sorry for the delay!!!

Phew... I am sorry about the delay everyone... I have been so busy and I went home for easter.... so I got a little behind and I am going to have to cover a lot... are you Ready?!!?!?!
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So I left off with the making of braces...


after I put a radius in the braces I want to glue them in. I have to glue them in different groups and shape them in between gluing... so first I started with my X brace... The most important of the braces.

First I used a carpenters protractor to get the exact angle of my x brace... which for the gibson OM is 103 degrees.


Then I marked it on my braces... I marked it on the top of one and the bottom of the other so they will fit together..



then I used my japanese saw to cut the grooves in them... this is a very cool tool. it cuts on the pull stroke rather than the push like america hand saws... this way you have more control over the cut... plus it has a samarai sword handle...sweet! But even though its exciting I have to remember that it is also quite dangerous... My friend Isaiah sliced his hand open with it the other day and had to go to the emergency room... eeek






It took a while to fit the braces so that they were snug and at the perfect angle... but eventually I got it



Now its time to glue them in. To get the most amount of downward pressure we use a Gobar deck. I believe this was originally used for making asian furniture...something like that...



It has a radius dish in the bottom



and you use these long sticks to create firm downward pressure.




it also helps to glue a lot of things a once




So I used hot hide glue again and glue each brace in one at a time... then wait for 2 hours



Unfortunately after I glued I noticed that I had a cracked brace...


I tried gluing it back together with more hide glue and a smaller clamp..



but it broke apart again during shaping.



I decided that this brace is just to important... since it was the bottom brace I had to get rid of both of them, so I planed them all the way off and started over. re-sand, make new braces, thickness, knotch together and glue.


While this glued, I made this for my top... since there will be a radius in my top after I glue in those braces, I took a sheet of poster paper and lined the outside with cork so that I could lay it face down, clamp it to my workboard, and not flatten the arch.




I also put a peice of maple on the bottom of my workboard so that I can put it in my vise and have a larger work area.





Once the new x braces were in.... I planed them to height, shaped them and scalloped the ends using my block plane, finger planes, chisels, and sand paper. I will do more to this later when I "voice the top".


Next I preped my lower transverse braces and my finger braces. These taper to 1/8" and sit right against the X braces.





Since I scallop these befopre gluing I have to use clamping cauls so that I have a level surface and I dont dent the soft spruce.


after they are dry I shape them as well.


Next I glued in my upper transverse brace.... since this brace is near where the neck meets the body... I cant have too much radius, so I glue this brace in at a 25' radius instead of 20'.



Next I am going to make my bridge plate. The strings of the guitar go through the bridge and through the top of the guitar... They are pulling at the top with around 180 lbs of pressure.... so I use a hardwood to reinforce the bridge... in this case Indian Rosewood.
First I us paper to make an outline for how big and what shape the plate will be so it can fit in between the X braces and lower transverse brace.

Then I trace it on the plate.


Cut it out and fit it.


Once it fits tight I will use a radiused board to sand a radius in the bottom. Careful not to press down in the center or press down to hard or I wont get the raius right.



Then I use some of my leftover topwood to make 3 soundhole braces and the upper transverse graft.

I also use it to make a cap for the x brace with the notched top



Then I glued them all in using cauls made of wood and plexi.


Done gluing braces hooray!

then I shaped the cap to reinforce the X braces.


Now lets get to backs and sides... first we thicknessed the backs.

and for you spinal tap fans... the thickness sander goes to 11


Then we thicknessed the sides. My Indian rosewood was very stiff and then all the sudden we thicknessed it and it became very loose.



Next I shaped the ribs. First I found the book match that I wanted on the bottom of the guitar.


I double stick taped them together. Jointed one end, traced the outline and band saw/sanded them to the shape of my template.


I marked the outside of the guitar and marked which side would connect to the top and which to the back of the guitar.


Now it was time to bend the sides. We did this with heat and a mold. First we wraped the sides with a wet paper towel, then wrapped it in aluminum foil.

Then I measured and marked the spot where the center of the hip was going to be.


I matched this with the hip line.



I then sandwiched my rib with a heat blanket and 2 pieces of spring steel.


I heated it up for 45 seconds. Then I clamped the hip in.



smoothed down the sides very carefully and clamped them with jorgenson clamps.



I let it cook for 1.5-2 minutes more. Then let it sit for 15 min. Re-adjusted the rib and reclamped it. Cooked it for another 2 minutes and let it sit for 10 minutes. and then,,,,,,,,,, whah-lah!


Then I put into the mold that I made and clamped it up.


Earlier I used a turnbuckle and some maple blocks to hold the center cauls in place.



Cutting into the maple, drilling holes and filling them with glue and dowels.


I did the same thing to my other rib and then it sits in there like that.


Well there you have it. Sorry for all the grammatical errors and everything... I am so exhausted that I dont even care... but I cant wait to get back tomorrow and keep working. Thanks for all the feedback and excitement... I love it. Later.