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Seven Heirlooms - Nope, it's time to glue the backs to the rims.
- Thread starter Malc2098
- Start date
Malc2098
Sequoia
Laminating another two necks from the Sycamore offcuts.
Not forgetting to turn one half end over end to even out the pull of the grain.
And then make use of the offcuts' offcuts! (Did I get that apostrophe in the right place?)
Once they've been through the drum sander thickness, they'll make a pair of instrument sides.
Not forgetting to turn one half end over end to even out the pull of the grain.
And then make use of the offcuts' offcuts! (Did I get that apostrophe in the right place?)
Once they've been through the drum sander thickness, they'll make a pair of instrument sides.
AJB Temple
Sequoia
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2019
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They look like lovely pieces of wood.
Malc2098
Sequoia
They certainly are. I see it as my job to make the most of their innate beauty.
Malc2098
Sequoia
Just look at that ripple!
I know they look like machine planing flaws, but I can assure you, they are ripple figure in the grain.
I've just calculated and think I have enough for a third neck and body.
I know they look like machine planing flaws, but I can assure you, they are ripple figure in the grain.
I've just calculated and think I have enough for a third neck and body.
Dr.Al
Old Oak
Looks lovely
AJB Temple
Sequoia
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Go for it Malc. Lovely wood. I once bought a guitar (CS strat - Mark has fondled it) because it had a birds eye maple neck that was perfect. It was second hand and the guy selling it had just brought it into a dealer and I did a side deal there and then. Yours will look stunning but you now need to get the finishing level to 11 out of 10 
And I’ve no doubt you will
duke
Old Oak
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- Location
- Field, Ontario, Canada
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- Scott Dukeshire
Nice looking wood for the necks. Would you call it a flame pattern?
Malc2098
Sequoia
Yes, I think they can be called either flame of rippled.
duke
Old Oak
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I can't wait to see all the grain pop with a finish applied.
duke
Old Oak
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Maybe 7 Malc, will it ever end
Malc2098
Sequoia
Got to brush up my productions techniques.Maybe 7 Malc, will it ever end
Malc2098
Sequoia
Three neck blanks built up dry.
It is tricky getting those centre stripes aligned. My joinery isn't perfect so I made some shims with masking tape to get them to line up. Clamping is a bit tricky, too.
It is tricky getting those centre stripes aligned. My joinery isn't perfect so I made some shims with masking tape to get them to line up. Clamping is a bit tricky, too.
Malc2098
Sequoia
Seven neck blanks, marked out with their side template but still not ready for the CNC machine.
Veneers are still to be glued to the front and backs of the headstocks, and the back ones have to be heat bent round that arc.
Veneers are still to be glued to the front and backs of the headstocks, and the back ones have to be heat bent round that arc.
Impressive.
duke
Old Oak
- Joined
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- Field, Ontario, Canada
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- Scott Dukeshire
Malc, how long does the CNC take to mill a neck?
Malc2098
Sequoia
I'm the wrong person to ask, Duke. I only program my CNC just to machine the headstock shape, and my signature logo and any other inlays I might include in the headstock veneer.
The rest of the neck, I machine to rough shape and then hand carve to sanding finish.
While my machine might just be able to carve a neck, I haven't mastered the 3D programming to create the toolpaths to machine such a shape.
But, I really enjoy the hand carving and finishing of the neck. I find there is a satisfaction of achieving the heel shape and neck shape using hand tools and abrasives.
Malc2098
Sequoia
Seven necks still not ready for the CN machine.
Ready for the bandsaw with a new carved side profile template.
Sawn to rough shape.
Routed and sanded, with the rolling pin sander, to side profile shape.
The headstocks now need to have their front and back veneers glued on, then I think they'll be ready for the CNC machine (which I will be upgrading from leadscrew drive to ballscrew drive and with a new controller before I start that work).
Ready for the bandsaw with a new carved side profile template.
Sawn to rough shape.
Routed and sanded, with the rolling pin sander
, to side profile shape.The headstocks now need to have their front and back veneers glued on, then I think they'll be ready for the CNC machine (which I will be upgrading from leadscrew drive to ballscrew drive and with a new controller before I start that work).
Dr.Al
Old Oak
You're a busy beaver, aren't you?!
Malc2098
Sequoia
Not nearly as busy as you!
Malc2098
Sequoia
As most ukulele use nylon strings, the force on the neck is nowhere near as strong as steel strings on guitars. But just to reinforce it and to prevent any desire of the wood to twist, I emply passive reinforcement with a carbon fibre square hollow rod.
First rout the groove.
Then insert the rod. One down, 6 more to go.
They will be epoxied in place.
First rout the groove.
Then insert the rod. One down, 6 more to go.
They will be epoxied in place.
duke
Old Oak
- Joined
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- Scott Dukeshire
Do you epoxy the rod along its entire bottom side or in just three areas?
Malc2098
Sequoia
I'll line the groove with epoxy and gently press the rod in. I will fill the routing starter hole at the headstock end. Then I will scrape off any excess. It's likely that if I left excess on any of the wood, then the Titebond gluing the fretboard to the neck would not take. So, I will probably line the top of the neck area with parcel tape to prevent the ingress of epoxy in to the wood while fitting the rod into the groove.
Malc2098
Sequoia
All the neck blanks now fitted with parcel tape and the centres cut out.
Each of the grooves was micro 'eased' to fit the rods, so I might as well keep the rods in order.
The beauty of the parcel tape is also that with a worksop tissue dampened with meths, I can wipe the epoxy squeeze-out straight off.
Each of the grooves was micro 'eased' to fit the rods, so I might as well keep the rods in order.
The beauty of the parcel tape is also that with a worksop tissue dampened with meths, I can wipe the epoxy squeeze-out straight off.
Malc2098
Sequoia
Before I can do anything else to the soundboards, I need to fit their rosettes and their purfling.
It took my a while to get my head round this process: two work boards and one cutter the same width as the purfling (more or less).
First I had to use the heating iron to bend seven pieces of black/white/white/black (BWWB) purfling I had made up during the build of the two Dreadnoughts. I also used the rosette workboard to rout the correct radius circle for the purfling which goes on the outside of the rosette.
The inside radius of the purfling is the same as the outside radius of the rosette, the blank of Padauk here made up of a book matched square.
The soundboard workboard with the top fixed down with the two layers of masking tape and CA glue method.
A trial cut with the router to see if the purfling fits. Where it was too tight, I just ran a sanding board over each side of the purfling to ease it in the groove.
Purfling groove routed.
At this point, I should have captured an image of the outer cut of the rosette, but I must have forgotten.
On to the outer cut of the soundhole, the radius of which is the same as the inner radius of the rosette in this particular design.
Inner and outer cuts of the rosette.
The depth of the rosette cut is shallower than the purfling groove. This helps with the fitting of them both.
Ready to fit.
Dry fit. Looks OK.
Glued. Left overnight. I'll leave the drum sanding till all seven have finished.
Only six more to go.
It took my a while to get my head round this process: two work boards and one cutter the same width as the purfling (more or less).
First I had to use the heating iron to bend seven pieces of black/white/white/black (BWWB) purfling I had made up during the build of the two Dreadnoughts. I also used the rosette workboard to rout the correct radius circle for the purfling which goes on the outside of the rosette.
The inside radius of the purfling is the same as the outside radius of the rosette, the blank of Padauk here made up of a book matched square.
The soundboard workboard with the top fixed down with the two layers of masking tape and CA glue method.
A trial cut with the router to see if the purfling fits. Where it was too tight, I just ran a sanding board over each side of the purfling to ease it in the groove.
Purfling groove routed.
At this point, I should have captured an image of the outer cut of the rosette, but I must have forgotten.
On to the outer cut of the soundhole, the radius of which is the same as the inner radius of the rosette in this particular design.
Inner and outer cuts of the rosette.
The depth of the rosette cut is shallower than the purfling groove. This helps with the fitting of them both.
Ready to fit.
Dry fit. Looks OK.
Glued. Left overnight. I'll leave the drum sanding till all seven have finished.
Only six more to go.
duke
Old Oak
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2020
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- Scott Dukeshire
Malc, did you make your router jig attachment? It looks quite versatile.
Malc2098
Sequoia
It came from Temu. It doesn't have any micro adjustability except by my hands carefully setting the depth and radius, which is why I try it out on work boards first.
it was 7 heirlooms a while back. What’s happened to the other 3?
Malc2098
Sequoia
You noticed! The soundboards are more or less 2.4mm. The purfling is about 2.5mm but can be planed/scraped/sanded to whatever. The rosette blanks are about 1.4 thick and I'll drumsand them back. And I have to adjust the depths and radii with no micro facility! I can buy a setup from the US, but it would be a couple of hundred pounds plus shipping, plus imprt duties, plus vat, for use one a year.But, the process I've adopted, from online, means I only have to use two radii, and if I cut them into a scrap part of the workboard, I can reset them each time from there.
Malc2098
Sequoia
It's still seven. This was the first one of them.
It was the change in the thread title that got me worried.
Now you've gone and changed it so this no longer makes sense
duke
Old Oak
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2020
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- Location
- Field, Ontario, Canada
- Name
- Scott Dukeshire
Hey Malc, have you made a guitar with a side sound hole?
Malc2098
Sequoia
No, but I've worked with a chap who has made ukuleles with the sound hole on the top upper bout. He tells me that allows more of the soundboard to vibrate.