The_Woodworker_and_Woodturner_-_October_2019

PROJECT ‘Air guitar’

34 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking October 2019 http://www.getwoodworking.com

NEXT MONTH

In part 3 of this project, Shaun describes

how the soundboard should be made,

braced and fitted as well as describing

how to inlay the rosette

READING LIST

• The Guitar Maker’s Workshop
  
  
  • Rik Middleton – ISBN 1-86126-040-7
  
  
  
  


• The Classical Guitar, Design and Construction
  
  
  • Donald McLeod and Robert Welford –
    ISBN 0852190778
  
  
  
  


• Guitar Making Tradition and Technology
  
  
  • William Cumpiano and Jonathan Natelson
  
  
  • ISBN 0811806405
  
  
  
  


• Making a Spanish Guitar
  
  
  • Jose Luis Romanillos – ISBN 13008619001
  
  
  
  


• Classical Guitar Making
  
  
  • John Bogdanovich – ISBN 9781402720604
  
  
  
  


• Making Master Guitars
  
  
  • Roy Courtnall – ISBN 0709048092
  
  
  
  


• Make Your Own Classical Guitar
  
  
  • Stanley Doubtfire – ISBN 0805238336
  
  
  
  


• Classical Guitar Construction
  
  
  • Irving Sloane – ISBN 0860012328
  
  
  
  

49 Shaping string slot recess

52 Drilling the Halsschraube holes

55 The Staufer Halsschraube in operation

50 The Myford ‘Super 7’

53 Lining up the heel mortise

51 John Willman’s home-made drill

54 Masking tape helps mortise lines to show up

• http://www.stewmac.com – for all materials,
  tools, plans, drawings and accessories


• http://www.touchstonetowoods.co.uk
  
  
  • for timber and tools, rosettes
    and bindings/purflings
  
  
  
  


• http://www.tonetechluthierssupplies.co.uk
  
  
  • for timber and a wide range of tools
  
  
  
  


• http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk
  
  
  • for timber, tools rosettes and tuners
  
  
  
  


• http://www.madinter.com – for exotic timber,
  tuners, rosettes and tools


• http://www.tonewoods4luthiers.co.uk
  
  
  • for beautiful, exotic timber
  
  
  
  


• http://www.dictum.com – for fine quality tools


• http://www.londonguitarstudio.com – for strings,
  sheet music and many accessories


• http://www.magic-guitar-parts.com
  
  
  • for good quality tuners
  
  
  
  


• http://www.smallwonder-music.co.uk
  
  
  • for inlay materials, purflings, etc.
  
  
  
  

SUPPLIERS OF MATERIALS,

TOOLS & ACCESSORIES

been my original thinking. Furthermore,
he suggested mounting the job on the bed of
his Myford ‘Super 7’ (photo 50) lathe and sliding
the neck towards the drill that had been fixed
into place, rather than driving the drill towards
the job. To drill the 5mm hole was straightforward
and took just a minute or two. To drill the 15mm
hole, 20mm deep into the outside edge of the
heel required a specialist tool which John made.
He constructed a propeller-like drill by attaching
a small square of an old saw blade, ground to
15mm across with the edges, bevelled and then
sharpened. This sliver of steel was slotted into
the end of a 5mm bar, braised and trued (photo
51 ). Once the neck of the guitar was held firmly
in place on a slide attached to the lathe bed, the
5mm bar could be passed through the hole that
had been prepared, tightened down in the chuck
and the neck then slid away from the chuck as
the propeller blade did its job – genius (photo 52)!
Marking the position of the heel mortise
is easily achieved, provided the neck sits on
the workboard exactly in accordance with the
centreline (photo 53). The heel block is pushed
up flush against the upper bout of the soundbox

and the outline marked with a sharp pencil.

I usually find that masking tape over the area

where an accurate saw cut must be made helps

the pencil line to show up very clearly (photo 54).

While the mortise is being cut out to a depth of

20mm, the very slightest hint of a taper should

be made. This ensures that, when the two parts

are pushed together, a snug fit is achieved.

Next came the threaded socket in the heel

block of the soundbox. The neck was once more

placed onto the workboard and lined up. It was

then easy to mark where the socket should be

mounted by passing a 5mm drill through the

hole in the heel and marking the correct position.

The drilling of the correct sized hole was then

easily carried out with a hand-held electric

drill. To prevent the socket from rotating as the

Halsschraube is tightened, the end nearer the

tail of the guitar is housed into a shallow, square

mortise in the block. That part of the socket nearer

the neck is housed into a shallow, circular mortise.

Once everything was in place the Halsschraube

could be tested and after holding my breath,

it slowly drew the heel into the mortise and

it tightened beautifully (photo 55).