Tutorial - Ep 2 - How to Carve a Les Paul Style Guitar Top by hand - Gouges

Welcome to Crimson Guitars kzbin.info... and welcome to Part Two of a short series of tutorials from Ben at Crimson Guitars www.crimsonguitars.com teaching you how to hand carve a Les Paul style guitar top.
In this episode, Ben discusses a selection of gouges from the fantastic Ashley Iles toolmakers www.ashleyilestoolstore.co.uk/ (some of the best chisels, gouges, and turning tools he has ever used)
The different shapes of each gouge have their own tasks when carving a guitar by hand and as well as talking about this Ben shows you several of the methods he uses for sharpening his carving tools.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Work out your line and curve and take out the material within those parameters
8:26 Sharpening the gouges. Ben discusses various stones and methods
16:10 Continuing the carve
17:14 Continued in Ep 3
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Thank you again for all your support, we really appreciate it! - Ben
Stay tuned and stay awesome!

[@41DegreesSouth]

Today I learned... that watching and listening to someone carve wood is incredibly relaxing

[@SalmonFume]

This comment makes me feel normal.

[@NachoManRandySandwich]

41DegreesSouth it kind of feels like I'm watching one of those nature documentaries I used to love as a kid. Here we have the majestic luthier in their natural environment. Notice how he instinctively knows when it's time to sharpen his chisels 😂

[@jonault199]

got home today and found some wooden pics in the post,at my age getting any sort of wood is always good even if its through the post!! thank you Ben very much.

[@Sam-me5pl]

Hahahahhq

[@RGSSaab]

"That's good enough, but I like to take it one step further" would describe preeeeetty much anything you do- it's incredibly satisfying watching you work, and you've inspired me to start working in my garage on a kit and go from there :)

[@propyro85]

15:06 actually gave me goosebumps. Whether it's kitchen knives or wood working tools, the bite of a properly cared for blade is almost indescribable.

[@rtab5199]

Thanks, watching your work and your work ethic are extremely comforting.

[@mvyper]

Not only it's really instructional. But also a surprisingly involuntary ASMR.

[@lloydgarland4667]

Much better being shown what to do and how to do it, rather than being told. Excellent series Ben, looking forward to seeing the end result

[@stuartbegley2085]

Stumbled across these guys, must say I am thoroughly enjoying working my way down the list of podcasts etc. Ben, thanks for sharing your evident skill in such a way. Informative, personable and extremely talented, the commitment to ur craft shows through. Well played guys.

[@Billo1281]

Man I gotta say, I love to watch your videos! Almost relaxing in some sort of weird way.. Anyway, thanks again. Hopefully one day I have enough gall to build my own guitar. Thanks, Ben and his crew!

[@dkmcl2]

Great video, Ben! Can't wait for part 3! Cheers!

[@sefton1972]

I also keep wincing thinking that the binding is going to come loose as the chisel catches it. I know it won't as Ben is a pro but I still do wince.

[@frederickthorne2496]

the custom gouge sharpening technique is epic! I am humbled I was not aware of this!

[@AliBuchan]

Seriously, attention to detail. Love your work.

[@budandbean1]

Love the editing at the beginning, that was so sweet!

[@FrancescoGuardi]

This video is like a meditation - as the carving is done this way . I like it...

[@LeeAllanGuitar]

Can't wait for part three!

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Interesting techniques, thanks for sharing!

[@XSLUDGEYX]

another great video ben. if you want the actual definition of sharp my old woodwork teacher insisted it was the intersection of two planes with zero radius. keep up the great work.

[@sefton1972]

It's starting to resemble the final finish of those Gibson BFG Leslie's. Great videos.

[@darrenchilders820]

I’m a woodcarver, not a luthier. I’ve only built a telecaster but I’ll have to try this. It looks fun. Just an FYI, rolling the edge of the blade through the cut is proper technique.

[@givemeajackson]

i think i'll stick with the angle grinder for my next build. but i loved seeing you do this, and it does look like fun.

[@walterrider1612]

thank you Ben

[@Tricknologyinc]

You could make a set of depth gauges to meter those initial "profile" reference cuts... Also keeping your tools away from each other so your edges don't contact metal, will save you tons of sharpening and tool replacing. Thank you so much for making these videos! I really feel like I could do this!

[@216trixie]

Thanks for this I've never seen a guitar carved.

[@jothanankrogh]

This method is fun to do a few times and necessary for unique shapes, but I'm quite happy to go back to my copy carver and router templates. Too easy to mess up nice top wood

[@walterrider9600]

thank you

[@kittysoph7316]

5:39 to 5:44 ahh high school :') But yeah this is a really awesome video and you have inspired me to make my own guitar even though I don't have all the power tools :D

[@danielredman9475]

autosol is magical!

[@stephengent9974]

Great video series. I remember watching your first build series, with you wielding a flap disc sander, totally covered in dust. Must be so much nicer to stay clean. Also I would think more theraputic having more direct contact between tool, hand and instrument.

[@austinburrell1585]

This is therapeutic

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

+Austin Burrell thank you, I feel the same about the actual carving process. Slower than done other methods but somehow more enjoyable. B

[@christianculley4105]

I could watch you carve that all day, not sure I could bring myself to do it though - I think I'd find every cut a bit stressful...

[@neilquarrell7551]

Ben, I think I am going to get back making guitars. Where are you getting you maple tops? I am in Southampton Hampshire. Any places around here that you know of. Cheers.

[@TheRaptorXX]

The visual sign of sharpness is called lack of 'candle' Ben. We hold the edge up to the light and move it around and there should be NO reflection coming off the very edge at all... In theory, nothingness!! Thank heavens for Autosol as well eh?

[@jwj1377]

I recently did some contouring on a Peavey Predator body (mainly beveling the backside of the cutaway) using just a half-round file, as I have little in the way of gouges and chisels. It turned out better than I had hoped. Do you have any opinions or pointers in using that method? Your videos have been a giant catalyst in getting me out of the "one of these days, I'm going to..." mode and I'm currently starting my first made from scratch body. THANK YOU, Ben!

[@narbonneguitars9331]

Hey ben i am checking out your other videos on instruction ...an this one was a eye opener for me because i thought i was one of the only people to take that aproach , i use rasp instead , exactly same process of contour lines though ...question? Would that still be considered hand carved...an could you juste use the thumb or "violin" planes Call to completely shape an contour off your layout lines lines?

[@SuperCarver2011]

This is a very "brave" technique using hand chisels on a guitar top that already has the top binding glued. I did the carving first with a Foredom rotary carving tool then routered the top and back edges for the bindings with a special router bit and a hand held Dremel.

[@trident1314]

Ben sharpening tools is the aprentii s job lol....love your attention to detail though

[@kingdavewoody]

I'd love to see what a guitar would look like if it was just carved but not smoothed out, then stained and varnished in its rough state

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Gibson did something similar at one point in the last decade I think.. good look! B

[@smashallpots1428]

I got a question how would you go about doing pickup routes with out power tools

[@davidtaylor857]

I have a large amount of cherry . Is this good guitar body wood ?

[@mychases.channel]

How and where do you pick your guitar wood?

[@elmecanismodelbotijo]

Can you curve with good results a Flying V body classic ?. Best regards

[@TomKrall]

Ever have a chisel accident? I gashed my finger pretty good recently.

[@kennjrgensen9021]

not sure what Ben likes the most, carving or sharpening...

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Me neither.. Mmmm axially I think it's a tie between carving, sharpening and collecting good tools

[@JonasTraber]

+Kenn Jørgensen Woodcarving is 30% cutting wood and 70% sharpening. :P

[@blackie75]

or sharpening good carving tools that you collected?

[@donniebrookins6215]

Just finished watching a guy “handbuild” a Les Paul. All cnc. I told them to come watch you build one

[@tom0ocadoo]

🙌🏽👍🏽

[@sebastianenriquez908]

That sound of chipping wood!

[@richardarntzen270]

If I understood correctly... removing all that is not a guitar will leave you with a guitar?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

yes indeed.. find your inner guitar and remove the waste ;) B

[@LexCoulstring]

I would almost loose my patience using this method. How do you feel about manual hand planers?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I generally use an angle grinder and flap disk to carve both bodies and necks.. Noisy and terribly dusty but fast. There are power carvers that work wonders too.. I've been meaning to try out the proxxon one for ages.

[@paulneeds]

Wouldn’t those odd little planes that violin luthiers use be the traditional way? Either way, I agree with @Lex Coulstring - but not only would I lack the patience, but also the skill and hand strength (disabled a bit) - I’d TOTALLY ruin a nice top. Now, carving with an angle grinder and one of those planer disc things intrigues me - just have to find the videos….

[@paulneeds]

Ah, violin planes in next film…

[@robcobi]

Hog away, now in my lexicon.

[@runrabbitrun4342]

Wouldn't a cello plain been much easier

[@mattfairfield9103]

After watching you sharpen those gouges, I cried a little thinking about the last time I sharpened mine on an upside down belt sander xD hahaha. To be fair, it's a really shitty set of lathe gouges haha.

[@knowmusicman157]

He speaks the Queen's English as good as Christopher Hitchens.

[@a68rebel]

Belt sander....?????

[@ZonykFilms]

BFF

[@thespanielinquisition7167]

Easier and faster with a belt sander

[@Puciferthegreat]

How terrifying was this the first time you did it? I mean it looks absolute rubbish most of the way before it turns into pure porn. Love your channel. Helps with all aspects of woodworking not just instruments :D

[@marshallcrank]

Looks like a huge pain in the ass. I prefer something faster. Still I like your videos. Hello from Canada

[@StefanDLazarov]

Егати хамалогията

[@Djaj2000]

0:56 why do you have a german hand grenade