Its all starts here.  first thing I do is pick out my wood. 

now I have my wood, I resaw the wood and cut it to ..3/16

then I run the spruce threw my thickness sander ..085

now am ready to bend.I rap the wood in aluminum foil and a little water very little.  almost want to steam the wood.

for 2min because spruce is so soft it dent and burns very easy.after am done I take the spruce out and check for spring back in the spruce.photo4 photo 5 show it in the mold and ready for tail and end blocks.  photo 4 is were I make my cut..

Now that the maple blocks are installed, notice the thickness of the blocks ,the're 1inch am trying tokeep this as light as I can.

 In photo 20 I use a disc with 80g paper for the back. This is where I sand the back to get that nice arch.  This will help the body expand and contrack when temp go from hot to cold. I turn the rim over and sand the top flat.photo 21. now The rim is done, I install the rim back into the mold.

photo22 

Next  I go into my dry room and pick a top. We cut this one piece top and back about 2 weeks ago. Been drying in the shop as I just use  my go-bar for drying. I check to see if the top will fit.photo 23 Now am really to outline the rim and cut my sound hole.

I keep the rim in the mold as I do this .or I get spring back  from the rim and the shape will be off. Now i cut the top and begin to band saw off the ears. photo24

 photo 25 is my son using the thickness sander clean up the top. We're not looking for thickness yet. I still need to install the rosette.

Now that the top been cleaned up and layed out  I  inlay the rosette.  photo27     Photo 28  I install  I us a piece of spruce about 1/4x1/4 and a hammer and white glue kids glue works great.  it sands very easy. 

Now I have my son run the top thru the thickness sander again and get the right thickness.about .120 -+ .010  

now am really to cut the hole.photo29 

and she is done.  I turn the top over and laid out my lines. and cut the bracewood   and  start glueing the braces. photo 30

 

photo 31 Is the the finished top. 

 Now I move on to the lining, I use a table saw to cut the linings for the guitar I do 4 at a time. photo 32

photo 33 is install the lining.  

photo 34 I use a board to clamp down the top to the sides and let this part dry over night.

 Now on to the neck. I do a  scuff joint cut on the neck.

because its 4wide my table saw to small so I use a band saw to make the cut. Works great both ways.

photo 35 show how i cut and the jig i use. I go on to glue it,  then I laid off my lines 14fret to the body

and glue up the rest of the wood.

photo 36

Now I cut the rest of the neck and install the soilded steel trust rod.photo37 

photo38 and am done with the neck for the day. 

photo 40 shows the top and side all glued and trimed.

now I have a good idea on what she will look like.so I pick out a pattern for the neck and run with that. 

 now I start with the back ,Its a one piece spruce back ,first I thickness sand the back about ..120+= I  layout the bracewood pattern and start cutting some spruce wood for the braces. 

photo 41    I sand the spruce bracewood in a disc untill I have that nice arch in them.  I do this to all of them.

I use a pencil and mark the wood so I don't go over.

now am ready for gluing.  .

photo42   I take the disc over to the go-bar and the back and start glueing

you can I use water to clean-up the glue. I start in the middle because its the greatest arch and the hardest to glue

then work my way out  and the next day I do the same. 

 

photo 43  show what am using for bindings and fret board

head plate and bridge. well I think. all depends how the bindings bend. you can see that the bindings are bloodwood/ebony/maple....

 

thats all for the day....should have more this weekend.

I have other work to do thurday and firday.

photo44

It shows the back done. Notice the thicker braces on the lower bout, I do this because it's not a hardwood.

Still doesn't add to the weight.  I try to compensate by thinning the back thickness.  

 

photo 45

Now I go back to work on the neck.

I use a stew mac fret saw blade, but on my table saw.

Here's how i do it... first, I lay the fret scale on top of the fret board and tape it down,  then I  cut the frets as I run the board through the saw,  it cuts the frets from the bottom blade on the saw and I use a scale and i clamp and center the wood where I marked the line and I cut the frets. I'm using a 25.4,  20 frets total, 14th fret at the body.

 

 photo46

 and she's done. that's all for today. :

I installed the back linning ,glued the back together.

Ran the body through the binding machine to clean up the body. I also put 2 coats of shellac on the body  to help with chip-out ,and helps with pulling off the tape when installing binding. leave a clean look, A must to do.

 

photo 47 and she done ready for Bindings.

 

photo 48 show I take slow cut with the binding machine.

I found that if you go (ccw) slow with this wide red spruce grain works the best.  photo 49 and the channel done.

 

now I move on to bending the binding.

photo 50 show then in the mold and readly to install.

I use a John hall bending machine, I tape the all together

and bend them all at the same time.

now on to installing the bindings.

photo 51 show how I dry fitting the bindings.

heres the trick.

photo52 show were I mark a line as my starting point.dry fit the binding then cut right at the lower bout line,photo53 then I do the same to the other side.

and end up with this.

photo54

have more photos as I build. thanks guys for looking.

allmost done..

then I wait over night to dry.  

photo 55 shows it all tape up

photo 56 shows the finish bindings. Less final sanding. 

now a move on to the fret board.

 

photo 57 I use a number 20 radius sanding block with 150g

paper and sand it to fit the mold. clean the frets slots

and get ready to install the fret wire. I use a number 141 stew mac wire and a fret press.

photo 58 show me installing the fret,I also use a 1inch x3wx30 maple board and I tape the fret board to the board.

This helps with warping from installing the frets.

then when am done I sand or file the side of the board flat with a angle cut to clean up the board. 

photo59 show the tool i use. and 

photo 60 and am done.

photo61 shows the fret board glued and the neck shaped.

head plate glued and I drilled for tunners.

 

now for the bridge.photo62 shows how I set up the bridge

and get readly for drilling the bridge pins.

 

photo 63 show the drilling first step.

photo64 the tool I use for make the bridge pins seat.

photo65 show the last tool ,and the bridge pins holes are done.now am readly to add strings.

just like to add,I dont add a finish coat to the guitar untill I have a buyer .   that way I can set up the guitar the way the new owner likes itt.   then finish it.

photo 66 and she sound great.

 

photo 67 the neck

 

photo68 the heel 

 

also the bridge is not glue on, the saddle is not cut into the bridge, the body still need sanding and finish coats.

and I still need to low the string.  this all come later after the guitar break-in ,But she is for sure a keeper.  

 

thanks guys so much and thank you bob.

 

.(finish the all spruce build)

Thanks Bob for all your help. 

hope you fill better man.

take care of your self. 

Ron and family