This is my second build of a KMG kit, this time tackling an HD28:
EIR sides and back
Sitka Spruce top
Maple bindings front and back
herringbone purfling on the top and the rosette
maple tail wedge
14 fret
mahogany neck
Martin Tuning set
EIR headstock veneer
I am way behind in getting this log started so I apologize. I started the build back in April 2015 but I am just getting around to processing the photos and starting the log.
In looking at my photos, in most cases I have taken pix of things that I have either done wrong or I want to improve upon next time. I will try to note those instances for anyone who takes a look at this in the hope that it might help somebody else in the future.
I caught this error in time but only after emailing Ken to ask for clarification. I had seen references in the instructions to putting a few pieces of paper between the mold and the sides, and I also had the hair-brained idea that it would help stabilize the sides if I "pinned" the sides between the template and the MM. Ken set me straight.
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Gluing up both the tail block and the neck block, I think my clamping strategies were not 100% because the result was that both the neck and tail end were a bit "wavy". Not something that I couldn't correct later but I think I needed to have better clamping toward the middle area in both situations.
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Molding the kerfing and gluing it up. I found that the inspection mirror made things a whole lot easier rather than trying to position my bifocals in a way that I could see things :).
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When applying the side bracing I had a tendency to have the brace slide as I applied the clamps, resulting in some glue smear. I was able to clean it up later but it was tough to do at the time because the clamps were in the way. What do you guys do to keep these in place when you glue them?
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pg.JPG[/attachment]The Mega Mold worked to perfection for me when contouring the neck block. This picture is in mid-contour with the pencil markings on the block to check progress.
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I had a bit of an issue with the rosette where the herringbone rosette did not have a consistent width and did not fit well in the channel which KMG had routed in the top. The variation was as much as 15 thousandths and resulted in a gap I did not think I could close up. Ken suggested I try to swell the herringbone with some moisture but that had minimal effect, so he ultimately got a new one for me from his supplier. Problem solved!
- rosetteproblem.jpg.JPG (98.24 KiB) Viewed 717 times
When temporarily holding the braces on the top in place with blue painters tape I was pulling up some nasty spruce fibers. I was trying to be careful to remove the tape at angles to the grain but it wasn't doing the trick for me. I know that some folks do wash coats on the front of the top to protect it during construction which also helps with the fiber problem. Do you wash coat the backside too?
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The bracing of the top and back went well. I did do a double-take after gluing the X braces because it appeared that I did not have good contact with the top after removing the glue squeeze, but ultimately I determined that what I was seeing was the pencil marks showing where the braces were to be placed. The dark pencil lead looked like a void under the brace.
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After gluing on the back and top I figured out that I had left out a step, that being the removal of the cap for the truss rod. I was able to recover from this with some careful drilling, cutting and sanding. I did send myself to time-out in the corner for that one though!
I needed fewer rubber bands this time than on my first build, but I still needed some extra pressure to get glue squeeze all the way around. The end result was very good though.
- topglue-up.jpg.JPG (81.45 KiB) Viewed 720 times
I am very happy with the KMG 1A binding fixture. I have it on a Grizzly trim router and, though still scary, it has performed flawlessly for me using a down spiral bit. Next time I intend to use the fixture to also trim the top and back just past flush to eliminate fighting the end grain when sanding the sides flat. A great tip from someone - Tim I think.
- backbindingrout.jpg.JPG (61.26 KiB) Viewed 720 times
