Latest in progress from AHG

[AcornHouse]

… There’s just something about well-made old-world tools.

From ancient Athens! (OH)



(Although my center clamp is the cheaper Shop-Fox version.)

 

[beinhard]

This is an absolutely amazing thread!
Beautiful work, and so much to learn from it.
Not that I will ever be capable of building a guitar myself, simple repairs are as far as my ambitions go.
Thank you for showing your work, and I predict that the lucky owner will be very happy!

beinhard

 

[GAD]

From ancient Athens! (OH)



(Although my center clamp is the cheaper Shop-Fox version.)

Nice knurling.

 

[AcornHouse]

Things have been on a slight hiatus to work on Xmas gifts, past and present. (Don’t ask. ) But, while ordering some wood for the next build, I got a set of cedar for some future classical. Reclaimed old growth wood from SE Alaska, it has a ringing tap tone. It will require an appreciation for a less uniform color. But that’s what happens when it lies on the forest floor for a long period.

 

[Opsimath]

Things have been on a slight hiatus to work on Xmas gifts, past and present. (Don’t ask. ) But, while ordering some wood for the next build, I got a set of cedar for some future classical. Reclaimed old growth wood from SE Alaska, it has a ringing tap tone. It will require an appreciation for a less uniform color. But that’s what happens when it lies on the forest floor for a long period.

Less uniform color or not, I think it's beautiful! Another lucky (future) owner!

 

[twocorgis]

Things have been on a slight hiatus to work on Xmas gifts, past and present. (Don’t ask. ) But, while ordering some wood for the next build, I got a set of cedar for some future classical. Reclaimed old growth wood from SE Alaska, it has a ringing tap tone. It will require an appreciation for a less uniform color. But that’s what happens when it lies on the forest floor for a long period.

From what I've understood, often the wood with the best tap tones isn't necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing. I'd be fine with that, myself.

 

[geoguy]

How is the color altered by the tree being down for a long time?

 

[AcornHouse]

How is the color altered by the tree being down for a long time?

I think it has to do with minerals and moisture leeching in from the ground side. I’m sure there are other factors. On this set the tight grain lines continue through regardless of the color. As you can see, there are 30-40 lines per inch (at least that’s what Nica counted), so this is some serious old growth wood.



Always tricky to get an exact count, even with the best of eyes. Sometimes you have to go in for a close up look.



And here’s some info about the company.

Our Story - Alaska Specialty Woods

Our Story Read about how we became Alaska Specialty Woods. 1996 Annette and Brent: circa 1988 In the winter of 1996, with only a chainsaw and some other borrowed tools, Brent Sr. embarked on his first job with his two sons, Brent Jr. and Ryan, providing wholesale block to a soundboard producer...

alaskawoods.com

 

[GGJaguar]

It will require an appreciation for a less uniform color.

Definitely worth it if you feel the tap tone is exceptional.

 

[twocorgis]

Definitely worth it if you feel the tap tone is exceptional.

Dana Bourgeois told me once that most of his best tops tap tone wise aren’t the prettiest, and many of them end up being black.

 

[AcornHouse]

Dana Bourgeois told me once that most of his best tops tap tone wise aren’t the prettiest, and many of them end up being black.

That’s the one difference with classicals. I can’t recall any that even have a sunburst, let alone a black top. But that’s okay. I like to let the wood tell its own story anyway. If nothing else, I can keep it as a demo. I have a nice padauk set that would go well with it.

 

[Default]

What? Ok, if you're keeping it as a demo, I want my first born child back!!!

On second thought, never mind.

 

[AcornHouse]

And…we’re back.

Now that I’ve finished a large project that took over my workroom (see below), I can get back to finishing Puck up. One good thing about the delay is that the shellac has had plenty of time to cure and won’t be so delicate.

Any finish will leave tuner holes tight, even an ultra thin one, so one of the first jobs is to do a little careful reaming with a round file to get them opened back up so they don’t bind the tuning posts. In addition, the majority of tuners that are 3 on a plate use rivets to attach the mechanism. It’s usually not big, but even a tiny bump can keep the plate from seating completely flush with the headstock. The good thing about Spanish cedar is that it’s relatively soft, so an imprint can be made by just finger pressure, which I them deepen with my Japanese nail set, still by hand. That makes a dent deep enough to accept the rivet bumps.

 

[AcornHouse]

And the delaying project? A fireplace shelving unit for my mother which unfortunately had to be stained (not my usual, but she wanted it to match the other furniture) and finished in the workroom. It was too cold, by far, to do it in the garage and this was the only room I could seal off from the cats. All quarter/rift sawn white oak.



It just needs to get moved up to Columbus.

As I was cleaning up from that job I also took the opportunity to set up some cheap shelves to organize my tonewoods, etc. Waiting on whatever build suits them.

 

[GGJaguar]

Interesting that Spanish cedar is that soft yet it makes a very stable neck.

 

[AcornHouse]

Interesting that Spanish cedar is that soft yet it makes a very stable neck.

Stiffness and hardness are two different things in the world of wood. Its why spruce is used for the soundboard AND was used for the frames of airplanes back in the day. Remember Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose? The largest plane ever built used spruce because of its lightness and stiffness. But you can cut it with your fingernail (almost). At least to fingernail depths.

 

[Rocky]

I am a sucker for quartersawn oak furniture.

 

[AcornHouse]

A morning power outage on a grey rainy day made it the perfect time to throw some polishing compound on her and do a little rubbing.

 

[AcornHouse]

And tuners were installed for the (hopefully) last time.

 

[Default]

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