Acoustic Guitar Building Course

[king casey]

I hope his baggage allowance lets him bring the completed guitar back.

If at the mercy of Qantas baggage handlers, the opportunity to put his new-found skills to use will be immediate.
cheers, Mark.

[dave.king1]

I hope his baggage allowance lets him bring the completed guitar back.

Anyway, he's leaving on a jet plane, but he knows when he'll be back again.

More to the point I hope the baggage handlers don't smash it like they did for Jon English's bands gear.

[Zandit75]

Hey guys, sorry for the late reply, 2 days down now and I'm just trying to find the energy to get out of bed!
I have so much to share so bare with me.
Long story short, I'm having a ball!!
Aaron, our instructor is fantastic, his wife Stacey cooks a fantastic cake, and the 2 guys I'm sharing this experience are also great.
Some plans have changed so I'll explain all that over the next couple of posts.

So, now yo the part you've all been waiting for..... photos!!
Day 1:
Breakfast!


Arriving at the gate! As soon as I saw this sign, the goose bumps started!


After all the legal stuff was out of the way(induction, tour etc.) We got down to selecting some timbers.
We had a heap to choose from of different species, but the second set of blackwood that Aaron placed down had my name all over it!


OMG, wait until you see these sides under finish! I got a glimpse of what it will look like when we bent them, just magic!


So the top is jointed on the joiner machine, then joined together in the joining jig. Then thicknessed to approx 2.8mm then run through the jigsaw. As you can see, I'm doing a florentine cutaway.


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[blinddrew]

Just checking something...
Yep, still jealous! Really looking forward to seeing this come to fruition.

[Zandit75]

Day 1 continued:
On to torturing the sides in the bending jig. The sides are sprayed with water, wrapped in baking paper then sandwiched between two metal plates with a silicone heater element also in the middle. Temperature quickly rises to 100 deg C, then you start bending the lower bout. Temperature continues to rise to about 140deg, then you do the upper bout and clamp in at the waist fully then leave for a strictly timed 5mins, turn off the heater leave in the form until it cools.


After removing from the jig, the sides are clamped into molds to hold their shape until the resins in the timber harden again.

The cutaway side was done exactly the same except for the "scoop" which eased drone off a hot iron. This was not cooperating, so Aaron had to step in. We probably over cooked it cause it started to split on the inside. This still ok. It's been glued up and is rock solid.

A structural wedge is pushed into the corner of the cutaway for support


Back braces are shaped to a 15' radius and glued onto the back. The disc it's sitting on is radiused and the go bar deck keeps the pressure on evenly.


This is where day 1 finished. I'll upload day 2, and more than likely day 3(today) later tonight!

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[Dedman]

looks like way too much fun!

[FrankenWashie]

I'm loving this diary, but envying you just a teeny tiny little bitty bit right now Zandit.

[Simon Barden]

At this rate it will all be over by day 4 and you can start on another guitar.

[Zandit75]

looks like way too much fun!

I'm having a ball! If you get the chance to call in, do so. Aaron is an electric guitar nut as well and he regularly does repairs and setups.

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[Zandit75]

I'm loving this diary, but envying you just a teeny tiny little bitty bit right now Zandit.

Fair's fair Franky, your threads are just as envious!

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