In this article I will present to you a very broad overview of the steps necessary for guitar building.
The Search for Wood Sources:
Tonewood is the term that is used to define woods used for lutherie. Softwoods are generally used for top plates. Commonly used woods used are Spruce and Cedar, and sometimes hardwoods such as Koa and Mahogany are used as well.
Backs and sides are constructed of hardwoods. Hardwood species that is used in the instrument backs and sides plays a meaningful role in the tone and intensity characteristics an instrument will possess. Some of the hardwoods create a warmer tone such as Walnut, Mahogany and Maple. If you are after brighter tone and more intensity, such woods as Rosewood, Ebony, and Koa would be a better alternative.
Another method you can use to shape the tone is by varying the thickness of the top plate. Thinner plates (tops and backs), commonly create louder instruments.
Another place where tonewood is used is for the bracing of the tops plates, to structurally support the thin woods. Usually, the top braces are constructed from the same wood family as the top plate. Again the way the bracing is designed can shape the tone and volume of the instrument.
Specialized Tools and Jigs:
Typically the trade of lutherie requires an extreme amount of precision that will govern the end result of a great sounding and playing instrument. It is exceedingly useful for the luthier to precisely accomplish many operations and be able to repeat these operations consistently. This can be achieved by the use of specialized jigs and forms. Some of the specialized jigs to consider:
Plate Joiner Jig Go-Board Gluing Jig Fret Slot Cutting Jig Inside Forms Work Board Heated Side Bender
Woodworking Tools Required:
Prior to staring building tasks, purchase a fundamental set of hand tools. Good quality tools cannot be emphasized enough here as they cut better, hold an edge better, and are much safer to work with.
Orbital Sander Hand Scrapers Dremel Moto Tool and Attachments Japanese Pull Saws Wood Chisel Set Low Angle Brass Block Plane Violin Finger Planes Fret Saws Dovetail Saw Plastic Tipped Hammer.
Recommended Stationary Tools:
Stationary tools are very helpful for many operations. Basic stationary power tools that are very advantageous are:
6″ x 48″ Stationary Belt Sander 12″ Band Saw Drill Press
Workshop Conditions:
Not only do you need space for glue-up operations, and assembly, you need some extra workbench space. Additionally have adequate lighting to do your close work. It is always desirable to have natural lighting streaming into your workshop as well.
The Purchase of Great Plans:
To guarantee success of your guitar making endeavors, purchase a good set of guitar plans. Your plans will need to be full scale.
Neck Assembly:
Cut the neck blank to size, and glue halves together. First sand the neck blank square. Cut the scarf joint for the headpiece. Reverse the headpiece, sand the joint and glue the headpiece on the neck. Next, you will need to rout a channel down the center of the neck for the truss rod and install the truss rod. Stack the heel blocks on the neck and glue in place. After the heel blocks are dry, shape the heel, the neck and the headpiece. After cutting the headpiece veneer, glue in position. Detail the neck dovetail joint, or mortise and tenon joint to precisely fit into the head block.
Precisely cut the appropriate openings for the tuning machines. Cut fretboard to shape and thickness and cut fret channels.
The Back, Sides and Top:
The top, back and side woods need to be planed down to the proper thickness. If you plane the plates to a thickness of 1/8″ for acoustics and 3/32″ for classical guitars, that is a good starting point. To thin the plates you can use several choices or techniques. You can use a planer, scraper, sander, belt sander, a drum sander or a hand held jack plane.
Next glue the top plates and the back plates together with a plate joining jig. Rough shape the bracing for the back and top. Glue into locate with the go board gluing jig. Set the plates aside to dry. Now shape all braces and finish sand them. Install sound-hole rosette material and cut out sound-hole. Glue in sound-hole reinforcing.
Heat up the side bender and bend the sides. You should keep the side in the bender for a couple of days. Next place them in the inside mold and trim to length. Install head and tail block into place. Make the kerfing on the band saw and glue kerfing around outside edges of guitar sides. Fit the guitar back and top to the sides while in the inside form. Cut bracing into the kerfings.
Glue the top to the sides by using 1″ elastic upholstery tape. Glue back in the same manner. Take the Dremel router with the binding cutter attachment and set it to the appropriate depth and width for your bindings and purfling. Cut the channel for the peghead binding as well.
Making The Bindings:
You can fabricate your purfling and binding trim or you can choose to purchase them. Pre-bend wood bindings on the Heated Side Bender. After a day, glue them into the binding channels with 1″ elastic upholstery tape.
How to Fit the Neck:
Align the neck carefully and then glue in place to the body and head-block. Do not glue a bolt-on neck. Carefully align the fretboard and glue to the guitar neck and the top, unless you are utilizing a bolt-on neck. Finish shaping neck and heel. Tap in the frets into place and dress them.
Finishing Operations:
Finish sand all wood parts of the instrument with 120 and 220 grit sandpaper. It may be required to cleanup the rosette, purfling and bindings with a hand scraper. Apply masking tape on the guitar top on for the bridge footprint.
Spray several vinyl sealer coats on guitar. When the vinyl sealer is dry, sand flush. Next apply a toned paste wood filler and let it dry. Clean up and spray the finish coats of lacquer. Depending on the viscosity of the lacquer it may take from 6 to 10 coats of lacquer with sanding between each 2 coats.
Be sure to let the instrument stand for a least one week prior to the final sanding with silicone sandpaper. Buff the lacquer with a buffing wheel to a mirror finish.
Final Details:
Glue the bridge to the top plate and use the saddle channel routing jig to cut in the saddle slot. Install nut and saddle. Assemble the tuning machines on the peg head. String up the instrument with either light or medium light strings and test the action and fretting. Make any adjustments as required. Your Guitar Building will now be complete.
If you have an interest in building a guitar, this article will give you a very broad overview of the processes compulsory to make your own fine instrument.
Wood Sources:
Wood that is used in guitar building to make backs, sides and tops is called tonewood. Normally the wood of choice for top plates are softwoods such as Cedar or Spruce. From time to time hardwoods such as Mahogany and Koa are used as well.
Backs and sides are constructed of hardwoods. Hardwood species that is used in the backs and sides plays a important role in the tone and intensity characteristics an instrument will possess. Mahogany, Maple, and Walnut will give your instrument a nice warm tone. If you are after brighter tone and more intensity, such woods as Rosewood, Ebony, and Koa would be a better alternative.
Another tip you can use to define your tone, balance and intensity is to vary the thickness of the top wood. Thinner plates (tops and backs), typically produce louder instruments.
Another place where tonewood is used is for the bracing of the tops plates, to structurally support the thin woods. Usually, the top braces are constructed from the same wood family as the top plate. Again the way the bracing is designed can shape the tone and volume of the instrument.
Accessory Tools and Jigs:
Because the guitar is rather difficult to construct and it requires an extreme amount of precision (repeatedly down to 1/1000″ precision), it is very helpful to have special molds, forms side benders, and other attachments to aid the luither (guitar builder) in constructing the instrument with greater ease and precision. Consider making these jigs, forms and specialized tools:
Plate Joiner Jig Go-Board Gluing Jig Fret Slot Cutting Jig Inside Forms Work Board Heated Side Bender
Beneficial Hand Tools:
Prior to staring building tasks, purchase a fundamental set of hand tools. Good quality tools cannot be emphasized enough here as they cut better, hold an edge better, and are much safer to work with.
Japanese Pull Saws Low Angle Brass Block Plane Plastic Tipped Hammer Dovetail Saw Fret Saws Hand Scrapers Violin Finger Planes Orbital Sander Wood Chisel Set Dremel Moto Tool and Attachments.
Recommended Stationary Tools:
Stationary Tools are very beneficial as well. Some fundamental tools to consider are:
6″ x 48″ Stationary Belt Sander 12″ Band Saw Drill Press
The Workshop Setup:
Space is required for glue-up operations, assembly and general workbench space. Since you are implementing extensive work, you need superior lighting. It is always desirable to have natural lighting streaming into your workshop as well.
Building Documents:
Purchase a outstanding set of guitar making plans to reinforce the quality of your project. Plans should be full scale.
Neck Assembly:
Cut the neck blank to size, and glue halves together. Sand the blank, cut the scarf joint, prepare the scarf joint and glue this joint. Cut in truss rod channel and install truss rod. Now cut the heel blocks to size, stack them and glue them in position. Allow glue to dry. Shape the heel, the headpiece, and the neck. Next cut your headpiece to shape and glue in place. Fit dovetail or mortise and tenon joint of neck to head block.
Precisely cut the appropriate openings for the tuning machines. Cut fretboard to shape and thickness and cut fret channels.
The Sides, Back and Top:
The top, back and side woods need to be planed down to the proper thickness. If you plane the plates to a thickness of 1/8″ for acoustics and 3/32″ for classical guitars, that is a good starting point. To thin the plates you can use several choices or techniques. You can use a planer, scraper, sander, belt sander, a drum sander or a hand held jack plane.
Next glue the top plates and the back plates together with a plate joining jig. Rough shape the bracing for the back and top. Glue into locate with the go board gluing jig. Set the plates aside to dry. Now shape all braces and finish sand them. Install sound-hole rosette material and cut out sound-hole. Glue in sound-hole reinforcing.
Bend the guitar sides by use of a heated or unheated side bender. Let the sides cool for a few days, take them from the bender and position in the inside form. Trim the ends with a band saw. Glue the head and tail blocks into place. Next fabricate the kerfings and glue the kerfing into position around the top and bottom edges of the sides. Fit the top and back to the sides with the sides in the inside form. Mark out brace locations and cut into the kerfings.
The top can now be glued to the sides using elastic tape. Glue the back in same manner. Cut the binding and purfling channels with the Dremel router with the binding cutting attachment. Set the depth and width of cut to match your binding design. Also cut the binding channels for the peg head bindings.
Making The Bindings:
You can fabricate your purfling and binding trim or you can choose to purchase them. First you will need to pre-bend wood bindings on the heated side bender. Next glue them into position with 1″ elastic tape.
How to Fit the Neck:
Align the neck carefully and then glue in place to the guitar body and head-block. Do not glue a bolt-on neck. Glue fretboard onto neck and top plate. If using a bolt on neck, do not glue to top. Finish shaping neck and heel. Tap the frets into the fret channels and dress the frets.
Finishing Operations:
Finish sand all wood parts of the instrument with 120 and 220 grit sandpaper. It may be required to cleanup the rosette, purfling and bindings with a hand scraper. Apply masking tape on the guitar top on for the bridge footprint.
Spray several vinyl sealer coats on guitar. When the vinyl sealer is dry, sand flush. Next apply a toned paste wood filler and let it dry. Clean up and spray the finish coats of lacquer. Depending on the viscosity of the lacquer it may take from 6 to 10 coats of lacquer with sanding between each 2 coats.
You now need to let the lacquer coats dry for at least a week or more. Sand the finish coats one last time with silicone carbide sandpaper and buff to a mirror finish with a buffing wheel.
Final Details:
Glue the bridge to the top plate and use the saddle channel routing jig to cut in the saddle slot. Install nut and saddle. Assemble the tuning machines on the peg head. String up the instrument with either light or medium light strings and test the action and fretting. Make any adjustments as required. Your Guitar Building will now be complete.
If you would like additional information regarding guitar construction, be sure to visit Guitar Building. Also if you wish to learn more about your guitar such as, repairs, care, free tab and a lot more, be sure to visit: Ultimate GuitarOnLine.
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