Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a customer that wants a cutaway. I have never done one. What are
the tricks to doing one???? Any picts of how you alll do it would be
appreciated. All advice welcome
Thanks

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy, will it be a venetian (rounded) or florentine (pointed)? What kind of wood will you be using -- some bends easier than others which may necessitate a change in approach?

I think I would rather do a venetian, but the customer also likes the look of a
forentine. The wood would be cocobolo

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy check out Bruce Dickey's glue up method in the jigs, tools and techniques section.Rod True38817.8830092593

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"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

Hi Andy, many florentines started out as venetians! They both have their little quirks, but at least if you break a venetian, you can use the set for a florentine later! PM me your email address and I'll fwd. you the stuff Bruce sent me a while back in making florentines.

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Builders like Hoffman and Olson build strictly Florentine. My first and second were venetian in Indian Rosewood and it went fine. Then on number three, cocobolo, crack, straight across. We looked it over and made a switch to Florentine.

Search back for the pics of Kevin Gallagher's African Orphanage Mission Guitar, that has a cool florentine and I like how he did it, solid wood point.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Andy,
here's a link to the post on my #4 guitar which has a florentine. In the link you will find a preaty good tutorial on building the florentine.

Basically, you have to like the look of one more so than the other do decide which you will offer. Now the customer may decide for you, but this doesn't sound like the case with this build.

Also as Bruce mentioned, check out Kevin Gallagher's Orphanage guitar. It has a totally killer florentine.

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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

Andy, my first guitar (still working on it) is a venetian cut-away with black acacia. It went so well that I even bent the cutaway twice! Well one of my slats kinked, I removed it, pounded it out and paid more attention and right away re-bent it. The second time went perfect. Here is what it looked like:



I used a fox bender I made from the LMI plans and just figured out where to put the extra press for the cut-away. I still just use light bulbs (150 watt I think) in my bender. When I get real big I will buy a blanket, I can totally see the benefit of them, having heat on the wood even before the bend. I thinned the sides to about .085. They bent like butter and still feel substabtial in thickness. I have some staining but I won't be sanding/scraping it out until I have the bindings installed just cause I don't really want to go much thinner than .080 I will probably end up at. I tell you it was a scary evening when I decided I was just going to do it but it sure felt great when it was done! I know that you will have NO PROBLEM!!!

Get to it Andy and I'm with the rest of the OLF'ers rooting for you!

Shane

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Canada

I'm working on my first cutaway right now as well. I went with the venetian, and it's going well so far. I took the side pretty thin where the cutaway is (under 2mm i think, maybe 1.6mm?), and it bent very nicely.

It seems to me like one of the most important things is getting the cutaway to meet up with the heel block at just the right place. If you have too little room between the cutaway and your centerline, then your fretboard will hang over the cutaway, and if you leave too much room... well, you get the idea.

I would also suggest gluing up each side to the heel block separately. I think doing them both at the same time would be too hard, but then again I'm just a rookie.

Other than that, good luck and have fun!

Mike

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

WOW Shane, that box is looking great dude, your side braces look a bit like mine on my first! Neat job!

Andy, good luck on that cutaway, i would go for a venitian, less mitering to do but hey it's your call Doc!

Whatever you choose, it'll look great i'm sure!

Serge

Shane that is looking great man - Im gong to be hittiing you up for lots of advice seeing as you are closest to my area code - well besides Ed Dicks,
PS Rod True - what ever happened to that phone call??
Cheers
Charliecharliewood38818.5721990741

On straight graind wood I do not over thin the cutaway. I do thin on high figure like quilted Sapelle, mahogany and Maple. Also on crack woods like Coco and Ziricote.

High quilt figure seems to want to seperate where the grain changes direction but this can be pulled back in and CA'd

I wrote a step by step article on making a Florentine cutaway for
Guitarmaker magazine. The article is posted on my website at http://
www.wellsguitars.com/Articles/Cutaway_Article.htm. (I still cannot get this
to post properly!) Check it out!Sylvan38818.5847337963

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Thanks for all the great help!!!!

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Here ya go Sylvan,
Sylvan's cutaway article.Dave Rector38818.5928009259

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Andy,
Another consideration is if you want to have your cutaway bend fit the contour of your heal.
It's not as tough as it looks and is a nice touch.


Wade

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Sylvan
Where do you get your side piece for the cutaway??? Do you just rebend the
existing piece of the cutout side or do you have extra sides around just for
this????

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy -
I have extra sides which I use for just that purpose. At least on my design,
the actual cutaway portion is a bit too short to be used. Making the cutaway
with this method is really quite easy once you get over the apprehension of
bandsawing a hole into a perfectly good instrument! Seriously, just be very
careful with your measurements and where you cut. Don't forget to allow for
the thickness of the side you will be inserting next to the block (don't ask
how I know this).

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

[QUOTE=charliewood] Shane that is looking great man - Im gong to be hittiing you up for lots of advice seeing as you are closest to my area code - well besides Ed Dicks,
PS Rod True - what ever happened to that phone call??
Cheers
Charlie[/QUOTE]

I know Charlie, I've been thinking about you everytime I log on to the OLF. Ok, how late do you stay up? That will determine what time I call.

_________________
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, Im sleepwalking through half my day, and I wake up on the couch 50% of the time - so you can hit me quite late.
Mr Sylvan Wells, that was the first time I have been to your web - absolutely fantastic stuff btw. May I ask?
I am especially enamoured with the Atlantic Cutaway Supreme!
Did you find that you had to enlarge the soundhole after it was completed, as a matter of rectification soundwise? or was that the concept from the start?
truly a beautiful instrument!
Cheers
Charliewood

PS - Shane and all you other BC boys arent off the hook either!
> If your a 250 or a 604 your on my "bug" list. Although I have to especially thank Jeff from braziltonewoods for his offer of help w/materials, instruction, and encouragement, even though he is half way round the world - lengthwise.
Cwoodcharliewood38818.6400462963

Charliewood -
The Atlantic Supreme you saw on the website is a conscious design. It was
the concept from the start and something that I almost alway do. I am glad
you liked the web site!

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

I certainly did enjoy it, although I will be back in order to check out the articles more in depth-ly.
Very beautiful guitars - That AS model is definitely my fav - archtops aside.
Cheers
Charliewood

Thanks for the remarks you guys! The top is on and yup...a nice piece of Lutz. Just working on a binding jig right now but waiting for Ted Thompson to do some machining for me (he built lots of Larrivee's jigs). Still need to decide what to bind it with though... .

Anyway,

Andy, anything at all you think I can help you with please let me know. I have tremendous accumulated experience of ONE! But sometimes that is good because the anxieties still exist!

Charlie, anytime man. (250)638-0125.

Shane

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Canada