17" Archtop Jazz Guitar finally starting it 5 years late!

[Kevin in California]

I know Herman. I am concerned about the final result, cutting the mortise and the fit. New for me.
It took me about 4 guitars before I'd route the mortise and tenon for a bolt on neck.
If I was going to do more dovetails I work more towards routing but I think this might be my only one and figured it was safer to do it by hand

[Kevin in California]

Made some progress the last couple days.
This neck takes an added piece to go over the guitar body. I routed a ledge over the dovetail and glued on the extension. This piece came from the neck blank so it's a perfect match.
Then I installed the truss rod with a filler strip over it and glued on " wings" on the headstock to accommodate a wider design. Got it all sanded flush. Then I tapered the back of the headstock to thickness with the safety planer mounted in the drill press. There is a 1/8" tapered from the top to about 1/2" from the nut location.
I also thinned down an ebony head plate blank to 1/8" and a back strap of highly flamed maple to .045".
The binding around the headstock will be 1/8" tall.

[Kevin in California]

Well today was the day I hand bent the sides. I didn't want to make a form for my bending machine for just one guitar.
I got it done but not without issues. Have i mentioned this before?
I really HATE bending cutaway sides. Actually I've only made one cutaway guitar, hand bending the sides. As I remember that was about 12 years ago and it went okay but wasn't a perfect experience. I can't remember the name of the wood but is was some type of rosewood.
Anyway, this highly figured maple gave me some fits.
I started out with my handmade bending iron but figured the 3" pipe was going to be too big for the tight bend and it was. I had some fracturing but at least it's on the inside so CA will fix that.
I had to pull out my 2" steel pipe that I heat with a propane torch to get the tight bend. I figure my sides were really too thick for this hand bending. After the big bends on the cutaway side I scraped down the area where the tight bend was to be to .075" and with a really hot pipe and a soaked rag on the pipe I hot it bent and in the mold.
I was just spraying the sides continually with water to keep them wet as I had now place to soak them. Took the bathtub out 5 years ago.
Anyway I'm relieved to have the bending done. I wet the side down and put them in the mold pull all tight with clamps and letting them dry over night. They will actually conform perfectly to the mold when completely dry.

Tomorrow I'll glue in the neck and end blocks and start installing kerfing.

[Kevin in California]

I got the neck block glued in. Took me all day.....well not exactly all day. After a couple dry clampings.....then going for it and having an issue, before the glue set pulled it apart. Scraped off all the glue, sanded and went for it again and it looks good. Tomorrow I'll glue in the end block.

[Kevin in California]

Kerfing and side supports are in. Top and bottom are leveled. With some spreaders the form fits the mold quite well except at the inside of the cutaway where now it does not fit tight. About an 1/8" gap or maybe a little less. Oh well it's just going to allow playing at the 21st fret!!!!

Next I will drill the hole in the end block for the end pin jack. Then will see how the top and back fit.

I may need to make a clamping caul for attaching top and back. Will see. Be great if I could clamp it will the go-bar deck.

[Kevin in California]

Back was glued on yesterday
I only had a couple hours in the shop today but managed to glue a label inside the guitar. All I know is it will be sometime next year when it's completed.

Then I glued the top to the rims and glued the headwaters to the headstock. The fretboard is pinned in its place but won't be glued on until the headstock is cut out and the binding installed or maybe after routing the binding channel but before binding.
The fretboard will be bound after its glued down to the neck and before trimming to size.

[Herman]

Tight work Kevin! Those carved plates look just great.
Herman