Completely traditional looking Hauser style classical guitar

[dave d]

I love to see your progress through these pictures and your descriptions John. Really instructive for me. I would like to make a suggestion, and maybe you've already tried this, for the binding channel at the neck (the part you describe as a real pain). Rather than use chisels to hack out the waste, have you considered a small shoulder plane? Specifically, the miniature Lee Valley shoulder plane that is 2.5" long. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... 1182,64300

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I've found that it can be used to clean up my binding channels, even on the convex curves, because it registers nicely either vertically or horizontally on even a partial ledge. When I first saw this plane I wondered how useful it would be, but believe me you have to try it for yourself to find out how well it works. I think it would make quick work of that binding channel.

By the way, the full-size shoulder plane works amazingly well too, but for other purposes like shaving a few thou off a tenon to get a snug fit in a mortise, for example.

[John Parchem]

Thanks Dave, I will give it a try. I ordered both the shoulder plane and a miniature router plane. I can see uses for both. I have a larger shoulder plane that does get some use.

[John Parchem]

I have the guitar pore filled and about three wipes of shellac for a seal. I also started the bridge by laminating three from a BRW blank together with a CF fabric.

I used zpoxy for the back sides and necks. Ultimately I will french polish the top with shellac, and pad on Royal-lac for the rest of the guitar.

[Dave Bagwill]

Great looking work as always!

[Kevin in California]

Looking great. That's alot of work to make a bridge blank. Benefits?

[John Parchem]

Thanks Dave and Kevin,

Kevin,

The falcate brace pattern needs additional cross grain stiffness as the design removes the lower transverse brace. Basically from the upper transverse brace all the way to the end of the guitar there is basically no bracing across the center line of the guitar. The bridge is forming that brace. So, as it is a classical guitar, I want the bridge as light as possible but it needs to be stiff. The two layers of separated CF fabric provides quite a bit of addition stiffness for the added weight. On the classical guitars I see nearly a 10 Hz increase in top resonance after adding the bridge. Usually adding the weight of the bridge will lower the tops resonance. (It does on my steel string guitars). In this case the CF reinforced bridge is adding more stiffness to the top than mass.

[Kevin in California]

Ahhhh, it is all clear to me now! :)
I'm not great on the technical stuff...but I do understand.