Stew Mac Diaries 8

Last night I cut the soundhole purfling and glued it in place. While I was waiting for the glue to dry, I started planing around the body to create a tail to neck taper. I got a feel for the wood early on and had no trouble planing down to a hair's breadth above the linings. Follow the instructions on planing (arrows) as it will keep you from cutting too deep and splitting off chunks of wood. I left just a little wood above the lining because I don't trust my planing skills and wanted a little margin of safety just in case. This extra bit will be removed when I sand the sides to create a good edge for the glue.

The grain of the soundboard is ever so slightly off parallel. I tried to line up the grain with the body shape so it would be running straight up and down, but found that doing so would create a gap as the rough cut panel included with the kit is just a few centimeters too narrow in that direction. I have given in to the fact that the gain will be slightly off kilter. I just hope that people don't see the finished product and think, "Wow, that almost looks really good."

Things are really starting to take shape! (bad pun, I know)

See you next time,

Kanagawa G