Building a flamenco guitar

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>Lutherie >>

Page: [1]

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

Building a flamenco guitar

Hi,

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that i will try to build a flamenco guitar and this week I started building. All this thinking about neckangles and pegheads gave me a headache so I just started building. I will upload the pictures on my website (a simple one).

Just if you are intrested.

Once finished Ill hire someone to play it for me couse I am not gonna burn my fingers (is this a English expression as well or only Dutch?) on you judging me

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 7 2007 20:56:43

Shrek

Posts: 30
Joined: Jan. 17 2006

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Really impressed robbie , i wish i had the balls and the patience to do it . For future reference what type of cat food should i buy

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 7 2007 22:32:27

Ramón

Posts: 440
Joined: Feb. 23 2005
From: La Jolla, Ca

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Just TAKE YOUR TIME..... The slower you go, the more you'll think ahead, the less mistakes.....

Keep a nice guitar close at hand, too, and have for every little visual reference, and think about how it leads into the next step. Something I didn't do; sort of setting up for the next step by what you are doing right then.

Best to you! It's fun - and scary - a bit!

R

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 8 2007 2:03:30

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

quote:

For future reference what type of cat food should i buy

I know I have to take the time, in the past i dint and it shows. The sides are not equal, the transition from the neck to the heel is not smooth and some other litle things that I see but others dont.

It can be scary, bending the sides and cutting the rosette are some difficult things to pull off. But is is fun, thats for sure.

Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 8 2007 13:41:04

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Judging by the pictures, you're doing just fine... keep up the good work. and as Ramon says, take it slow and be patient... most of the mistakes I made were from trying to rush ahead or from being impatient. And remember... "measure TWICE, cut ONCE".

Jb

_____________________________

¡Si esto no está en compas, esto no es el Flamenco!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 8 2007 18:16:40

Francisco

Posts: 879
Joined: Jun. 13 2005
From: SW USA

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

This is going to be great to watch, thanks for sharing rObbie and good luck.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 9 2007 13:50:47

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Well I do hope it will be great.
But today I sharpend my plane and started with the plates. The top was not so difficult to plane but then I started to plane the back.

I love cypress, its easy to work with, Idd say even easyer then planing the softwoods. BUT... it does have a tendency to tear out... A LOT!

It might be that the plane is dull but I can shave myself with it so thats not it I think. As the back is very thin already Ill have to switch to sanding the back becuase I dont wanna risk more tear outs.

No working on the guitar this weekend cause the kids are staying this weekend

Thanks for dropping a line!
Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 9 2007 15:03:27

Shrek

Posts: 30
Joined: Jan. 17 2006

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Hi there Robbie , hows it it going ? been checking your site with great interest . what problems have you come across ? is there anything you would have done differently ?
Cheers Vic.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2007 9:47:44

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to Shrek)

Hi Shrek,

Where should I begin....

First of all, I need more time because I/we do have a job, dogs, cats, horses, a garden, guitar and a Girlfriend but after that, I can build.

Things that go wrong.... mmmmm dont wanna tell.... oke.... ill tell you....
For cutting the channel for the rosette I used a nail and a popstickle (? the wooden stick in a ice cream?) and I think the nail got a bit loose so the circle got a little oval. This I had to correct and so the channel got a litle to wide, solved it with a extra strip of wood on the outside of the rosette.

The head did not get the shape I had planned, very close but I hate it when its off, just a few mm but still, dont like it.

Today I started planing the top to thickness but the top keeps slipping and I have to get some cork to glue on a pad so that if I plane the top, it stays where I clamped it.

The plane I use... well, dont know whats wrong with that but I can shave myself with it but it keeps chiping out, just a little at some spots but thats not good. sharpend it in the right angle, chipbreaker a hair behind the edge but still chipout.....

But, this is the third guitar I am building and its going better then the first and second so I dont complain.

What I would have done different.... ehhhh.... let somebody else sharpen my tools? No, so far it is going oke, no big goofs just minor things and it will be the best I have made so far.

Cheers to u 2
Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2007 16:43:54

chinito

Posts: 104
Joined: Jun. 14 2004

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Rob,

Looks great so far! The rosette fix isn't noticeable. Wouldn't have known if you hadn't mentioned it. Are you going to use go-bars or clamps to glue the braces?

You've probably already tried this, but tightening your plane's throat might help with the chipping out.

Keep the pics coming!

-Jake.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2007 20:24:00

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

@Jake

I am gonna use clamps for the bracing, I have lots of clamps so why dont use them?. I have never tried the go-bar but I think it is difficult to hold the bracings in place and I have allready spend a lot on the tools as it is.

About the throat of the plane.... I have been staring at the blade for an hour or so and told it I would change it in to a dust bin or something like that if his behaviour would not change and then I planed some more with it and now it seems to behave quite well.

But still, how can I change the throat of the plane? I have the blade and the chipbreaker.... the chipbreaker is one hair behind the blade and this leaves me with a gap of... well... lets say 4 mm. Is there a way to change this?

I will keep the pics coming but some times it seems that it's just more of the same, me planing to 2.3 mm and me scraping to 2.1 mm. I cant wait to bend the sides and glueing this thing together

Right now i need to go, I am not allowed to fall asleep at work

Cya!
Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2007 23:13:06

chinito

Posts: 104
Joined: Jun. 14 2004

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

To adjust the plane's throat remove the lever cap and blade assembly. There should be two bolts holding the frog (the part supporting the blade) to the sole of the plane. These bolts can be loosened allowing the frog to be moved front and back. Forward tightens the mouth so that more of the wood fibers are held down in front of the cutter making them less likely to pull out and break. It might take a bit of fiddling with to get just right as too narrow will make the the shavings clog as the plane is used.

Hope this helps,
-Jake.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 9 2007 23:56:52

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

I measured the gap and it was not 4 mm, but I had forgotten I could adjust the trhoat, just thougt my plane had a standard gap.....

Once I removed the blade and had a look at the two bolds it slowly fell in to place.... Pfffff I am an idiot!

I think 5 jears ago I adjusted the throat and it worked for the wood I was using then, now Ill try it again with a even smaller gap....

Thanks Jake!

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 10 2007 18:54:59

stephen hill

Posts: 300
Joined: Feb. 16 2004
From: La Herradura, Granada, Spain

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

try also planning ACROSS the grain rather than with it. can help a lot with tearout

_____________________________

stephen hill - granada spain
http://www.spanishguitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 10 2007 20:19:54

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

I did plane across the grain as well and then it does not tearout, but planing with the grain gives a much more satisfying surface so I wanted to end planing with the grain or should there be no difference in planing with/across the grain?

On the top I dont have tearout's anymore but I have to plane the cypress as well....

and that did tear out a lot...

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 10 2007 20:47:38

Haithamflamenco

Posts: 927
Joined: Mar. 6 2007
From: Bahrain

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

woooow man,

amazing,

cant wait to hear the guitar sound,

oleeeeeeeeeeeee

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 10 2007 23:22:31

Ramón

Posts: 440
Joined: Feb. 23 2005
From: La Jolla, Ca

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Looking good! Man....I cheated...You're REALLY doing it by hand!

Take yer' time...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 11 2007 3:36:55

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Well... I cant wait to play this guitar and maybe it's very disappointing. Then I have to build an other one

But first I have to build one for my son, I promissed I will build him a small guitar so he can practice and become better at it then me

@Ramon
When reading the posts I thought you where building from lumber and by hand as well, Have you got any pictures? or better, a mp3 of it?

Cya!
Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 11 2007 22:34:54

Ramón

Posts: 440
Joined: Feb. 23 2005
From: La Jolla, Ca

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Hola Rob,

I (still) don't have an MP3...One day, I'll get someone's stuff and do it. I hope....

And I did it all by hand; raw lumber, but I just got to use a lot of nice stuff like thickness sanders, good routers, band saws...the whole shootin' match, as I used a luthier's workshop. Compared to how you and a few others here on FF are doing, it's kinda like I cheated! lol...

I just posted a few finish shots here, rather than post after post like in #13 or #14, but, all-the- steps-photos are in Building a Flamenco 1-14 on FF.

http://cmiys.com/guitar.html

R

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 12 2007 3:08:26

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Hey Ramón,

I have been reading your posts about the guitar you made and it took me almost the entire evening, so I did nothing on my guitar

It's a great looking guitar and I dont see any damages on the guitar, so you must have worked very clean. I had seen the headstock veneer on other posts and I really liked it, not knowing it was your guitar

I am impressed!
About the cheating.... maybe a little in the labour, because it is hard work to plane the plates and side's, but I guess you had to do enough by hand as well. Sometimes I wish I finished my beltsander before I started building the guitar, I like shortcuts as well

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 12 2007 22:22:01

Shrek

Posts: 30
Joined: Jan. 17 2006

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to r0bbie)

Its looking really great Robbie . I've been checking your web page weekly with great interest , i can't wait to see it finished and that will be the kick up the ass to start mine

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2007 22:59:59

r0bbie

Posts: 160
Joined: Feb. 11 2007
From: Holland

RE: Building a flamenco guitar (in reply to Shrek)

Dont wait for me... just do it.

Years ago I build a guitar and it is great, not that it is a great guitar, but in case of a fire I will rescue the guitar first and then the photo's. I just love that guitar. Thats just my feeling but I'd say, start building and dont expect to build a perfect guitar, that will come in time.

I have done little the last few weeks becouse I wanted the wood to dry but I will start glueing this week. I need the room for something else so I have to hurry from now on :-)

Just keep checking the webpage couse it's gonna get better and better from now on :-) (I hope)

Rob.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 2 2007 0:21:42