Chapter 5

Some Gluing and Cutting

    The first step on today's agenda is to prep the neck and pillar pieces for glue-up.  This is mainly just sanding the glue faces smooth with a medium grit paper on the random orbit sander.  The neck pieces are sanded here, but I won't glue them just yet.  The pillar can be glued and clamped so that I can start shaping the final profile and cutting the tenons on each end.   I've got plenty of clamps at the ready, and it's time to start spreading glue.  As with the neck pieces, I flipped one of the pillar halves end for end, so that the grain curvature is opposing on the two pieces when they are assembled.

    The 2 pillar halves are glued and under plenty of clamping pressure, so it's time to set these aside for the day and start on cutting out the sides of the soundbox.

    In this photo, I have laid out the tapered sides of the soundbox.  I managed to get 6 long tapers out of 2 of those 1/4" panels I made the other day. 2 pieces make up the back, there are 2 side pieces, and then the 2 extra pieces that form the 45 degree angle from the sides to the back.  That's a piece of 1" X 1" X 1/8" Aluminum angle that I use for a straight edge.  I like to keep a 6 foot length of that around the shop just for that purpose.  It does come in handy.

    Here I am getting ready to rough out the side tapers.  I could have set up a taper jig for this operation, but I have so many different angles to cut on so many different pieces, it's just easier and quicker to rough them out close to the layout lines this way.  These pieces will have to be run over the jointer later anyway, so this particular step just isn't that critical.  It's just a matter of being very careful, and driving the blade down between the layout lines.  I've removed the blade guard for photographic clarity only.

    Once I have all the pieces separated, I then group them into 3  pairs. The 2 back halves, the 2 sides and the 2 "1/4 sides" or the 2 pieces that will form the 45 degree angles.  I clamp these pairs together with carpet tape, or as we used to call it in the machine trades, "Foreman Tape", because it's two-faced.  Whatever you call it, it's mighty handy to have around.  Then it's over to the jointer to true up the edges of each pair.  

    All 6 pieces have been jointed and trued up, and laid out in the order that they will be assembled.  I have put dark index marks on each edge joint to keep their location and relation to each other straight  At this stage they are still extra long so that I can cut the top and bottom angles later.  I have also used a precision protractor to set up an angle of exactly 22 and 1/2 degrees.  I then transfer this angle to my trusty old bevel gauge.  I'll now use the bevel gauge to set up the jointer once again, and re-cut all of the edges that will glue together to form 45 degree angles.

    Setting the fence of the jointer with the bevel gauge.  This is where you have to be as critical as you can, getting this angle as close to perfect as possible.  Any sloppiness here is really going to show up later when you start to assemble these joints.

    A couple of hours later, I have jointed all of the edges that will fit together forming 45 degree angles.  This took a long time for several reasons.  You can't take a very heavy cut or risk chipping out the sides.  You have to be careful and joint each edge just until you form a sharp corner, seen on the bottoms of these pieces.  Only joint the edges that are going to form the 45 degree angles, so that's one edge of the sides, one edge of each back piece, and both edges of the 1/4 sides, seen in the middle in this photo.  You also need to exercise extreme caution when you are jointing at the top or narrow end of each piece because it is so narrow, flexible and fragile.

    That last operation was rather nerve-racking and exhausting, so I'm going to call it a day.  The next step will be to finish shaping the pillar and cutting the tenons in each end.  I will also start fabricating the internal bracing that is going to strengthen the edge joints I just cut on the soundbox pieces.  What, you thought that those little 1/4" edge joints were all that was going to hold this thing together?  Silly you.

Be sure to come back soon for more fun and games.

Move on to Chapter 6

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