Acoustic Guitar Construction

I've finally got started. Glued up a neck blank from a 36" Sapele blank I cut from a billet years ago. Actually got 4 neck blanks along with 4 guitar b & s sets from that one.
Also got a EIR fretboard blank ready for cutting fret slots.

And got the sides rough profiled and thinned down to .085" and ready for the bending machine.
I'm not going to do a cutaway on this guitar since I just don't want to risk breaking the fantastic curly Koa binding I got from Bob Gleason years ago.

More to report after tomorrow.
Attachments

Moving right along.
Bent the sides and fit the mold well with a little "clamp coaxing".
I wrap my sides after sprtizing in kraft paper, then foil.
I start bending the waist at 250 degrees about 2/3s the way, and then begin the bouts. Lower first then upper.
Then I complete the waist. Start up of blanket to completed bend about 5 minutes tops. I heat with the blanket and light bulbs. I get heat below and above the wood this way. Works a treat!


I also joined the back plates with a center strip of Curly Koa and Holly/back fiber purfling on either side. The Koa wasn't thick enough so I CA glued it to maple strip. So Koa on the outside, maple on the inside, which will be covered with the inside back strip of cross grained spruce.

The binding (side puring), and end wedge will also be curly Koa with the same purfling scheme.

The top will be Abalone purfling with black lines.
The back I think will have the Holly and black purfling.

More pic...sorry probably not in order

More done today
Got the end blocks glued to the sides. Sanded both top and back in my combo 15ft/ 30ft radius dish.
Cut out the profile on the back plate and glued on the inside spruce back strip.
Tomorrow I'll glue in my homemade mahogany kerfing.

Today I got all the kerfing glued in and both top and back rims resanded in the radius dish.
I also made braces for the back and glued them on in my gobar deck.

That's all till next week.

I finally got back on it.
Glued in side braces today and carved the back braces. Marked the rim locations for inleting the brace ends too.

Sides notched and the back fit.
Next to make the top