work similarly, but despite the claimed conceptual differences, Urethane seems like varnish to me. In fact, the Murdoch is a urethane.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

The finish is coming along very nicely on the BRW CN#2 (FT-00-Cn). Here are a couple of glamour shots.

6 coats might be enough!



Self-Portrait. You thought I meant actual glamour?

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

That'll work. So shiny.

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George :-)

I am moving into my next build, a JB-15 for my good friend Tad Laird. J and B are the initials for Jack Brenneman, a high school bully who badly broke my nose at lunch in the 11th grade. So I immortalize, as it were, that unloveable moment by naming my fully asymmetrical guitars after him. No, my face never quite recovered.

I mention this guitar because I don't want to fold this forum with my build threads, but I do want to add to the documentation of some of the aspects of my build style which I think you would find useful, and have in some cases asked me to do.

I use a shooting board to put the arch in my bracing. In the following pictures you can see my set up. The wedges can be driven in to create the desired radius to the curve.





Tad's guitar is being made from MadRose and Swiss "moon" spruce. We picked up this material when we were traveling in Italy a couple of years ago.

Pretty great MadRose!



Also, I though you might be willing to risk eyestrain seeing my asymmetrical bracing on the top:

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I like the radius jig; simple and accurate. I Will try that trick tomorrow.

Shooting plane radius trick works great. Thanks for sharing.

Been following your threads, but if you mentioned it I didn't see whether you thickness plates and ribs with a thickness sander of if you use a plane, scrapers?

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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.

My first 50 or so guitars were done with a 9 1/2 plane and scrapers. This taught me how to choose wood that was grain aligned and to keep my tools serviceable. Then I met a guy with a 37" TimeSaver. A few years later I acquired a Chinese "Lobo" double drum sander which I still use today. My key is to monitor every cut so as to truly understand the point at which the wood gives ups being lumber, and becomes a membrane.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I've heard your name a lot over the years Bruce. I really appreciate your detailed thread and have definitely picked up some great tips. Do you usually do one piece necks, scarf joints, laminated and what do you prefer? Thanks for this!

I started out doing stacked heels and scarfed heads ala Spanish methodology. I shifted to one piece necks perhaps 40 years ago. I like 16/4 flatsawn as it yields quartered necks and gives some room to adjust fiber alignment. The last couple of years I have been doing an increasing number of bridal joined headstock, just for fun.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

Thanks Bruce for taking the time to explain why you do what you do with the instruments you build . Following the couch noodler # 2 build has been one of the most ejoyable for me. Fantastic work.
Regards
Craig.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

I like using the bridal joint which requires using 5/4 stock if you make an integral "volute". Recently out of frugality and in the interest of making my work a little "greener" I modified it by eliminating the volute portion. This allowed me to use 4/4 stock and by splicing the peghead and using a heel block, a neck shaft cut close to final dimensions.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=52820

I am enjoying the work and methods you are sharing with us. I like seeing how others do things and their thoughts on the building process. Thanks!

It is a bit absurd, but I use the same one piece neck and cut the head end off, creating the bridal joint to receive the cut off bit. The advantage, if it is one, is the the headstock itself is now grain aligned. I did one recently on a MultiScale which created some very interesting geometry in the join. All of my bridal joints have been Martin-esque. I’ll look for pics when I get to the shop.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I thought you all might be amused by my interpretation of the "Powered Dish" some of us use for shaping the sides to fit the plates. Variable speed, of course, and runs on a typical Lazy Susan 10" bearing device. They only last about 100 guitars. I cut my disks from a 100 grit Widebelt, and each disk lasts years, perhaps 25 guitars. I fear having the entire guitar torn from my hands or simply ripped apart as I have no mold supporting the sides, but it's never even almost happened.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I made my motorized dishes from a food processor (Bosch) and a bowling ball balancer. The food processor has three speeds and the bowling ball balancer has one "go like H**L" speed.

This is a different guitar, a JB-15 on my bench at the moment, but I thought you would be interested in my dovetail jig for the guitar body. It has been re-engineered a number of times over the years, but has held steady for perhaps 15 at the moment.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

I like that "soft" cutaway.

Nice looking dovetail jig. What size and degree of angle router bit do you use with that?

1/2” shank and 13 degrees for the mortise, 14 degrees for the tenon. Unless I am lazy, and then either one for both.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

Ha! I love the story behind the JB name

What's the trick on getting those corners perfect where the two pieces of the cut-away meet at the point? I've never done it that way preferring to hide it with binding and purfs.

There’s no trick, it’s just an honest miter. I use a sharp chisel on the receiving end, and create the mate by hand against the edge sander.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com

Thanks for posting these "Noodler" threads. I like the jig.

A few questions. Feel free to direct me to another thread about this, if you feel the questions are distracting from your original thread purpose:
Do you use a guide bushing or a guide bearing, with your router, when using this jig?
Do you hog out most of the wood, with a straight cut bit, before using the dovetail bit?
Are the 3 clamps shown all that you use to secure the body to the jig during routing?
Could you post a picture of the jig you use, for routing the matching tenon on the neck blank?

I am at breakfast and on my iPad which means I will have to remember where I uploaded a few photos to which I am going to try to link here. If I fail, I will fix it later.

I use a guide bushing which attaches to the router base plate.

The 3 1/2 hp router requires no preamble, I do the whole dovetail cut at one go with the dovetail bit.

The three clamps have not yet failed to do the job. I sprayed contact adhesive on the main surface of the fixture, and let it dry, which is an effective non-skid surface.

With luck, some pictures:





I have already knocked off the edges of heel which did support the template.

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Bruce Sexauer, luthier
http://mojoluthier.com