Back to Work on the Tenor Guitar

Now that the holidays are over i can get back to doing some work on the tenor guitar.

I've glued down the braces on the top and back and carved them to shape and the top is more or less voiced, I just need to think a bit about it and decide if I want to try and push things a bit farther and carve the braces down a bit more.

A "quick" video of rough carving the back braces, actual time about 18 minutes
http://youtu.be/pNuLS7FQ8tQ

The rough braces before carving

Top after carving

Back after carving

Playing Music

The Tenor Ukulele is finished, with just a few cosmetic touches left to sort out..

Actually sounds like a ukulele...

Ready for Some Finish

Nice productive day today. I glued on the fretboard last night and today carved the neck, a bit tough being hard maple but went OK.

Just a bit more sanding and I can start finishing. Nice that the maple does not really need pore filling so that saves a step :-)

Using Royal Lac Shellac finish again

Just simple dots on the fretboard

Two Pieces Become One - temporarily....

The Tenor Uke is getting closer to completion, I joined the neck & body tonight just to verify the neck angle and alignment, pretty close but need a bit of tuning. The Fretboard is cut and bound ready for the frets as well. So once that is done I can carve the neck and then just the bridge is left to make..

Some More Progress....

Ahhh the humidity is finally in a good range for building!!!

So the top and back are on the Tenor Uke and to binding channels are routed.. Always a bit stressful to start taking a router to a more or less OK looking instrument body. Luckily the new binding router set up works well and takes away some of the stress..

Also the mounting holes for the bolt on neck are done..

Looking forward to lots of progress in the next few weeks..

Starting to look like something

Binding channels

And more binding channels

Ready for the neck - well not really yet

Tenors.....

The weather is still not great for building. The RH in the house needs to drop another 10% but it is on the way.. In the mean time I'm getting as much done as I can..

Both Tenors, the Uke and the Guitar are moving along, if a bit slowly.. I bent the sides for the Tenor guitar today and the Uke is going OK as well..

Headstock inlay for the Uke

Routing the Headstock shape with a drill press router,
nice & safe for me and the headstock

The completed result

End wedge in the Uke

Roughed out neck

Rough work done with the table saw, first time I've tried it

Bending guitar sides

Done, first time bending Zircote, it is actually pretty easy,
which is good considering the cost...

Tenor Guitar Rosette

About 3 days work - more or less and the rosette is in the tenor guitar top.. Maple segments with black/white/black purfling and dividers.. turned out OK.

Rosette sitting waiting to a pocket to be routed

Using a block plane to level the purfling

Final Leveling with a scraper

Leveled

Finished rosette