Latest in progress from AHG

[GAD]

I was going to ask where there was still a wider section of the neck and I think that last photo might explain it!

 

[davismanLV]

I was going to ask where there was still a wider section of the neck and I think that last photo might explain it!

Yeah, me as well!!

 

[AcornHouse]

I was going to ask where there was still a wider section of the neck and I think that last photo might explain it!

The neck is carved last, after the fingerboard is glued on. And, yes, best to keep it square until that moment, to allow for ease of clamping in all orientations. Rectangles clamp better than curves or tapers.

 

[AcornHouse]

Bending the binding in pairs. This pau ferro bends beautifully!

 

[AcornHouse]

Purfling shelf.

 

[GGJaguar]

Abalam purfling?

 

[AcornHouse]

Abalam purfling?

No, just some basic b/w. Classicals don’t go for that pearly stuff usually; and flamencos, even less.

 

[GGJaguar]

No, just some basic b/w. Classicals don’t go for that pearly stuff usually; and flamencos, even less.

You can always break with tradition and be a rebel... I mean, game changer.

 

[Opsimath]

Purfling shelf.

When you make that shelf is material removed from top and side or just top?

 

[AcornHouse]

When you make that shelf is material removed from top and side or just top?

Just in the top wood. I will machine rout the channel on the side for the binding. Always do the shelf for the purfling first, then the binding channel. (Although some, like Benedetto, has a router bit made special that does both at once.)

 

[AcornHouse]

Probably THE most pucker moments in a build is routing binding channels. That spinning bit can grab end grain at the worst time and rip it to shreds. I do my best to prepare the wood, using the gramil to pre cut the grain, but I’ll always approach the task with respectful fear.

After getting the router bit set up and selecting the correct bearing size (after FINDING the dam-ned bit!) I did some test cuts in some scrap to check that the binding fit the channel. Then, using a planned series of climb cuts and regular cuts, put the beast on Puck.

Whew! No issues. (Maybe by my 50th build I’ll become blasé about it.) Now I have to hand cut the channel by the neck; one of the disadvantages of the Spanish heel.

 

[GGJaguar]

I would think have a very sharp bit helps minimize the chance for tear out, but how do you know when a bit is no longer "sharp enough" for the job?

 

[AcornHouse]

I would think have a very sharp bit helps minimize the chance for tear out, but how do you know when a bit is no longer "sharp enough" for the job?

Hopefully, this one will last for awhile since it’s used for a very specific task and is never stressed with aggressive cuts. (Especially as the bit alone cost $75, let alone the bearing set!)

 

[Nuuska]

How was the channel cut in old days before routers existed ?

Like by hand with the tool at #245 ?

 

[AcornHouse]

How was the channel cut in old days before routers existed ?

Like by hand with the tool at #245 ?

No, they wouldn’t have had this size of a router plane. They’d use a gramil (or marking gauge) and a chisel. Very exacting and laborious. Basically, scribe the line at the bottom of the binding with the gramil and chisel down to it.

 

[Nuuska]

WOW - I just realized that I own a gramil . . .

I had a dear friend - a violin repair guy - he died about 10 years a go - his family handed over some of his tools to me .

 

[AcornHouse]

WOW - I just realized that I own a gramil . . .

I had a dear friend - a violin repair guy - he died about 10 years a go - his family handed over some of his tools to me .

The LMI one is a modern hi-tech version, but they’ve been around, in one form or another, for centuries.

 

[AcornHouse]

Hopefully you can see the two different ledges for the purfling and the binding in this shot.

 

[Opsimath]

No, they wouldn’t have had this size of a router plane. They’d use a gramil (or marking gauge) and a chisel. Very exacting and laborious. Basically, scribe the line at the bottom of the binding with the gramil and chisel down to it.

Wow! That was quite informative, but rather nerve racking.

 

[AcornHouse]

Wow! That was quite informative, but rather nerve racking.

Yep, welcome to my world.

”OK, the body is all together and looking good. Time to start hacking away at it!”