Fun Build 2011

Woods of the world....

Having said I would tend to use German spruce for the top, I've been trying to think of ways to spice it up a little and also get the "woods of the world" theme in. Despite its strength and tonal qualities, spruce is actually kinda plain. So I had the idea of creating a rosette with a "collage wheel" made up of wood pieced from all over the world. I'm thinking the rosette could include about 18 pieces, give or take a few. I've started collecting pieces and have come up with about ten good candidates, like these
maple.jpg (maple)
sapele.jpg (sapele)
santos.jpg (santos)
gold-RW.jpg (golden IRW)
walnut.jpg (walnut)

Some of them are local woods, while others are "exotics" - all in keeping with the theme. Anyway I was wondering if the others have an idea what kinds of wood they want to use for the fun build and whether you'd like to send me some small pieces (about 2x4 inches) that I could try and integrate into the "woods of the world" rosette. I can't promise I'll be able to fit everything in, but I certainly would try my best.
 
Last edited:
What about purple heart from south America? Add some color in it.
Or spalted Maple for some crazy lines
Honestly I have no clue what is cool, so...
 
Sounds good Erich. Message me with your address and I'll mail you some spalted ambrosia maple and rainbow poplar.
 
Sounds like a very good idea Erich. I'll probably use myrtle for the sides, send me your address and I'll send you some.
Brad
 
Thanks guys, I'll PM you my address right away. Myrtle, ambrosia and rainbow poplar will be excellent additions to the pallet.

One thing to keep in mind is that the "pie pieces" are going to be really small, so I would go for narrow grain patterns, or small bands or spots of figure, etc. I'll put together a mock-up later to show what I'm thinking.

Has anyone else said they want to get involved? Where have all the fun build enthusiasts gone?
 
Top bracing and radiusing

Brad, I recently made a radius template (as shown in Cumpiano) for hand radiusing braces and used it to make the braces for a small X-braced guitar. I haven't actually put the braces on the front and back yet, however, so I'm not sure whether it's all going to work as planned.

Anyway, keeping in mind that the rosette will not yet be installed in the top, I'm wondering if I should (1) radius, (2) preshape, (3) attach, (4) trim the braces..... before I send you the top.

Cheers,
Erich
 
It would problably be better Erich if I used my radius dish to do that. That way the sides will match everything.

Brad
 
World of Woodcraft - Rosette

Here is a quick shot of what I have in mind for the rosette. The pieces are still pretty rough here, so don't look all too closely. I've used an assortment of selected woods, but of course everything is up for debate and if you guys send me some pieces of the wood you'll be using (or other pieces you would like to see included) I'll be glad to work them in.

Rosette_Mockup2.jpg

EDIT: Oh, and I wanted to ask what glue you would recommend for putting the pieces together. I'm a little concerned that CA would show on the edges of the lighter woods. What do you think?
 
Last edited:
That's awesome. Yep, white glue would be my choice, I use titebond white for binding and rosettes right now but I'm gonna try the LMI stuff soon. I've noticed the CA does creep into adjoining woods n stuff... I use CA for pearl n stuff but not woods.

I like the titebond white, but it's a bit thick and once you spread it you've got to be ready to work quick, especially for binding. But I kinda get the feeling once it's dry, the bond is there to stay ya know? Probably similar with the LMI, just maybe the LMI stuff is not as thick or quick?
 
Last edited:
Thanks Vic.

Brad, how thin would you like the top when it arrives? I've got it down to about 3 mm but I can go down to 2.5 if you prefer.

Geesh, my arms are tired now - I've taken it from 5mm to 3mm in one session of planing and scraping.

I'll add a pic later.
 
Erich, why don't you leave at 3pm to ship. I can quickly take it down to final thickness with my sander. The rosette looks really good.
Brad
 
OK, thanks Brad. 3mm it is then.

What thickness for the rosette? The pieces are all about 2 - 2.5 mm, and I was thinking of using a thin layer of spruce (about 0.5 mm) as a carrier, but I can thin it (from both sides) when it's finished. What would be a good final thickness.

And what about the braces? I can preshape everything and leave an extra millimeter on the bottom for radiusing, or is it better to radius first, then glue them to the top and then shape them?
 
Go ahead and leave the rosette thick Erich. I might decide to have it slightly raised. Go ahead and preshape the braces and I'll radius them on my radius dish.
Brad
 
Here's something different, got busy yesterday and built the back for the uke. Started with a piece of solid H. mahogany and took it down to 1.3 mm thick. Then cut and glued the pieces of veneer on it, total thickness is now 1.9 mm.

Brad
 

Attachments

  • je1 003.jpg
    je1 003.jpg
    96.9 KB · Views: 122
  • je1 005.jpg
    je1 005.jpg
    96.4 KB · Views: 103
That is a sharp looking back right there! Love the star on it- it has character.
 
Cool, Brad. I think your selection of woods matches really well with what I cut out for the rosette. And the earth star adds a whole new theme. If we get a peghead veneer that continues along these lines we're going to have a really tight instrument. Again!

I've now cut and shaped the braces and am ready to cut out the top. With the rosette I was going to wait for contributions so I can balance the colors before I start gluing the pieces together...... I'm anxious to get started with it, but I don't want to jump the gun.
 
Top Bottom