Day 5: Look no hands!

Of the many jigs and devices Chuck has built to facilitate the guitar construction process the vacuum powered ones are perhaps the most impressive. To glue the back and sides together the back is placed against a rubber gasket in a concave piece of MDF which conforms to the built-in curvature. A vacuum pump below the bench is turned on and as the air is evacuated the back becomes firmly held in the jig. The sides are then glued and clamped in place. The jig is a convenient height so the clamps slip neatly under the assembly. If you look closely at the bottom of this first photograph you'll see a round rubber gasket in a wooden plate on the side of the bench. This is another of these vacuum jigs. More on this later.

The process for the front is similar. It is placed in the jig and after one last examination and final clean up of the inside work, the back and sides are glued and clamped on top. The sound box is now closed and any future access will have to be through the sound hole.

While the glue is setting, the fretboard is drilled for the small abalone dots which will help the player navigate the scale. The neck blank consists of a laminated block of mahogany and maple which adds strength and will result in an attractive skunk stripe down the back. This will prove a useful guide to symmetry when carving the neck to shape.

The neck is further strengthened by adding two strips of carbon fiber for stiffness and an adjustable truss rod which, by means of a nut at the end, can be placed in tension or compression and thereby impart a slight curvature to the neck. This is used to balance the permanent tension from the strings resulting in a slimmer more elegant neck.

When the glue has hardened on the sound box the edges are trimmed on a table router and it is placed against the vertical vacuum jig mentioned above. When the pump is turned on it is held firmly in the desired position for sanding or chisel work. No clamps, no vices, no slips. It's almost as good as a second pair of hands.

Back to the neck. After the truss rod is glued in place with a wooden gusset above it to hold it in the groove, the surplus wood is chiseled off and the fretboard and carbon strips are glued in place.

The guitar now consists of two components rather than the multiple pieces of wood of five days ago. There are crucial stages still ahead, however, I am pleased with progress and the process in general is working well. Chuck's approach is to explain the tasks and where necessary demonstrate the skills needed for each stage. In pointing out some of the pitfalls, he often says "ask me how I know". He gives me the benefit of his knowledge and experience and the use of the many clever jigs and devices so I can concentrate on the quality of my work. Although I haven't used hand tools for a long time, my intrinsic skills are proving to be up to the challenges faced so far and are improving with practice. Carving the neck will put my skills to the test.