No-fail method for making custom guitar soundhole rosettes

[@jeremyvonk6853]

Great video! When you go to remove the finished rosette from the work board, if you pry up a corner and squirt a little denatured alcohol between the wood and the work board, the alcohol will wick into the space and cause the tape to let go. As the tape lets go, you can pry up more and more and a little more alcohol added will ease your part loose with less chance of breakage.

[@LiloUkulele]

great tip!

[@LiloUkulele]

Morning coffee with Dan...It is always such a pleasure to watch your videos. Your presentations are very accessible while maintaining a professional approach. I was gifted a sound board with the sound hole already cut out. I think I can cut the rosette by cutting a sound hole plug to orient the board to the pin. Thank you!

[@willford8475]

I like to see somebody who can innovate on a problem and is willing to share it. Well done. Sir!

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Awesome delicate work!

[@chrislamb4723]

Great job and video! I learned a lot on techniques and a lot about the plunge router base - I particulary like the fine adjustment feature on the router base.... placing my order for one of those router bases now. Thank you!

[@scafatiguitars6894]

If you apply some shellac to the top where the rosette goes it’ll minimize the chances for tear out.

[@stewmac]

Yes, I do that frequently on making rosettes. It also just toughens up the soundboard to make it a little less prone to dents, but we didn't put it in this video just for simplicity. We struggled to keep the final edit under 20 minutes. ;)

[@scafatiguitars6894]

stewartmacdonald it was a great video I enjoyed it and learned from it!

[@LiloUkulele]

do you apply the shellac before cutting?

[@scafatiguitars6894]

@@LiloUkulele yes, you can also use superglue, however make sure to sand off all the glue before applying the finish because I’ll look different in color under the finish.

[@LiloUkulele]

What is the best method to sand down the rosette & purfling flush to the sound board. Sanding down the purfling and rosette flush without creating a divot make the hair on the back of my neck stand up...pucker factor? Thanks for any insights.

[@Bacteriod]

When cutting the outside and inside channels on the top I do a very specific pattern that takes into consideration the spinning direction of the cutter in relation to the grain line. So I go from the end up to the waist/middle, then from the front to the same waist side, then end to the waist/middle of the other side, and front to that waist. Doing it this way tends to lay down the grain rather than tear it up. It's worked well for me anyway.

[@peterpulpitpounder]

Love the work and especially the ice tea gesture at the end!

[@darrellblanchard2362]

That is cool. I discovered the 1/16" bit is the same size as bwb purfling about 3 years ago. sure makes it easy to make everything fit. I have to get me a plunge base. It's the bomb!

[@thomaslau9631]

Nice to see this artistic piece of work.

[@kjemradio]

Wow that is truly an amazing technique. This take a lot of patience and no way would you want to rush a job like this.

[@DragonofLimerick]

You might want to look into the tape and superglue trick check under 'crimson guitars' and you'll find it won't move

[@Bokkie100k]

Another tip to prevent tear out with the router: never rotate he router against the grain of the wood. Divide the circle into 4 quadrants and move only one quarter at a time.

[@LadyCroMag]

Excellent Stewmac lessons, as always!!!!!!

[@RoastBeefSandwich]

beautiful work, using the purfling makes a lot of sense to accommodate for kerf without a lot of math and trial/error.

[@sealand000]

OK, I don't get it. When you add the weight at the end, it exerts force only on the purfling, not on the rosewood, because the purfling is still higher than the rosewood. Am I missing something?

[@ClassicalPan]

I guess he's confident that the rosewood is seated completely. Or maybe he works on that after the purfling is secured.

[@jonahguitarguy]

Good job, but if you cut the second purfling channel right after the first you only have to set the depth one time.

[@dannellim11]

The radius is different between both inner and outer.

[@freemanjonnes995]

Excelente vídeo meu amigo, a sua profissão é maravilhosa, eu sou músico e confesso que as vezes me sinto mais feliz consertando e mexendo em instrumentos musicais!

[@rudiger1337]

The patience of Job. I don't have it, which makes me appreciate the skill of the people who do, even more.

[@donaldmoser212]

Very interesting video. Incredible work and talent. I suspect you would have to practice this many times before you made your first “real” guitar top. So many of these StuMac videos I just watch in amazement.

[@stewmac]

It's not TOO tough to get it right using that method, when it doubt make a test cut first.

[@seattlesix9953]

Fortunately the broken bit stayed in the channel. Saw the router jump and cringed.

[@willb1157]

Masking tape and Superglue!! - none of that double sided tape malarkey. The Dremel Router base is about the same size as a Large hand held - yours is in another league. I need it.

[@philbivins7133]

great video, I truly appreciate your skills and talent Brock...

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I'd just call Brock or Dan and get in line. LOL Great video.

[@stewmac]

Thanks!

[@parkerm.]

Yay another video from you guys

[@O5FS]

What is that hat you’re wearing it’s awesome I like the pencil holder

[@miaouew]

Any other woodworkers watch these videos and get the urge to blow on the screen when there's a lot of wood dust on the table?

[@robertnewell5057]

A very nice and detailed video. If you are still monitoring this video, I already have the Stewmac precision router base. Do you feel the method is OK using a non-plunge router? Fine for the channels, as you can start by the fingerboard - but for the rosette itself? Thanks

[@stewmac]

yes, 100% The plunge base just makes things handy. You can absolutely do this using our original precision router base.

[@bronzeladdy53]

sorry, but I'm confused. When I watched it, he set up and cut the rossette, then transferred the jig to the guitar top surface (or vice versa) without adusting for the witdth of the bit.. what am I missing? one is an outside cut, the other is an inside cut...

[@rickessegern1920]

Because the bit is the same width as the purfling

[@ThatsMeTwitchy]

You legend Dan!

[@ravingcyclist624]

Excellent video! Great information!

[@hilltop366]

Thanks for the video, one question: I was thinking the rosette would have been installed turned 90 degrees from where it is so the grain of the spruce top and and the rosette were perpendicular to support the spruce from cracking along the grain, is this not needed or common practice?

[@stewmac]

No, that's not necessary. The rosette is functional, but it's not really about stopping cracks as much as it is providing structural support around a weak area of the top. How you brace it internally around on the back side if the rosette is very important too.

[@AZCobraman]

Use enough glue there Butch? ;o)

[@michaelkeyes12]

I’d suggest continuous vacuuming as rosewood dust is terrible for your lungs. (A respirator works too.)

[@guitourney]

Is Dan OK?

[@harimengek4968]

Berapa cm diameter lubang pada suara gitatar akustik mister?

[@thomastommy1192]

An Awesome Great Job. I would like to see some of the guitars this guy has built. (Is that possible?)

[@stewmac]

Here are a couple: bit.ly/2JxIOjA, bit.ly/2XEigWp, bit.ly/32nlWKX, bit.ly/2xM8Mcq, bit.ly/2GbnXQM

[@metalhead1390]

I need two things.... Dan erlewine’s hat with pencil holder and his magnifying helmet.

[@williamb4652]

Nice one gents

[@tonyfdesign]

Great video! The world needs more Dans! BTW, what kinda nimrod dislikes these videos?

[@Kilovolver]

I wonder how a cocobolo desk would look like...

[@stewmac]

Ha Ha... I saw that episode. My guess is if it is solid wood it is VERY heavy. ;)

[@rjlchristie]

Video could have been greatly improved if it had included an anatomy or diagram and explanation of the rosette layout and general plan of the channel routing BEFORE launching into the procedure. Brock's commentary is otherwise excellent but first time viewers new to the process are left wondering what the hell is going on in regard to which channel he's routing (what each is for, i.e. purfling or cocobolo ring etc). It only becomes clear sometime after 10 minutes, towards the end of the video.

[@stewmac]

That is good feedback. Thanks!

[@JohnnyReading]

Take the lemon!

[@LiloUkulele]

My dowel pin Wobbles!

[@stewmac]

If it wobbles in your work board paint the inside of the hole with some thick superglue. Let it dry then re-insert the pin. Don't go crazy, a little goes a long way. If it wobbles in your guitar top, test drill a hole in a piece of scrap (or outside your guitar pattern) until you get a tight fit (not too tight, you don't want to crack the soundboard). Then drill a new hole. You have some room for mistakes considering you're going to ultimately cut out the sound hole.

[@marks-yw5ij]

I don't think you used enough glue...jeeezuz

[@tMatt5M]

1/8 isn't .080 though

[@stewmac]

Good catch. We used an .080" cutter in the video but a 1/8" would work just as well for clearing the bottom of the channel once the inside and outside rings are cut.

[@aserta]

For stuff like this, the shank of the bit is entirely too long. Generally speaking, those aren't shanks for routers, rather for collets on CNC equipment. So, a trim i almost always necessary when the bit diameter is under 3 mm.

[@squirlmy]

@RDE Lutherie speak for yourself, my size and "shaft flex" is very important to me! ;P

[@crazyscripter2595]

...а можно и фламастером :)

[@tatko3366]

Love the Seinfeld style intro...Fortunately Dan looks to be the antithesis George Costanza...on camera anyway, haha.

[@kanker5256]

sticker rosettes are superior, because they dont have to destroy to top of the guitar wood ust for some usually very ugly rosette...

[@scott917]

Interesting - i have learned that i will never do this. i would scrap so much wood - i would be better off just buying a guitar. lol

[@stuartdavis319]

icocobolo!

[@georgewhite1972]

3:05 - Hur Hur ;D

[@KimKant]

Literally a 2 minute job with a lasercutter....

[@stewmac]

A laser cutter leaves burn marks that can be tricky to get off of spruce, but a CNC machine... you bet.

[@11calman]

Haha i bet other guitar makers offshore Just stamp these out like a bus ticket

[@AurelShen]

Perfect but not using a mask while working on cocobolo is dangerous that's a toxic wood :/ (and it's smell like ketchup, for the fun part :p

[@jake33284]

Good but you guys need to watch how Michael Greenfield does this. He has flawless technique.

[@stewmac]

If you're referring to the video of Michael building a guitar on KZbin. Yes, I have seen it. Michael is definitely a master builder. However, that is a completely different style rosette with several more advanced techniques (segmented tiles, inside and outside shell rings etc.) . Plus, he's using several dedicated jigs. We were trying to go for a video aimed at newer builders just starting out.

[@jake33284]

Understood. It’s just hard to watch anything else after seeing Michael in action. Great Vid.

[@jonahguitarguy]

Good job, but if you cut the second purfling channel right after the first you only have to set the depth one time.

[@stewmac]

Thanks. You're right, but if anything goes wonky with cutting the ring it gets more difficult since the spruce is already cut. When I was watching the final edit of the video I thought I should have mentioned that. :)