L-UU Headstock

After being stuck tearing apart my in-law's entryway all day, I finally managed to make time to work on the guitar today.  Got the headstock slotted and inlaid.  I used a different kind of glue, the package said brown, it came out brown, but dried black.  I'm hoping that either the walnut will take darker with the finish, otherwise I may have to stain it a little darker to blend in.  Still needs a little sanding and cleaning up as well.

L-00/L-UU neck update

Today I got the neck cut down, sanded, shaped, and sanded again.  I now just need to drill and inlay the headstock and its ready for staining and attaching.  I'd say more, but there's really not much else to say, so here's some pics.

I made Thia take a pic of me carving to prove that I do this all by hand.

Almost there!

Lexi's L-00 (or L-UU) update

I guess I skipped posting a couple steps, so I'll include those pics with this update.  I got the neck profile cut, fretboard fretted, tapered, and attached.  Also attached the headstock veneer and cut the heel tenon.  Glued it all up earlier while I watched the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.  Our satellite went down shortly after the end of the game, so I unclamped it and took some pics.

Neck profile cut, headstock extensions attached

Gluing in 1/8x1/2" steel reinforcement bar

all fretted/leveled/crowned

neck heel tenon, going with a mortise and tenon joint because my dovetail bit broke

Attaching walnut headstock veneer

attaching fretboard

Starting the fretboard

Since its the quickest task in the whole project, I knocked out the fretboard inlays earlier.  I found some pink 1/4" rhondite stone dots online, figured the recipient would like it since it'll be a pink and purple guitar.  Its kinda hard to tell in the pics, but I assure you, they're pink.  Fretboard is Indian Rosewood with a 24" scale length.

Wednesday L-00 progress

Today basically all I did was flush up the overhang on the top and back and sand some bumps along the sides.  Might start the neck tomorrow if I have an early enough day at my regular job.  I wiped down the top and back with mineral spirits to show the grain better.

2 steps forward, 1 step back, etc..

So I had been doing some sanding after bending the sides and installing the kerfings, when the sander skipped and shattered the sides.  Spent all weekend getting them back to where I was thursday night, and also carved all the braces.  Luckily I had my stepson CJ here to help me along with some of the more tedious aspects, and today I Joined the body together.  here's some pics from the weekend.

My daughter Regan kept trying to climb up my legs while I was clamping everything together, so I gave her a few slices of orange to distract her while I finished up.

more mini L-00 progress

Had a half day at work today, so I took advantage of the extra time and knocked out a bunch of stuff.  Cut out the top and back, cut the soundhole, and braced both.  Still need to carve all the braces tomorrow after the glue is fully cured.

Mini-L-00 update

Last night the baby kept me up until 7am, so I got the sides cut and glued in the neck and tail blocks.  Tonight I did the kerfings/linings for one side.  Ever since I started building, I've never bought pre-cut kerfings.  With all the scrap wood I have around, I prefer to just rip strips and hand cut the kerfs/slots.  Anyways, Here's how it looks at the moment.  Also, I just use clothespins as clamps instead of wasting tons of money on pinch clamps.

Getting caught up

I had tried to bend the sides for the mini-L00 a few days ago, but my propane torch that I usually use to heat the pipe caught the wood base on fire and burnt out the torch tip, so I had to reconfigure it.  Now I'm using an electric setup.  Earlier today I cut the pieces for the sides and planed em down to a good thickness, threw em in a tub of water, and fell asleep for awhile with my daughter.  After I woke up, I got set up and tried out my new bending iron.  Worked great, very minimal burn marks.  Got it all clamped into the mold to dry now, and yes, I know I use a shit load of clamps.   The way I see it, is the more clamps, the more it holds the shape.