The Itch Returns...

[nikotro]

This is impressive, and I love that you use hand tools.

[Archtop Guy]

Thanks for another installment Jehu. We're all watching and in awe of the use of the hand tools. Have a great holiday!

[Woody Sound]

Can't wait to see both of those beautiful woods with some lacquer on them.

[57classic]

What everybody else said!

[fritz jones]

is that cypress a softwood?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_arizonica

[Thecytochromec]

What will you go about the little chunk missing at the base of the backside? It sure seems aesthetically promising.

[Max405]

I am in awe.
I dream of doing something like this.
The patience you have is amazing. By using hand tools, not only will the guitar come out more meaningful, but it will add years to your life in the process.
Amazing. That's all I can say.
JD

[jasonc]

is that cypress a softwood?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_arizonica

Yes, it is but hardwood and softwood just designate whether the tree is an angiosperm (hardwood) or a gymnosperm (softwood) and has no bearing on the density of the timber. Basically the hardwoods are deciduous and the softwoods are evergreens. Balsa is a hardwood but is not a hard wood.

[Jehu]

Thanks for the encouragement, folks!

fritz -- yep, what Jason said. And this feels like a fairly hard softwood. It should provide a decent density contrast with the soft WRC soundboard. (If you believe such things are important... the top and back of my first build were of the same species, and the world kept on spinning.)

What will you go about the little chunk missing at the base of the backside? It sure seems aesthetically promising.

I'm pretty sure that falls into the arch profile, but we'll find out soon enough!

[Jehu]

Despite some holiday distractions, luthiatin' has continued!

I kept carving the top to approximate thickness...


... and then scraped out the plane marks. There's nothing worse than sanding, so getting proficient with a variety of edge tools is a very worthwhile pursuit. (Fun fact: The skilled cabinetmakers of yesteryear used abrasives not for smoothing, but to rough up surfaces. Their planes left surfaces so smooth they would have difficulty taking a finish.)


Then I cut the f-holes with a fretsaw and carefully snuck up on the edges with sanding sticks.


I rough-fit the braces and then spent many an hour refining them with carbon paper, a chisel, and a riffler. Then I worked on some other stuff for a week or two while waiting for the humidity to dip down before glueing them in place.


At this point things were looking a little too pretty for my tastes, so I uglied the scene up with some precautionary glue-soaked gauze and centre-seam cleats (or as I like to call them, "Tone Pyramids").


I've decided to go with unbound f-holes on this one, as I plan to include a sound port which will also be unbound. I came up with a number of less traditional f-hole designs, but in the end stuck with the classic look for this build. I'll be keeping a couple of the more interesting options for a smaller bodied (15.5"?) archtop I have knocking around in my brain...

[Woody Sound]

and centre-seam cleats (or as I like to call them, "Tone Pyramids").

[travisty]

firkin' awesome.

[lawson-stone]

Wow. You are inspiring me!

[fws6]

Keep em coming

you make it look so easy...

[Archtop Guy]

Beautiful stuff Jehu. I liked the gauze and glue reinforcement. Can't wait for the next photos.

[Dedalus]

Awesome thread, Jehu. Out of curiosity, are you up north or down south?

[Jehu]

Thanks, Dedalus. I'm up in Auckland (soon Whangaparaoa).

[Robertkoa]

Yes. I was going to say that grain already looks really good...

I have always loved resonant solid bodies..
( nowhere near the skill level required to build as an Archtop)-

And wonder why Cedar has not been used more ( like a thicker bodied set neck Strat /Cedarcaster for much deeper tones..).

[Jehu]

And wonder why Cedar has not been used more ( like a thicker bodied set neck Strat /Cedarcaster for much deeper tones..).

Solid chunks of cedar are surprisingly light, so on a purely practical level, neck dive could become an issue.

On a not-so-practical level, in a world where players feel that brass vs. nickel truss rod screws mess with their tele's resonant properties, I could imagine resistance to a very light solid-body.

[GNAPPI]

I'm in awe.

Me too, I can't hand saw a piece of wood two inches in a straight line. I would have made that cedar into wedges.

[Jehu]

Sorry folks, I'll have another update soon!

But in the meantime, I'll admit I got a bit distracted. A few months back my Dad gave me an old straight razor that belonged to my great-great-grandfather who brought it from Scotland to Canada many moons ago.

The blade was quite good for its age, but it had a sad, cracked set of horn scales (that's Fancy Razor Talk for "handle", as I've learned).


So I used a chunk of leftover Arizona Cypress from the back and a piece of Puriri as a wedge, and made a new set.



On topic, though, we do get a glimpse of how that Cypress is going to look under a finish!

[travisty]

Gosh! Joy. That's really purdy.
Makes me want to build a shop (and have time to play in it).
If I had any plans to do so my wife would hate you.

[Dedalus]

Love the razor.

[EpiJazz]

Man, if a razor looks that good, just imagine the guitar!!

[Archtop Guy]

Nice work.Your great great grandfather would be proud.