On with the Parlour Guitar

So I've carved the neck on the parlour guitar, a bit more of a V than previous ones I've done. and now it's on to pore filling the Wenge!

It has huge pores so I imagine it will take 3 or 4 tries to pore fill it, maybe more.. I thought about using other method but decided to stick with z-poxy..

Despite the huge pores I like Wenge and I'm working on a plan to use it again on a tenor..

Busy Weekend

OK done, the Parlour is now caught up to the Tenor, so I can put away all the body jigs & moulds and get on with making necks..

This weekend I  carve to top braces and finished voicing the top, glued on the back & top, cut the binding channels and the channel for the top Abalone purfling and got all the bindings & purfling installed.. I was a bit concerned how the Wenge would route as it seem brittle but it was fine..

Still lots of finish sanding to do on both bodies but that can wait until later...

All in all a productive weekend and I'm officially in love with my new binding router jig.. works so darn well..

I'm also really happy with how the binding came out on the Parlour the Abalone looks great and not too gaudy..

Very happy with this look

No Abalone on the back

End wedge

Top view

Both now waiting for necks

Tenor & Parlour Work

I'm trying to get the Parlour guitar caught up to the Tenor... Almost there..

The Bindings are on the tenor and they turned out very nice..

Top View

Only the top has the back purfling line to separate the binding & top

And from the side, simple & nice

Simple end wedge

Now for the parlour the end blocks are on, the kerfing is done the top & back are braced and the back has the braces carved and is ready to go on the top.. Just need to carve the top braces and get it voiced and  then I can radius the sides and get the box closed hopefully in the next day or two..

Then on with the necks..

Rough back bracing

Bridge patch last of the top bracing

More clamps

Braces shaped & back label on 

The Weekend's Progress

So things are moving along, the back braces are carved on the tenor and the back is not glued on the sides. All the top braces are glued on and ready to finish voicing the top.

The bindings are bent and since I had the side bender set up the parlour guitar's sides and bindings are bent as well...

Using a go-bar deck to clamp some of the
top bracing

Back now on the sides

Top and back together

The parlour's sides resting in the form

Parlor Guitar

So I've started the Parlor Guitar, the back & top are jointed and thicknessed and so are the sides. As well the rosette is installed complete with Zipflex Paua Shell purfling.. The Zipflex installation went well.

This is my first time building with Wenge and I've heard good things about it and it does seem to tap real nice but it's pretty brittle and tools need to be real sharp to plane, I'm also thinking pore filling is going to be a real chore as it has huge pores.....

Oh well it is suppose to sound great!

Planing the Cedar top to thickness

Gluing up the Wenge back

Running the Wenge rosette through my home made thickness sander,
The rosette is random pieces of Wenge with BWB purfling between them

Completed rosette and routed channel for it

Rosette installed and inlayed with the Paua shell

Closer view

See what I mean about pores.....

Mandocello and the Next Build

I'm still tweaking the Mandocello I have some new strings on order for it and in doing some careful examination it looks like the saddle could still use a bit of work as the stings are not quite contacting it right in a couple of places. So I'll try and get on with that in the next couple of days.. Hopefully the strings arrive soon.

The next Build is going to be a parlor guitar sort of a Martin size 2 guitar.. It will have a Western Red Cedar top, which I just glued up yesterday, and Wenge for the back & sides as well as the fingerboard. Trim is flamed maple and Paua Shell, first time I've used that in such quantity.

I'm debating the arch for the top and back, right now I am leaning to 20' for the back and perhaps just a true flat top.. I'm trying to coax as much volume & base out of a small guitar body, so perhaps that might be a good way to do it?

We will see..