Lyn #15 - Solid-body Nylon Acoustic

It's just on my Yamaha classical, the posts can squeal a bit when turned. Keep meaning to dab some grease into the holes!

Now it’s time to turn my attention to the body.

This will again be a laminate body, but this time it will be 3 layers of pine and 1 of marine ply. I decided to make this one a bit deeper than the steel string “acoustic” as I wanted to put the Piezo controls in the more standard position for acoustics, i.e. on the upper bout.

You take 1 sheet of 600x1800 laminated pine and a sheet of ply, grab a hand saw and a coping saw, and 2 hours later you end up with this.
Attachment 19167

Then you put them together and get this.
Attachment 19168

Then you grab a rasp and a Shinto Saw Rasp and you start taking away everything that doesn’t look like your guitar.
About 5 hours later all finished.
Attachment 19169

Now that the body has been cut out and roughly shaped and sanded I decided that I would have a go at making this a chambered guitar. It was for weight reduction mainly and not for any acoustic value. Plus I thought that I would like to give it a go, and seeing as this yet another of my “test-bed” guitars, no better time to try it.

Calling it chambered is a bit grandiose as I will not actually be chambering it, but simply cutting out the middle section of the inner layers.

So out with the trusty coping saw again and hack away.
Attachment 19170

Couple of hours later you end up with a sore wrist and this
Attachment 19171

Stack them together (minus the top) and you get this.
Attachment 19172

That's what I'd call chambered. :D

Looking good Robin!
I just got my body squared off, and will start getting ready to do my Neck pocket soon.
Starting to get nervous on how this will be coming out!

@Simon,
Thanks mate.

@Zandy
Thanks mate.

I've been keeping up to date with your build. She's going to be a beauty. Yeah, getting the neck pocket right is so important. Not having any experience with routers I guess my best advice would be the same as with most things, take your time, measure a dozen times, and cut once. It's always easier to take a bit more away than put some back.

I know with mine the pocket could be a little more snug but it is what it is. If I think it is bad enough to affect tone or sustain I might add a shim of veneer. I'll have to wait until she is finished and see how she sounds.

Cheers guys.

Update time again.

Just when I thought that I was nearly done with the body I decided that I might route out the top and the bottom layers of the guitar and make it even more chambered.

There was method in my madness, as at some stage I want to build a guitar out of a solid piece of timber, but cutting the neck pocket was always going to be the challenge for me with hand tools. Router planes can run anything up to $400 for a good one so it was back to the DIY tools again.

I got the idea from a “poor man’s router plane” video on the web and used that as my basic design. After several prototypes this is what I came up with. The blade started as an old unused chisel but with my over enthusiastic adjustment method (belting it with a hammer) I now just have the blade.

Here it is with the complete chisel before my adjustment mishap
Attachment 19390

Attachment 19391

This is how it ended up, sans handle and with a wedge for adjusting the depth of the cut.
Attachment 19392

Attachment 19393

Attachment 19394


The idea is to chisel out the bulk of the waste and then level off with the router plane. It is not yet good enough to do a neck pocket but I am sure that I can improve it with the next prototype.

good stuff Westie07, you are the guru at innovating and creating new tools with what you have. That is pine you are routing ?
Keep up the good work mate !
You should patent the poor mans router plane haha

First off I drill some “guide” holes to a depth of about 12mm.
Attachment 19400

Then I start chiselling away keeping an eye on the guide holes
Attachment 19401

Until I am nearly at the depth of the pre-drilled holes
Attachment 19402

Nearly there
Attachment 19403

love the drill hole depth gauge Westie07, what a cool idea not to chisel too much material out !