I've started my nylon string crossover guitar

[Kevin in California]

I will be jumping back into this build pretty soon. My daughter and her family's visit from India ends this week. Then we have to start cleaning the house and get caught up on some yard work, clean up the garage/shop and get ready for a visitor next week. My wife gets back to her piano teaching on Monday after a 4 week hiatus. So life will be returning to normal soon.

I am beginning to think I may use spruce on this guitar with the sapele instead of cedar. If the sapele is similar to mahogany, I'm thinking I may want the power and brightness that the spruce may bring to the sound. Any out loud thoughts from the peanut gallery on this idea?

It is a "trial" guitar so I really don't know what to expect from it.

[Herman]

Keeping the expectations low is maybe good thing. Cleaning the house certainly is.

[Kevin in California]

I have been able to start working on this guitar again. I have the back braced at a 15ft. radius, same as I use on my steel string guitars. They are also 5/16" wide. I will shape them at about 1/2" tall at the peak and the standard scalloped ends.

I have the kerfing in the guitar. I have the neck and end blocks currently with a radius on them, but as I am watching Robbie O'briens Classical guitar building videos, I believe what I am going to do is radius the top at 30ft and then see how high above the rims I am at the bridge area. It should be around 3/16". I am thinking if I set the neck angle flat, with a 1/4" fretboard without, I'll be at 7/16" over the saddle area. If I make the bridge 1/2" tall, then I can end up with a saddle that is somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4" tall and have a clearance of 1/8" at the 12th fret. I know this is not all exact, but I'll work with it as I go, and adjust where necessary. With the body built, then I'll approach the neck set and bridge like a classical guitar. I still think I'll but a slight radius on the fretboard, perhaps 20ft.
Still not sure about the neck, I have spanish cedar, honduras mahogany, and even sapele (which may be too heavy for this guitar, but I've seen some classicals being sold using sapele necks!!) I can use. I also not sure if I want the weight of a truss rod in there, but may decide on a two way rod.
So the experiment continues.

Kevin

[Dave Bagwill]

Fun!!

[Kevin in California]

I made this headstock template last night from hard maple. I will use the technique that Robbie O'brien uses to route around the template and the slots; he uses a drill blank ground with a cutting edge on the end in his drill press.
I'm going to practice on a piece of scrap first!

Kevin

[Dave Bagwill]

That's a very pleasing shape. Will you post pix of how you prepare the drill blank and then pix of the process for using it?

[Kevin in California]

I will indeed.