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...and a muppet, but I wanted to show you that a beginner like me somehow, miraculously, with this...



and this..



do this...





This WAS a Stewmac dreadnought kit, but I ditched the herringbone in favour of Rosewood B(boxwood)B binding and BWBWB purfling...sorry Stewmac...

There's still loads of sanding to do, being about halfway through the build, but it was you guys who encouraged me!

Phew.Sam Price38925.6333796296

Nicely done Sam!

As my father used to say, "It ain't the tool, it's the carpenter."

-Mark

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The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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Nice job Sam! Looks better than mine does, even though I use a router and Williams binding jig. You must be a very patient person. Congrats on a job well done!

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Sam, you have done a very good job at this, better than on mine also!

Now you have done it Sam!

You have rasied the newb bar of excellence!

Nice work but I still out newb you since I have not bought my wood yet. Tommorow I hope.

Very nice work Sam. That takes a lot of patience and skill.

Mark your dad was right on. Anyone can buy tools. Not everyone can use them skilfully.

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Well done, Sam! You're to be congratulated. The only thing I accomplished with a gramil, aside from scoring the reliefs, was that I made the decision that I really did need a laminate trimmer.

Good decision on the HB. I like it myself, but it seems to border on overdone these days, IMHO.

Looks great, keep the pics coming!burbank38925.7057407407

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Thats Very Nicely done Sam

Well Done.

Nice work, Sam!

BTW, where'd you get that cool-looking purfling cutter? It looks similar to the one in Sloane's book, Classic Guitar Construction. I built one, using his plans, but wasn't all that happy with the way it worked. Recently, I bought the Schneider gramil that LMI has. It seems to cut a better line than the one I made, but I find it hard to hold onto. I like the handgrip on yours better.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

Wow, thank you all for your wonderful comments!!


I still need to scrape the bindings flush at the lower bout, that is why I did not photograph them. But overall, as you experts already know, I found that sharpness of tools was key to accuracy!!!

Michael, the purfing cutter I use is called Sloane purfling cutter.

it can be purchased from Stewmac or Luthiers Mercentile..I bought mine from Craft Supplies.

Those two blades are shifted via an allen key inserted in the side, and the blades can be removed (they are about 2.5 inches long)...the blades can be kept keen with stropping with fine grinding paste on leather, and as long as they're keen, they will keep that edge pure!!!

I recommend you get one...I found it very easy to use. The blades were exposed 1.5cm from the handle to make sure I had plenty of brass edge to rest against the side or the top...one hand to hold the brass bit, one hand to guide the blade..

I found a gently applied pressure on the first pass was essential, making deeper successive passes so that there was a very clear reference point when using a chisel. Strictly speaking, I used my woodcarving knife for routing...I use it mainly for my carving hobby, because I am familiar with the blade.

judicious use of a flat file made sure the ledges were square, pretty nerve wracking!!

MUCH more time consuming than the router and jig, but then I'm mad anyway!!!Sam Price38925.7671296296

Wow, I'm impressed, nice job! I never did have the guts, patience, or skill to try and do that the old fashioned way. Good on you.

Cheers!

John

Outstanding work...very impressive, and beautiful to boot. Congrats.

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Nice job! Your hard work has paid off. I will need to bind a guitar later this year and the thought of it scares me a great deal. If mine looks even close to yours I will be happy.

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Very Nice!

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

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

Sam that looks very tasteful and well executed, keep up the good work

Cheers

Kim

Very nicely done. The first time that I tried it, the cut line really tried to wander with the grain lines. Be sure to tell everyone how you hand cut those ledges when you show off the finished guitar!

Donovan

Nice job, Sam. You probably already know this, but there are many experienced builders who still do their binding/purf ledges by hand -- not so many here in the U.S., but a few, even here. With practice, it can be done very quickly. Congrats on successfully doing your first by this method!

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Ithaca, NY

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