Acoustic Guitar Construction

Kevin, Tony...Thanks so much! I've viewed many of your posts in the past. You guys make some excellent looking guitars! And thanks to Ken for the beautiful wood! I've been very happy with the quality of the kit, and if I end up building more guitars (who am I kidding, I'm already hooked) I will absolutely get the kit from KMG.

As I had essentially finished the body, I got to work on the neck. First I cut the sides off the fingerboard. I did this by clamping a straight edge and using a flush cut hand saw. It took about 20 minutes each side, but I ended with a very nice straight line, which needed minimal sanding...and I didn't need to buy/rent/borrow a band saw. The fretting went relatively easily using the method described in Ken's online manual. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the finger board clamp/glue set up. I used a caul with two rods to put pressure on the ends of the frets, along with two C clamps and a bar clamp at the heel of the neck. I found a headstock template online, and used it to shape the headstock, glued on the rosewood veneer, and marked the tuner holes with a push pin. I plan to finish the neck before drilling for the tuners, to avoid finish build up inside the holes. I expected it to take quite a while to shape the neck using sandpaper only, but it went pretty quick, once again using Ken's method from the online manual. The neck was, of course, mostly shaped when I received it. I made the nut width 1.75"...actually just a tad wider, so maybe 1.8". I have pretty big mitts, and have always longed for a slightly thicker neck that fits my hand better.

Today I began finishing the body. I'm using Tru Oil to finish the entire guitar. I applied three coats. You can already start to see some reflection! I like this Tru Oil stuff! Tomorrow I'll make a wet sand/slurry/pore fill attempt.

The guitar is really looking great. Looks like you are well on your way toward finishing it.

Keeps looking better and better

Thanks John, thanks Kevin!

I'm looking for some sage advice today. I've been doing the Tru Oil finish on the body for the last few days. I've been applying 3 coats a day then sanding the next day. On the back of the guitar only, I've been running into this strange problem: There seems to be spots of some sort that are most visible when I begin to sand, but then disappear by the time I'm done sanding the back. However, after I apply the finish, the spots reappear, and seem like the Tru Oil does not bind to these spots. Are these spots the wood's oil coming through? If so, why is the problem not on the sides as well? Any one have an idea? Solution? In the picture below, I've sanded the left side of the back completely, and then ran the sanding block (600) over the right side just once or twice, as this is what seems to make the spots stand out the most. Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks everyone.

A couple of questions:

Did you seal the wood with anything previous to applying the TO?

How are you applying the TO?

Did you use steel wool at any time, or any solvents?

Hi Dave,
I did not seal the wood with anything first. Is this where my problem lies? Is there any way that you know of to 'fix' that?
I am applying the Tru Oil using a pad similar to french polishing. I am swirling the oil on then wiping off in long strokes with the grain. I have not used any steel wool in the process.
Thank you!

Sealing is not necessary, the TO actually seals the wood. If you have avoided steel wool, that's good, as there is often oil in the steel wool.

Application procedure sounds right; the wiping off, believe it or not, is the key to a wiping oil finish. I use a blue paper shop towel, folded in quarters, and backed with a pad or block to make sure you don't leave finger impressions in the oil, and I wipe with the grain to remove ALL the excess oil. And then I buff it a bit with a shop towel and let it dry. That way, there is no sanding needed between coats, and it goes on so thin that flaws just don't happen.

I do 1/2 of the back or top at a time so that the oil does not have the opportunity to start drying, which makes it a pita to remove. Plus, if it dries a bit first, you will pull the TO out of the pores when you wipe off, the stuff in the pores sticks to the surface oil. So thin, thin , thin coats and wipe off before it gets tacky.