12th Fret 000 - First KMG Kit

[ken cierp]

unable to view images?

[Oli K_]

Hmm, they load up for me?

Here is a link to the google photo album, the new pictures are at the bottom - https://goo.gl/photos/ggyrh5DevwZnySJcA

[Oli K_]

I have started on the rosette and soundhole.

I plumped for the stew mac router base and rosette cutting jig. It was expensive, especially after shipping and import duty, but I will hopefully make more use of them in the future to justify the cost! The circle cutter is straight forward and works well, but I find the router base tricky to use. There are 4 adjustable wheels that all have an effect on the depth and tilt of the cutting bit, and it gets me very confused. Maybe I will have another read over the instructions...

So with much trepidation I cut into the top wood! I had a few practice cuts, but even so found this bit quite scary. I completed the channel in one slow pass, and then neatened up the edges with files / sandpaper. Then I soaked a piece of purfling in warm water, and bent it in place round a can the same diameter as my rosette channel. When it had dried I test fit it and cut it to the right length, even trying a tiny miter joint.

To glue it in I used a product called UHU Hart, which is a model glue used for wood. On some test pieces it dried totally clear and produced a strong bond, so I figured it would be fine for the rosette. I couldn't use Ken's suggested rosette clamping method since I have not cut the soundhole out yet, so I just improvised.



My only concern now is that I left the rosette too proud of the soundboard, however I didn't want to cut too deeply, so figured I would leave it high and then trim it flush once it had dried.

[ken cierp]

Nope no pixs --- something has changed. First thing to do is reduce the size of the images

[Kevin in California]

Oli, looks good. I also have that router base and I too find it confusing. I'm always turning the wrong wheel. :(
I made my own adjustable circle cutting jig for it.

[Oli K_]

Kevin - as soon as I had the stew mac circle cutter I realised it would be quite straight forward to make my own circle cutter (though perhaps not an adjustable one). I think I have a better grip on using the router base now. I can keep the darn thing level at least.

Today I scraped the rosette down flush to the soundboard, then cut out the soundhole. After that I tried to bind it .. which went OK. The joint on the binding material is not perfect (I made 4 attempts to get it invisible but really struggled). I might make a paste to cover the slight gap, and then sand it smooth.

The UHU hart glue I am using (for the rosette and soundhole binding) is great. It doesn't soak into the wood and it dries clear. Anyone else used it?

[Kevin in California]

Never used that adhesive before. Sounds interesting.
Here is a pic of the rosette cutting jig I made.