Acoustic Guitar Construction

Where can I buy CLARO WALNUT for the back.

Most come in sets of back and sides. I just need the back.

First guitar - long time idiot!!!

Maybe Ken has some, or ortherwise you could check
http://www.notablewoods.com

Tell us please what happened. So we can feel better, 'cause it confirms we are not the only ones that miscarry.:-)

OK. Here is what the IDIOT did.

Tried to thickness the back to about 2mm. Somehow I ended up with a thickness of 1.00 mm to 1.2mm. One spot is 0.00 mm. The internet told me that is too thin.

Did read somewhere that luthiers have made backs of a hardwood (walnut) laminated with a softwood (spruce). Claims of improved sound have been reported. Ah says the IDIOT, "That is the way to go".

Well instead of laminating the thin walnut to a inexpensive (cheap) 4 mm thick spruce and thinning the resulting laminate to the appropriate thickness, I thinned the spruce to approx. 1.2mm. The resulting laminate looks like the waves of the Atlantic ocean.

I guess I could finish the guitar like that and use it only to play "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think a back of 2.4-2.8 mm is a more appropriate target. How are you thinning the plates?

The value for most of the sets is in the back plates. At least it seems that way as I am often able to purchase stacks of orphaned sides for very little money. If you plan to build more you can rip orphaned sides to make nice bindings or even use them for head stock veneer or rosettes.

Thanks John.

I am or was building a Fleta. Back thickness is supposed to be 2.2 mm in the middle to 2.0 mm at the edges. I was using sandpaper and a cabinet scraper but ran out of patience - taking tooo long and I am getting old and the scraper hurts my hands.

Decided to use a benchtop belt sander (poor man's thickness sander).

Started of with 80 grit sp- still slow - went to 60 grit - got away from me and got it too thin.

One of the secrets of guitar making I think is PATIENCE.

You got it right. Patience is good. 1mm is far too thin imo. either you lemonade... duhh... laminate it with some veneer, or get yourself another back. Anyway, you will get it right in time. In 2 years you will laugh about this moment.
Herman

yes fleta are built light. You still might want to leave a bit of thickness to allow for finish sanding. It is not easy to thickness a back without a drum sander. Patience does go along way. Give it another go.