The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

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Posts 51 to 75 of 419
  1. #51

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    This time, I used a 1/4" regular drill bit in the drill press with the dowel depth stop to 1/4". I did double check a few times throughout to ensure the drill tip was maxing out at 1/4" as I did not want any disasters:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2764-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2765-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2766-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2767-jpg

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  3. #52

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    For this one I planned to cheat and avoid the mallet/gouge for the majority of the wood waste removal- as evident by the angle grinder in the last photo ready to roll. I think I mentioned, I used the King Arthur Tools Lancelot, which is basically a chainsaw chain.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2772-jpg

    This method works pretty well, and IMO is much better than the mallet. Clearly, this thing gets sawdust EVERYWHERE. I mean there were pieces in almost all corners of this garage. haha

    Current inside status awaiting the start of the D'A plane:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2774-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2773-jpg

    And current outside status awaiting the start of the scraper:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2775-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2776-jpg
    Last edited by sbeishline; 05-29-2019 at 03:00 PM.

  4. #53

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    The Lancelot is very aggressive. I prefer a flap sanding disk in 60 grit. I feel I have much more control.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  5. #54

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    I'm really enjoying watching this. Thanks for sharing!

  6. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by rlrhett
    The Lancelot is very aggressive. I prefer a flap sanding disk in 60 grit. I feel I have much more control.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    It went fine, but I completely understand your point of more control and cut depth consistency, Rhett. Was planning to get a shaping disc (Kutzall or something of the like) for the top plate. The Lancelot left some steps that cause the transition to hand planing to again be a bit tedious, although, better than the Forstner bit with gouge/mallet.

  7. #56

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    I’ve been wood chipping away at the inside of the back plate. Took me about 3-4 days of using the D’A plane, and a few intermittent thumb blisters to get down to the bottom of the drill holes and ready for the orbital sander to check with the thickness calipers. As I said, the Lancelot still makes for a bumpy transition to the hand plane as seen here:

    First-timer Archtop Build-4d2286e7-d4fd-43bd-8941-cb56a48a4751-jpg

    With progress, we’re now here:

    First-timer Archtop Build-11e4bbe9-3f59-489d-9c7f-a44187f377ff-jpg

    Took some photos in the dark with a focal light to get the jist if the inside contour.
    First-timer Archtop Build-341c8eec-a374-4507-b354-f3bbe9312a4b-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-7eef453a-c54d-4b4e-afd2-d7bdc541e65a-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-fb36c257-feb6-4b31-ae1e-88078fdbdd57-jpg

    The mid 2/3 is still about .22-.25”, so a bit more planing and orbital sanding and we’ll get close to 3/16”.

  8. #57

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    Took me about 3-4 days of using the D’A plane, and a few intermittent thumb blisters
    I've been thinking...how much time resharpening plane blades has gone into this project?

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bahnzo
    I've been thinking...how much time resharpening plane blades has gone into this project?
    Funny you ask. I was wondering how long I'd be able to go before I actually had to hone them! I bought these planes new for this a few weeks back, and they both came out of the box with really nice edges and ready to roll.

    Last night was the first time I resharpened the D'A plane as the blade needed it- noticed a big difference. I refreshed it on all 3 water stones and finished it on the leather strop. I haven't used LN plane nearly as much, because most of this is with concave/convex surfaces and require the double convexity of the D'A and Lee Valley detail palm plane. Even if you don't overhaul them completely with the stones, etc, it's recommended to take them to the leather strop frequently with hefty use.

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    Funny you ask. I was wondering how long I'd be able to go before I actually had to hone them! I bought these planes new for this a few weeks back, and they both came out of the box with really nice edges and ready to roll.

    Last night was the first time I resharpened the D'A plane as the blade needed it- noticed a big difference. I refreshed it on all 3 water stones and finished it on the leather strop. I haven't used LN plane nearly as much, because most of this is with concave/convex surfaces and require the double convexity of the D'A and Lee Valley detail palm plane. Even if you don't overhaul them completely with the stones, etc, it's recommended to take them to the leather strop frequently with hefty use.
    As a vintage straight-razor restorer and user, I just love hearing people talk about water-stone honing and leather strops.

    Sends shivers down my spine!

    What stones do you use? Grits?

  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    both came out of the box with really nice edges and ready to roll.

    Last night was the first time I resharpened the D'A plane as the blade needed it- noticed a big difference.
    Wow. Out of the box sharp is a nice thing! It's really nice when you resharpen and use again that first time, eh?

    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    As a vintage straight-razor restorer and user, I just love hearing people talk about water-stone honing and leather strops.

    Sends shivers down my spine!

    What stones do you use? Grits?
    While I'm not a straight razor guy, I do use the older (I have a 50's) Gillette safety razor. There's a lot of overlap with the straight razor folks it seems. Although I'm not really an avid collector, tho.

    But I used to dabble in woodworking and I still have my waterstone. I have a 1k/2k with a couple of "chalks" as I call them which I use to hone. I used to use them for planes, but now they exist to keep my kitchen knives nice and clean. Which reminds me...they are due.

  12. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    As a vintage straight-razor restorer and user, I just love hearing people talk about water-stone honing and leather strops.

    Sends shivers down my spine!

    What stones do you use? Grits?
    Haha! I have Norton water stones 1000grit and a 4000/8000grit combo stone. I don't have a grinder, but am planning to get the Rikon 82-100 wet grinder at some point.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bahnzo
    Wow. Out of the box sharp is a nice thing! It's really nice when you resharpen and use again that first time, eh?
    Got that right!

  13. #62

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    Haha! I have Norton water stones 1000grit and a 4000/8000grit combo stone. I don't have a grinder, but am planning to get the Rikon 82-100 wet grinder at some point.
    For my razors I walk them up a series of Japanese (Naniwa) water stones: 1000 to set the bevel, 4000 to establish the edge, 8000 to smooth it, and finishing on a 12,000. Once a razor is really good, just a touch up on the 12,000 is all that's required.

  14. #63

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    Shop session yesterday... back to refining the middle 2/3rds of the inside. D'A plane to orbital sander and checking with depth gauge to approx. 3/16"

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2844-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2845-jpg

    Haven't reported anything previously about scraping. I had zero knowledge about scraping before looking into this project, and from what I saw the thin, bendable scrapers didn't look like my cup of tea. I had no idea which ones to get- shapes, thickness, etc. I'd come across various things regarding Alan Carruth's work, and in looking on StewMac found he developed the Ultimate scraper. I watched the video, and bought the size original. Did you ever put a hot knife through butter? All I'll say is: I'm very glad I waited and got this. Done.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2846-jpg

    These are the post scrape pics in the cradle:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2848-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2847-jpg

    If you recall, I used the STP to get the edge of the plate to 1/4" (as recommended by Matt Cushman) so that plate would be less likely to move. Fortunately, the shape has still remained pretty flat. I took a bit of time to decide if I wanted to take the edge back to the STP to plane it down to 3/16" or do it by hand using the flat LN plane. I didn't want the STP to slip in the drill press, etc and ruin all the work I've done and started to trial with the hand plane. It seemed as though it was going to take quite a bit of time, so I decided to take a risk and STP it. I ensured the drill press table was true to the STP and clamped a piece of plywood to it, to ensure everything was totally flat when I was planing. I also tightened the hell out of the STP into the press to minimize the risk of any slippage. Turns out it did work okay and saved me a bunch of time.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2852-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2849-jpg

    I then used the flat LN to plane it in the areas it was able, and the convex D'A in the more curved areas the LN wouldn't do. Once I was close, I smoothed it all out with the orbital sander.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2850-jpg

    Here are the pics of the plate after:

    First-timer Archtop Build-58170906818__502d48e4-4e15-4408-9f3d-2c1790587214-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-58170910026__7f078366-93e6-47e5-bbcd-0d20e7bdf084-jpg

  15. #64

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    I took a few photos of the half box to get a glimpse of what the guitar body will look like.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2855-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2864-jpg

    You can tell from the shadow that I'll have to use the scraper to refine the arch in a spot or two.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2859-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2861-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2862-jpg

  16. #65

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    Started on the top plate in the same fashion as I did the back plate:

    1. Cut out template. I modified the Benedetto template to go down by 1/16" for each level of the ziggurat, which involved adding a few levels. Started at 15/16 and went down to 5/16" at edge:

    First-timer Archtop Build-58171291086__9ad4c06b-6230-45b1-9154-f182967a7276-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-58171305164__2aaa60a0-da2b-4c4e-9b78-887519192835-jpg


    Set on the top plate:
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2868-jpg

    Mess created with the STP:
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2869-jpg

    Post STP and current status- ready for the LN and eventually the D'A planes:
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2871-jpg

  17. #66

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    Took the STP'd top and began the process using the flat LN plane to start knocking down the edges of the tiers. I use that until the curvature prevents the plane from making good contact and stops shaving. I then switched to the D'A for the most of the rest until readying for sanding.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2887-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2888-jpg

    I then used some 40grit sand paper to smooth the transitions a bit before I had access to the orbital sander:

    First-timer Archtop Build-58189912609__ef51d72c-9919-4553-a82f-97057588c44d-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-58189915329__bcdf2ce3-a3ee-4150-b2a1-6e65302ee176-jpg

  18. #67

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    Used the orbital sander with a new type of 100grit sandpaper pad from Klingspor that I think worked better than the Festool stuff. I think STP'ing more steps of the ziggurat (every 1/16") on the spruce made the contouring much easier than the back plate.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2893-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2894-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2896-jpg

    Had a small catastrophe when I was nearly at the quitting point.. the boom from the orbital sander came off the dust collector base and fall onto the top causing a few dents in the super soft spruce top :

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2898-jpg

    Thanks to my bud Steve, he had some prior experience with this and recommended we iron a wet rag on the spots, in which the steam causes the wood to swell and self-repair. This helped quite a bit and nearly resolved the two towards the middle, and the 2 small dents will be sanded down in getting the edge to 3/16" - it's still probably near 5/16".

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2899-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2900-jpg

    Having this happen was gut wrenching, but a good experience in that it forces me to realize that it's just a wood project, not brain surgery! Fortunately, it'll all be sanded out and never to be seen again.

  19. #68

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    Similar to the back plate, to indicate the glue surface of the top plate, I traced directly around the outside lined guitar shell and inside at the kerfing. Then I took a plastic washer and traced around the kerfing to allow about a 3/16" buffer, followed by a freehand 3/16" for the transition zone, so I don't short change the glue surface:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2902-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2903-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2901-jpg

    Took some pics of the outside of the top again at its current place:
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2904-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2905-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_2906-jpg

    Won't be back at it till next week since I'll be out of town, but next step will be to sand out the dents. I need to be thinking about whether or not to cut out the f-holes first before hollowing out the inside of the back.

  20. #69

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    I need to be thinking about whether or not to cut out the f-holes first before hollowing out the inside of the back.
    No.


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  21. #70

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_2906-jpg

    . . . next step will be to sand out the dents.
    Consider steaming them out first, especially since this is unfinished wood. With these pinpoint dents it might be as simple as a wet cloth and a soldering iron.

  22. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by sbeishline
    Won't be back at it till next week since I'll be out of town, but next step will be to sand out the dents. I need to be thinking about whether or not to cut out the f-holes first before hollowing out the inside of the back.
    What rlrhett said. You'll want to get the plate close to final dimension before cutting those f-holes.

  23. #72

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    Took SamSherry's advice and decided to give a 2nd steaming a go. It did help a little bit and after it dried I sanded the minimal residual spots out:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3122-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3123-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3124-jpg

    Of note, you'll see I measured from the end of the tail block where the 15th fret will be meeting the body and measured the distance to the bridge location using a fret calculator on tundraman.com, which was 10.415" (as previous mentioned way back by Matt Cashman).

  24. #73

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    I then used the Benedetto book to determine the depth recommendations for the top plate using parallel bracing:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3138-jpg

    I then printed a copy of the f-hole size I'm planning to use (5 3/16") and cut it out to use the points of the f-hole (circled in blue) needed to mark the distance from the center line (3 3/16" on upper end and 5 1/8" on lower end), prior to drawing in the lines. I probably could have eyeballed this, but I figured the practice for the front wouldn't hurt.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3134-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3135-jpg

    Then flipped the f-hole and did the same thing for the other side, and drew in the 2 guidelines:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3137-jpg

    Finally, I marked the appropriate depths for the drill holes:

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3139-jpg

  25. #74

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    I then used the same setup as the back plate, using a dowel as a depth stop and using the set-up blocks to set the drill press to the appropriate depth. I decided to set the depth to 1/16" shorter than the indicated depth to avoid any short changing with the wood removal process, so my depths were 1/4" for the 3/16", 7/32" for the 5/32", and 3/16" for the 1/8".

    First-timer Archtop Build-58291242644__f89bce2f-bd3f-419c-9104-7472e258768b-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-58291295539__fd6b3a7d-65f8-4080-bc98-7a3e05d67d47-jpg

    I also took Rhett's advice and bought a 40grit flap disc sander for the angle grinder. This worked really well, especially since the spruce is so much softer than the maple.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3142-jpg

    Despite this, I ended up sanding some areas thin and in one particular area, scarily too thin; although, I didn't go through, thankfully.
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3146-jpg
    Similar to the back plate, I used the orbital sander and D'A plane to get down to the appropriate depth down the middle. In the end, I got the appearance to be acceptable. And, it'll be on the inside. Because of the thin area, I wasn't able to tidy it up, but as they say, it's the 'mark of the maker'.

    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3147-jpg

  26. #75

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    Here are some pics taken outside to give an idea of what this box will look like:
    First-timer Archtop Build-img_3174-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3156-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3151-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3152-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3153-jpgFirst-timer Archtop Build-img_3164-jpg

    Next steps will be to use the spindle sander to get the edges close to the true extended edges (I'll sand to final dimension by hand later), marking and cutting out the f-holes, milling/marking/shaping braces, and placing the locator pin/hole for when its time to close the box.