Hollow body II build

[JohnnyThul]

WOW! I forgot how thick that top is. F-holes are painful enough to do by hand when the top is only an 1/8” or so, I can’t imagine the agony of doing those whil trying to keep the cut perpendicular to the face! Nice work!

Not sure if this is of any help or interest, but, the 2 times I ever did an F-hole I used a pin router setup.

I take the body template and cut in the f-hole. This I glue then to the body's back.

Then I use a drill rig, where I can put in a router or drill. First I put in the drill and drill a 4mm (or whatever size fits the smallest radius of your f-hole design) hole in the wooden table of the drill rig. Then I lock the settings and change the drill for the router with a 4mm router installed.

In the hole I put a 4mm rod, which is just high enough to be used as a guide for the f-hole cutout in the body template I glued on the back of the body.
Then I rout the f-hole in multiple steps.

Disadvantage is, it is hard to sand the f-holes sides smooth, as you can only access from the top. But it is a fast and accurate way to cut an f-hole.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I've always done the carving a bit differently - draw the contours on the top or back and then drill a series of holes the depth you want at those contours. Connect the drill holes with a plane and scraper. Do the same thing on the back for an acoustic instrument, not necessary for an electric. I do the f-holes after the carving is mostly done. Simply tape a template and use a dremel

 

[1bad914]

Thanks for all the input!
I have been avoiding the job of routing the top and bottom even with the middle. Just one of those jobs that can cause a big problem with tear out, especially on figured maple. I sanded the edges to within a minimum of 1/16 of the actual size using the OSS. Then debated on using the router table or doing it by hand. I decided on trying it by hand first with the Colt router. I used a bottom bearing pattern bit. It worked well.I liked that I could control how much I took off better doing it by hand. I could have possibly used my big router, but this worked out fine.

 

[1bad914]

Started cutting the back carve tiers today. Then realized my 3/4 long pattern bit was just to dull and old for this maple. Ordered a new one. It takes a 1/2 inch long one then I switch to the longer one I will only need the longer one for a couple more templates

 

[1bad914]

On tier 3 now.

 

[Ripthorn]

Looking good!

 

[1bad914]

Finished with the tiers on the back today. Did not come out like I wanted it to, but the good news is I can contour/carve it into what I want. Those inexpensive finger planes work great once I put a good edge on the blades.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I use a heck of a lot bigger plane for knocking down the top curves and save the little guys for sculpting out the inside and doing the recurve.

 

[1bad914]

I use a heck of a lot bigger plane for knocking down the top curves and save the little guys for sculpting out the inside and doing the recurve.

I agree, but I wanted to give these little ones a go. I like them.

 

[Freeman Keller]

The advantage of the little finger plane is that with a very short sole you can do concave carving easily - I couldn't have done the inside of the archtop or the F5 without one. For convex curves I want the biggest plane I can get with both hands on it an put some shoulder into pushing it.

 

[JohnnyThul]

I love those small finger planes! I have them in 4 sizes and love to use them to carve a top! Actually I do not even rout anything away on the maple, but just hit it right from the start with those planes, because it is so much fun

Another tool I found to be very useful especially for recurving is this crookes Iwasaki file:

https://www.qy1.de/img/bildhauerfeile-312933.jpg

A little pricey, but those Iwasakis are very good quality.

 

[1bad914]

I love those small finger planes! I have them in 4 sizes and love to use them to carve a top! Actually I do not even rout anything away on the maple, but just hit it right from the start with those planes, because it is so much fun

Another tool I found to be very useful especially for recurving is this crookes Iwasaki file:

https://www.qy1.de/img/bildhauerfeile-312933.jpg

A little pricey, but those Iwasakis are very good quality.

Oh! I like that, would come in handy for the horns.

 

[JohnnyThul]

Oh! I like that, would come in handy for the horns.

For the horns I was more than happy with the "standard" curved Iwasakis. The crooked one I found especially handy to use when doing the recurve (the small one). You could use it for the horns, definitely, but I'd prefer a bigger Iwasaki for that job.

In the end, you need all Iwasakis

Edit: here is a link with a nice overview: https://www.fine-tools.com/carvingfile.html

 

[crazydave911]

Finished with the tiers on the back today. Did not come out like I wanted it to, but the good news is I can contour/carve it into what I want. Those inexpensive finger planes work great once I put a good edge on the blades. View attachment 993974 View attachment 993975 View attachment 993976 View attachment 993977

Cheap finger planes? Where pray tell?

 

[1bad914]

Cheap finger planes? Where pray tell?

The big bad AMAZON. Lol They definitely are not Ibex or Benedetto planes, but work well after sharpening.

Jiayouy 5 PCS Micro Bronze Violin Thumb Planer Set 8-16 mm Blade Width for DIY Violin Viola Cello Wooden Instrument Gold

 

[1bad914]

I cut the neck pocket today. It is very tight, to tight. Will require some adjustment. You have to make all the top routes before you can carve, pickups next.

 

[1bad914]

I decided to put the acoustic’s away for awhile and concentrate on this build. I routed the pickup cavities. The neck one was interesting. All the top cuts have to be done before I can start the carve. This includes cutting the neck pickup cavity that also cuts the tenon. Since I could not glue it in test I had to attempt to clamp it in many creative ways. It is done, not perfect, but functional. The bridge pickup was easy after that. If you look closely you can see my DNA on the top. Forstner bits are also sharp when they are static.

 

[erix]

Heh, I hope that dna sands out or else you’ll have to dye it a different color!

 

[corliss1]

Looks like the DNA would be under the pickup ring anyway

 

[1bad914]

Working on the back carve today. Getting it dialed in.