Week 2

Hey everyone! I hope your week was great!!! Mine sure was after class last Thursday. If you havent heard, or read my previous post I'm beginning to learn the art of Luthier, specifically how to build an acoustic guitar. I'm learning from Brian Hawkins of Hawkins Guitars in Virginia Beach, VA. He's been a great teacher thus far and is very patient with me while helping me to work out and answer all my questions. You can check out some of his work and services HERE!

Well, the first things we started out with was all the questions I had from last week. I though they were a lot, but he seemed to answer the ones that were inspired from the right sources in a few answers. You see, Brian is teaching me how to learn, and who to learn from. He's showing me what's "right", so I'll know what's wrong. I learned that even asking questions, within itself, is an art form.

After the many, or not so many questions that I had written down, and the ones that came up through our conversation, we got started.

The first thing we did was bend the sides we had cut out and sanded the previous week (to see what I'm talking about, you might want to look at my previous blog post HERE).

Bending the sides, like every part of the process, is very important, as you shape them to the desired size you want the guitar to be. I'm making a dreadnought sized guitar. I learned again, how to read the grain, so I would know which side is going to be used for the bottom, and the top, and which end is going to be going up and which is going to be going down. We first wetted a paper towel, and then the sides themselves. Then, we covered the sides with the paper towel and a sheet of tinfoil. We placed the wood in the jig, placing a medal sheet at the bottom, and the heating pad at the top. The whole time we lined up the sheet along the "Up" side of the wood. We then turned on the heat.

We wanted the tempeture to be between 200-250 degrees. You have to watch out though, because around 250 is the point where the wood begins to burn, so you have to adjust with each piece of wood. I learned to shoot a heating gun all around the wood to check out the temperature.

When it was at the desired heat, we placed another medal sheet on top. At this point we started to see the sides getting limp, which was the sign that we should place the top of the rig over the wood and start to slowly press down on the side of the jig, as the wood would allow, to close it. We put our clamps on and set the timer for about 20 minutes.

While I was waiting on the sides, I watched Brian refinish a guitar. He said that refinishing was one of the more difficult things to do, and that this will be good for me to watch. He had already sanded the old finish off, and started from that. It was a colder day, and because of that, the paint had a chance of a run, which you don't want! I watched as he put the even lines of paint along the instrument. He said he usually puts around 5 coats of paint, then sands it down, and buffs it out for a beautiful shine. I have no doubt it will look great when he's done!

*Click Here to read up on Brians repair work

When the timer went off for the side, we let the wood cool in the jig for another 20 minutes, then we took it out and unwrapped the tinfoil and the paper towels and revealed a beautifully bent side! We placed it back in the jig without the tinfoil and paper to take away all the dampness, and to better perfect the side. We placed one side in a mold

specifically designed for a dreadnought shape, and clamped it shut to complete the sides formation. We repeated the process on the other side.

Here's a picture of both sides in the mold….

After bending we began to join our back and top. We first had to get the edge as smooth and as straight as possible by first using a joining machine, and then we sanded it down by hand. To check if the wood was tight, we used an old technique using natural light; we placed the boards against a window where the light was shining through, and put the boards against each other; if any light shone through the line between the boards than the board needed more sanding. After the edges were squared, we set it down on wax paper (for gluing purposes). We then got a strip of maple for the back. We glued the edges and then aligned and rubbed the pieces together, so the glue would go in the grooves. We then pressed them together and held them shut, moving our hands all up and down to fit the strip in the right place between the two boards. We then made a clamp-like structure with nails and let the back sit. Now, it was important that we knew in this whole process which way the grain set. Like the sides, there is a proper way for the wood to be facing.

We did the same thing when we joined the top, only we used no strip to join them. It was a little more difficult getting the spruce right than the koa. Brian said that every piece of wood varies in how it handles, and no two pieces, even of the same kind, are alike. So you always have to pay attention to how your piece of wood reacts to what you're doing. He said this when we were bending the sides as well.

When the top was done, the glue on thw back was dry, I got to trace and actually cut out the shape of the dreadnought for the back and by using a template and the bandsaw!

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures during the joining process, I guess I was so focused I forgot. I was able to however take a picture of the back after I cut out its shape!

Here it is…

The top had to dry for at least 24 hours, so I was then done for the day!

I am continually learning how much I have to learn throughout this whole experience, but I am loving every step of it so far! I hope you guys are enjoying it a little bit too. I know this got a little wordy, and a picture is worth a thousand of them, so I will try and take more for next time!

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Again, if you'd like to read my previous blog post click "HERE".

Please make sure to" like" Hawkins Guitars Facebook page (CLICK HERE).

Thanks for reading! ~Daniel

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