Ok now that I am nearing the end of Blim I have decided to restart my new build Acoustic guitar, I am going to attempt updating my progress as I build a couple of times a week, The photos I am posting now show the three components I made several months ago, so today I started on the soundboard sanding it down until I get it down to about 2.5 mm thick tapering down to about 2.0mm towards the edges, not an easy job some tools had to be adapted to help me achieve this job easier.
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I would love to be able to do something like this but know that I lack the skills, or nerve, to attempt it.
Will be following with interest
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Hi Mick CXheers I picked a book up read it and started, I am not saying it is easy because it isn’t at all but it is good, before I even started the build I had to make 4 different jigs to help me build it, 3 being easy but one dear me it was hard its nicknamed a pig because it looks like one but I think its because it was a pig to build, I also got help from a member of the community so that’s always there for you, the rosette took me weeks to make, I nearly gave in that’s why I have decided to post it, it should help me to keep going cheers Hec
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I hope this is the right place for this post maybe Admin could give me a Nod yes or no cheers Hec
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So Part 2 I suppose I didn’t intend to post today but I got an early delivery from luthier supplies, so I could not help myself, and as the day went on I realised I had missed something on the drawing that will affect the Solera I had made so that needs to be checked, seemingly there is a slight curve to the back of the guitar so the Solera needs a sort of bowl carved into the middle, this is something I did not see so that needs doing, I also looked at the next steps and started on the soundhole backing plate and looked at the x braces this is when I spotted the mistake.
The last 2 images are of the templates I had to make for the shape of the guitar and the heel of the neck, and also the Solera itself showing the back of it that was a bit of a build as well this is the one I will have to check before I use it
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Wow. Now this is a project to follow. Good luck
Respect 
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Thank you i do have to ponder over some problems with the build this weekend but I will keep on going, it is strange how little things get missed or not understood right mmm, 
And £340.00 plus for a thickness sander, nope can’t afford that so off to my drawing board time to make one mmmmmmm, 
So here it is 4hours of work with bits and pieces l had in the workshop. It’s not very pretty but man this thing worked
As you can see I built it to fit my lathe job done money saved, and time to continue building the guitar
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That is cool, Hec!
Where is the height adjustment for the support surface?
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No probs, if you check a couple of photos you can see two blue spacers I have different colours for different thicknesses the entire platform moves up while the drum stays fixed on the lathe, at the moment I can put about 8mm through but with a bit more planning and time I can adapt this if need be, it has already worked on a couple of jobs so it is good it’s safe and it works. I like it cheers
I forgot to add you can see the nuts and washers with the wood plates they pull the entire body down onto the spacers and the lathe’s table making it secure thanks again I hope that helps
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So before I continue I need to do some serious reading about the Solera I have pre-built and the x brace I need to start on, this is a bigger problem than I thought ?
Ok so having taken time off from blim and reading about the solera I have found out that I need to carve a 3mm bowl shape into an area of the solera, this is something I must have overlooked so tomorrow I shall be getting on with that and also cutting out the sound hole of the soundboard, Job done I hope
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So Today I took the Solera down and started hollowing a radius into it for the soundboard. This was a hard topic to find out how to do so I thank Robert O’Brian for his help. This job is done by hand and touch but basically, it is a dish carved into the Solera, usually about a 15 to 20 FOOT Radius yip that’s right, they can be bought but I feel I need to build this by hand if I fail 
it’s all good fun. First job mark it out and then start with the sanding then more sanding then yes more
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Your comments reminded me of my Grandfather and my uncle. I come from a long line of ancestral wood workers. Grandson, you need to feel the wood, it will sing to you.
My uncle had a different approach, Oh nephew, you got cut or you have splinters huh? You want the wood to sing not attack at you.
Nice work, so far.
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Cheers Jason but I am not a joiner or carpenter but I did love metalwork, but you are right I watched a true Spanish luthier doing this by hand wow, I am still on mine I have made a templet to get the radius I tried a twenty-foot length of string first but it had to much stretch in I so I used a metal tape measure that worked so I am still trying cheers
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Well here I am i made the radius modified it and then used it and it worked a treat, a good friend of mine is going to make me a couple out of stainless steel. A couple of photos showing the sawdust gently moving into the centre until the radius is formed, you can also see the tool I used and again the clean sandpaper that hasn’t touched the centre yet, I am pleased with this progress cheers Hec
