So much for hand-carved then!

[RJVB]

I suppose everyone else already knew?

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Interesting to see it done, though...

[Sigmund451]

Invisible

[RJVB]

Oh, that's stupid, the forum software doesn't remove whitespace between the `Ig` tags and the URL...

Fixed - works for me now.

[garybaldy]

The film says it's from 1956 so, relatively, later in Gibson's history. I know it's still 70 years ago but there were a few decades before that.

[stevo58]

From the 1944 Epiphone catalog. The tops are rough carved by machine then finished by hand. Note they are carved “to pre-determined measurements” - no tap tuning here.

[rrbasic]

An appearence by Rem Wall in the final scene brought a smile to my face.

[RJVB]

The film says it's from 1956 so, relatively, later in Gibson's history.

True, but there's talk in it about the decades before so it's easy to forget that, and above all, if it says when the technology was introduced didn't catch it.

Still, it's true of course that the point of hand-carving isn't so much that you do everything by hand (otherwise, where would you stop ... wouldn't it so much better if luthiers lived long enough to plant and raise their own trees? ).

The post was intended to be just slightly provocative

[Archie]

True, but there's talk in it about the decades before so it's easy to forget that, and above all, if it says when the technology was introduced didn't catch it.

Still, it's true of course that the point of hand-carving isn't so much that you do everything by hand (otherwise, where would you stop ... wouldn't it so much better if luthiers lived long enough to plant and raise their own trees? ).

The post was intended to be just slightly provocative

I have been summoned lol

[Rickco]

It doesnt matter how you do ruff in, you could do it with a chain saw as long as you dont take to much. The outcome of quality depends on what happens after ruff, the more automated the ruff in the more time left to make it an instrument. I spent over 50yrs in the wood industry our shop had CNC next to a '45 oliver shaper next to our bench of sharp handtools. In fine woodworking of any kind its what you dont see that makes the difference and time is money, the less time spent on manual semi skilled work the better...for the maker and the consumer.

[Gitterbug]

I see a difference between Gibson's and Epiphone's approaches. Gibson appears to skip the chiseling part and admits that perfection may loom somewhere in the future. Hasn't CNC milling come a long way in this respect? I'd like to know, however, what effect different roughing methods have on the tonewood. Drilling à la Benedetto and then blows from chiseling, vs. vibration from either copy router or CNC. The masters of Cremona had no power tools. OTOH, one could argue that vibration ages/opens up the wood a bit.

Chainsaw massacre? I did save a slab of spruce about 30 years ago, wide enough for a one-piece arch top. And my small Stihl electric chainsaw has proven very versatile and precise...

[Rickco]

Think of it this way, the first ruff in was when they felled the tree and it hit the ground like an earth quake then dragged through the woods where it was not treated gently and the mill couldnt give a crap whether it was "tone" wood. Then it was barked, slabbed etc before it was ruff sawn to boards, then dried which is probably the most important process for any wood but extremely important for instruments (correct me if Im wrong) Then ruff sized for processing, I doubt any other process in shaping would have much effect on the structure of the wood relating to tone, Bob Bs Pine archtop I think confirms this

[2bornot2bop]

An appearence by Rem Wall in the final scene brought a smile to my face.

is he related to Ren Wall, the designer of the Heritage Ren Wall pickups?

[Gitfiddler]

The image only shows the basic rough cutting of the woods (top/back/sides) that the guitar is made from. It is my understanding that tap tuning the top/back/braces-tone bars occurs once all of the rough cutting is completed.

That said, the basic carving of the top/back/sides should be fairly standardized for each archtop model. The photos above do not discuss tap tuning, which I imagine is saved for only the top tier or custom ordered archtop due to the required time and expertise of the guitar builder/luthier.

[Archie]

The image only shows the basic rough cutting of the woods (top/back/sides) that the guitar is made from. It is my understanding that tap tuning the top/back/braces-tone bars occurs once all of the rough cutting is completed.

That said, the basic carving of the top/back/sides should be fairly standardized for each archtop model. The photos above do not discuss tap tuning, which I imagine is saved for only the top tier or custom ordered archtop due to the required time and expertise of the guitar builder/luthier.

My undertaking is that the use of a pad sander would null and void any tuning that may or may not be done.
Always worth remembering, these are mass produced US products, long before the advent of Apple and Collings.
There is a reason Americans couldn’t wait to buy Japanese cars etc…
US manufacturing has come a long way which is why it’s interesting to see modern Gibson inc, still using the same questionable methods.
Their tolerances for carved plates is still very hit and miss, in spite of CNC machines.
I heard that Gibson till recently were having carved plates made by Boeing.

[garybaldy]

True, but there's talk in it about the decades before so it's easy to forget that, and above all, if it says when the technology was introduced didn't catch it.

I did mention the 'decades before' in my post to which you have replied .

[skykomishone]

It doesnt matter how you do ruff in, you could do it with a chain saw as long as you dont take to much. The outcome of quality depends on what happens after ruff, the

In all due respect, it does matter. Wood grain is fibrous.
A chainsaw would yank some serious yanks on wood of a plate.

And, speed, temperature, and cutting tools make a big difference. I know this. Spruce is somewhat soft. I've used a lot of chainsaws, and the lube for the bar is nasty and sticky too.

I would never use a chainsaw. only to cut the log of the tree into blocks, for neck and plate lengths, then Split the blocks radially, into wedges, paint the ends with emulsified wax and control the slow and careful drying. This I've done.

[Rickco]

In all due respect, it does matter. Wood grain is fibrous.
A chainsaw would yank some serious yanks on wood of a plate.

And, speed, temperature, and cutting tools make a big difference. I know this. Spruce is somewhat soft. I've used a lot of chainsaws, and the lube for the bar is nasty and sticky too.

I would never use a chainsaw. only to cut the log of the tree into blocks, for neck and plate lengths, then Split the blocks radially, into wedges, paint the ends with emulsified wax and control the slow and careful drying. This I've done.

The point is after ruff the remaining wood is not damaged, unless you can see splits etc, how it was ruffd makes no difference, this isnt the place for a class on timber processing, trace your spruce dimensioned board back to the tree...bet you see a chainsaw what happens after that is what matters. The men that taught me made fine barrels from trees with axes and adzes that didnt leak and were perfectly dimensioned, now thats real ruff in!