Acoustic Guitar Build part 1 // the sides

[@electricwally]

Appreciate your sheer honesty in regards to letting us know every aspect of the build that did not go as you expected. Helps us to learn! Thank you.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@bearofme]

thanks for the diversionary activity, needed to watch and hear a true human be himself. keep the faith and seize the moments when ya can. lookin forward to the next adventure.

[@CMRWoodworks]

I’m so glad you stopped by again. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch!

[@smisplacedalaskan1762]

Good video. I especially like that you didn't down play a mistake and showed how you recovered. Thats huge.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Thanks so much for the comment!

[@anthonypoole4933]

I bought Robbie's online course when he first released it several years ago. Watched the whole thing many times and still never managed to start building. I have 4 kids too and never found the time. You have inspired me!

[@CMRWoodworks]

Awesome man! You should just jump in and get started. Even if it goes slow, any progress is good and fulfilling.

[@anthonypoole4933]

@@CMRWoodworks thanks! And, I must say, you are so humble with those things that go right and those that go wrong. Makes for really great learning for those of us like me who haven't been brave enough yet to pick up the chisel on some high dollar rosewood!

[@tylerletourneau3785]

So cool. Really, good for you just going for it! Defs jelly

[@charlesdavis7616]

Excellent video, nicely done! We all see ourselves in you, sir, and I appreciate you sharing the experience!

[@CMRWoodworks]

Thanks so much for the encouraging words! Glad you took the time to watch!

[@thecluelessluthier6520]

Great job! It is good to see someone else sharing their first guitar build. I have found that it makes it go much slower since you have to think about the videography. On the other hand it makes me think about what I have to do more since I am supposed to be explaining it. Are the side forms also from LMI? I purchased the OM-18 form from Stewmac for my next build and it similar but with different internal bracing.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Oh yeah, I could finish projects in over half the time if I wasn’t worried about filming and editing and such! Yes, I got the form from LMI. For my second guitar, I have modified the shape of the Martin style OM guitar I’m making now so that means I have to make all new templates and forms, which I have already started, but it is quite a daunting thing to think of doing before I can even start with the build! Hey, thanks for taking time out of your day to watch and even leave a comment. I appreciate it man!

[@juliachild9377]

Dope video. It looks like you glued the kerfing on backwards though. You want the non-kerfed face of the kerfing glued to the sides. Hopefully you won't have any issues with the kerfing pulling away in the future. Good s**t either way! Edit: I just checked LMI's site for the kit you got, and it looks like it only uses the newer kerfing with a radius that's installed reversed like you did, so forget what I said above about the kerfing. Looking forward to your next video!

[@CMRWoodworks]

No problem man! I had never heard of reversed kerfing either before I build this guitar! There are some builders who install solid linings in place of kerfing. They say that reversed kerfing makes the sides a little more rigid. Solid linings even more so. I appreciate the comment! Thanks for watching!

[@CMRWoodworks]

By the way, I have continued with videos. Part 13 just came out last weekend where I finished shaping the neck. Just letting you know in case KZbin didn‘t automatically lead you to the next video in the series. Not really sure how that works anymore!

[@edsautter51]

The "scorching" is not necessarily the heat toasting the wood but the resin coming out of the wood. The resin in rosewood will darken the wood. I worked at Martin Guitar in the 80's and saw this all the time. They scrape the sides once the body is done and that will scrape off and look fantastic. Good progress. Sorry on the side mistake.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Thanks for the feedback! I did sand the insides a little before adding the side struts and noticed that the marks drastically reduced in visibility, so I have hopes the outside will do the same. Makes sense if it is only resin after all. Good to know!

[@bobsegar1242]

A trick I learned when cutting the excess off after you have the sides bent, is turn it on it’s side so that the blade cuts the entire widths of the side, perfect straight cut every time.

[@CMRWoodworks]

I actually recently saw a video of someone doing it that way. I may try it next time. Thanks for the tip!

[@neilforehand1121]

Is there a reason you don’t soak the rosewood in water for a few days to make it easier to bend?

[@CMRWoodworks]

I‘m still learning, but apparently it‘s not completely necessary to soak some woods. Rosewood bends quite easily and the teacher of the course I‘m taking said just a light spritzing was all that is necessary for rosewood in particular. I know that there are some people who use a steambox to bend wood so I think in those cases, soaking wood is typical. I‘ve still got a lot to learn about it all. I was surprised too when I went through the course that the wood wasn‘t soaked. I always thought you had to soak wood to make it bend. Oh well, I guess I learned something new. Thanks for watching!

[@aviatorblc]

Re, the gap between the sides and the form, I had LMII bend my sides for me and there are gaps between the sides and their form. (I'm not loving their form - built my own to replace it.) The kerfing breaking is nothing more than an inconvenience - it's only there to give additional gluing surface for your top and back plates. If you'll allow me, regarding the disuniformity of your bends, I noticed that you were wetting the wood and then holding it more or less stationary on the bender until you felt it give. I've found that I get better results by wetting, and then sliding the side back and forth along the region that I'm intending to bend. This method also avoids scorching. I'm guessing by now that you've tried scraping the scorch marks away? Once again, my compliments on both your approach to guitar-building and your videography.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Thanks for the advice on bending! The scorching apparently wasn‘t really scorching according to someone who commented that it is just the resins in the wood rising to the surface from the heat. It all actually scraped/sanded off without any issue. I appreciate the time you took to type out your comments! Thanks for the feedback!

[@aviatorblc]

@@CMRWoodworks thanks again for your input. I've emailed Robbie about Denny Brown's notes.

[@scaira60]

Very nice job, Iam also building an acustic guitar actually 2 of them at the same time. I have built 4 ukuleles from scratch so I could learn techniques like side bending ect. But I just stopped my builds & finally bought Robbies online course. The best thing I ever did. God Bless brother & keep building🙏🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🎸🎸🎹🎼👨🏻‍🦯

[@CMRWoodworks]

Robbie’s course is great!

[@hobiecat901]

Chris, Let me ask you, what do you think the best thickness is for the sides to be for easy bending?

[@CMRWoodworks]

I thickness my sides down to around 2mm and bend them at that thickness. I’ve heard of people also going a little bit thinner at the waist since it is a tighter curve. That is the only experience I have with that since this is only my second guitar. But they seem to bend well enough at 2mm!

[@hobiecat901]

@@CMRWoodworks Yes, true, But you did accomplish the Build and I think is a very nice playing and sounded Guitar. I think you can Crow a Little about the Build. I know one thing, Ha i certainly enjoyed watching and going along with each Video.

[@aviatorblc]

Hey Chris, great job on your videography. I bought an OM package from LMII that I spec'd myself. Additionally, I bought O'Brien's building DVD set but Robby is not very clear as to the width that he cut his sides to. What width did you use for your sides?

[@CMRWoodworks]

Hey man thanks for commenting! There was a guy named Denny Brown who worked with Robbie and took extensive notes of Robbie‘s private courses. Those notes are available on Robbie‘s site. I had to read them to better understand the width of the sides. In the manual he says cut the sides to 110-115mm. I think I shot for the middle between those. After that, then I preradiused the back. Denny also details doing that, from what I remember. Robbie offers the manual free of charge. He just asks you to sign up for his newsletter.

[@mickcarr3454]

Er....you glued the wrong side of the kerfing to the sides. The slots should be facing out.

[@CMRWoodworks]

The kerfing I am using is called reverse kerfing, so it’s actually supposed to be that way. It‘s supposed to make the sides stiffer. At least that‘s what I learned in the guitar building course I‘m taking. I had never heard of it before the course, but it‘s used by a lot of builders, apparently.

[@parluhutansimbolon1793]

I like your wood.

[@leeaustinarts5990]

why not show how you taipered sides?

[@thinkpad20]

8:27 😳

[@CMRWoodworks]

Haha. I‘ve got 4 kids. They can be a bit loud when they are playing outside. If I‘m recording at the same time I try to edit out a lot of their screaming but sometimes it can‘t be avoided.

[@thinkpad20]

@@CMRWoodworks haha no worries man! Great video!

[@doubledarefan]

Just need to improve the focus.

[@CMRWoodworks]

Once I have better lighting in the shop, it will be easier to improve. Difficult to do at night.

[@jameslabs1]

A $5 noise reduction app would eliminate the -barking dog- in the background and would make the video much better. I gave up on a good lesson. Thanks anyway

[@CMRWoodworks]

Sorry to see you go. I have 4 kids and a dog. Not much I can do about it sometimes.

[@Vigilante311]

How could you get rid of that lucious beard and tash?

[@CMRWoodworks]

Haha, That was actually when I first started growing it.