Tutorial Ep 4 - How to Carve a Les Paul Style Guitar Top - using scrapers

Welcome to Crimson Guitars kzbin.info... and welcome to Part Four 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 shows how to use cabinet and kidney-shaped scrapers to achieve the final curve.
A properly sharpened scraper is an invaluable tool to the cabinet maker or guitar builder and replaces sandpaper in a lot of instances. Check out www.crimsonguitars.com/shop for our own range of luthiers tools and jigs including the scraper you see in this video.
Other tools mentioned were from www.ashleyilestoolstore.co.uk/
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Introducing the scrapers - correctly sharpened these are better than sandpaper!
2:18 Kidney shaped for the carved areas of the top
3:14 Rectangular cabinet scraper for use on the flat areas
5:44 Conclusion
______________________________________________________________________
We'd like to thank our partners for helping to make this video series possible.
Triton Tools - www.tritontools.com/en-GB
Wagner Meters - www.wagnermeters.com/
ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection - bit.ly/36YmKro
Support us by supporting our Partners, and at the same time get yourself a great deal with ISOtunes. Use code "CRIMSON10" for £10 off at "isotunes.co.uk" or $10 off at "isotunes.com"
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Use Code 'CRIMSONGUITAR' at checkout to save 15% off on your purchase www.starbond.com/?rfsn=495373... ______________________________________________________________________
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Thank you again for all your support, we really appreciate it! - Ben
Stay tuned and stay awesome!

[@newtonlkh]

It's so much enjoying to watch. But I be always be happy to play a properly CNC-ed guitar anyday.

[@Puciferthegreat]

I never thought i`d say this, but a bald guy, some wood and some steel is pure utter zen. I absolutely love this series!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Puciferthegreat thank you very much, the 'bald guy' appreciates your support.

[@flatfootio]

+Puciferthegreat Something mesmerizing about it isn't there

[@ThePerfectOrbit]

+Crimson Custom Guitars I'm a totally heterosexual man but this series gave me wood. I'm off to buy some Ashley Iles Gouges, although he isn't too well at the moment. Hope he gets better soon.

[@RedRisotto]

I kept wondering who used a Sharpie on his head while listening to the wood being worked on.

[@tedvanmatje]

that's a very noble accent you have there, young man! although far removed from my guttural north-eastern, it's astounding how many people think that's how we English sound. ;) I digress: it's not the accent which makes the man...... put bluntly, lad; you're a reet fookin' talented one, you are!! it may cost a wee lump of pound sterling to start off with to acquire the necessary handtools, but the serenity in your workshop is priceless..... thankyou for your detailed information and for uploading!

[@electricwally]

Wonderful video Crimson Guitars! Always great to watch a pro teach the hands on approach versus the power-tool methodology. Awesomeness!!

[@travisjennette8970]

Greetings from Union City Michigan, U.S.A. I've been enjoying many of your videos lately! Thank you ever so much. I'll be watching and learning. Keep em coming.

[@donaldfisher8556]

Ben, this is a fantastic series. I am inspired. Time to tool up! Even just to experiment and see what turns out will be very satisfying.

[@mixolydian2010]

Throughout this series i have thought i couldn't do that and thought instead, that the amount you ask, is fully justified for your custom guitars. Love the scrapers they a neat tool, gouges scary. Watched an video of a master guitar builder sharpening a scraper once and it was like watching samurai sword smiths at work, it was an apprenticeship in itself. Thanks a lot for the entertaining and instructive videos keep them coming and keep the asides coming too always make me laugh. Take care.

[@truefilm1556]

Absolutely beautiful work! Just like old master violin makers are doing it for centuries! All just by feel, eyeballing and really knowing your wood and tools. An no sanding needed, which would just ruin the smoothness anyway. Masterful work! Love it!

[@davidseedhouse583]

Thank you- a really skillful and helpful series here. I enjoyed learning from it.

[@jazzey69]

Thank you so much for this video Ben...It helped me a lot to understand how it is done..:-)

[@PinetopJackson]

Great video series! I'm planning a carved top project myself, and I just assumed I'd be using sanders and sandpaper...you've given me something to consider!

[@chrisrose2730]

Couldn't agree more! Hand carving is always better! Cheers from Charleston SC!

[@dkmcl2]

Great video again, Ben! Thank you.

[@flatfootio]

Thankyou Ben I just watched all 4 parts and ordered my gouges! this is going to be a fun time! haha|!

[@Skippymizzle]

Thank you! You are the best show around my friend and I really could watch it all day long!! I only wish you lived in the USA, and then your shop could be just around the corner, then life would be complete!!

[@walterjulianorsini]

Muy buen trabajo, me sorprendió lo bien que está quedando. te felicito!!! 👍

[@smashallpots1428]

I love that this series was done on a lefty Lefty love

[@wkmetaal]

Nice video, well done scraping. And a nice piece of flamed maple.

[@phil36135]

Thanks for the videos they have been very helpful to me.

[@FIGSANE]

This was equally therapeutic and educational.

[@jonrivera]

I have near zero competence in making guitars, but this is just delightful and entertaining.

[@CarolHaynesJ]

Lovely series - thanks

[@carlkrebs1]

im a retired aviation interior inlay specialist in multi million dollar personal and business jets . plus I play guitar as well . this kind of work I can definetly appreciate . very , very good work .

[@sefton1972]

That was a really good series. It would be great if you could see the guitar through to the end with these videos. I'd love to see it finished. Cheers.

[@gordonbrace2173]

Great work !

[@nimrodsasson1123]

amazing art !

[@KristonAbbott]

I've really enjoyed these videos, I'd also love to see that guitar finished. Maybe you could give us a quick peek in an upcoming podcast.

[@LeeAllanGuitar]

Very informative, thanks! :)

[@scottman-cl4jm]

I hate to sound stupid But Im America and I love listening to you speak your voice & accent is soothing. Great vidieo Thanks

[@scottyc3215]

Yeah, he should consider picking up some extra work as a nature documentary narrator.

[@TheMorax01]

you are an artist!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

+David Morales Thank you kind sir!

[@walterrider1612]

thank you Ben

[@walterrider9600]

wow. thank you Ben. that was better than trained termites.

[@Brandywine6969]

There is nothing like the feel of a cabinet scraper scraped piece of wood. Sweet. I would love to learn how to sharpen my gooseneck scraper. It is the one I use the least, simply because I don't quite know how to sharpen it. The rectangular ones are easy to sharpen. I really want to use the gooseneck (kidney shaped) scraper more though.

[@nicolasmohamed279]

He'll yeah !great videos thank you !

[@timbarnett5253]

Great video

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you! B

[@burnsZY85]

Carved guitar tops look so good, plus these vids are rather relaxing.

[@WollyChaps]

Oh man, that squeak when the kidney gets in on the binding. 10/10, would squeak again. Beautiful guitar.

[@GalenIRL]

i would love to see the guitar finished, is there a link with some pictures or could you maybe make a follow up video? This is truly amazing wood work!

[@MaddoxMelton]

I'm 13 years old and I'm going to build a lp style guitar. Once I'm done I'll post it on my channel

[@GavinMorris1]

Ben. this series is great, thanks a lot. A related question if I may, I'm currently struggling to remove a particularly abused finish from a Fender Strat body, only 60 grit will remove it and it's enormously labour intensive - is a cabinet scraper the way to go?

[@christianboddum8783]

Love the sound of the micro planes :-)

[@jonault199]

i used to buy cheap picture frames and use the glass when it gets blunt just cut another bit off with a bit of practice cutting kidney shapes is easy.

[@andrewbarker9773]

your way seems so much more satisfying and cathartic in some way I would assume Ben?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

It depends on the pressures of the day but yes, if given the choice I would rather spend more time carving and avoid too much noise.. then again, sometimes time is of the essence and an angle grinder and Sabburrtooth bit are required.. B

[@andrewbarker9773]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars fair enough, Happy New Year btw, can't wait for the 20 hr challenge build tonight, and what you will bring us in 2020, thanks for all you have done and shared with us this year, loved every second of it Ben

[@trappenweisseguy27]

I made an elongated kidney shaped scraper from an old "plywood" circular saw blade. There is zero flex to it and it hardly heats up in use due to its thickness. I go straight from the grinder with no need to burnish the edge over. The steel is probably too hard for that anyway. And by reading the grain he means going in the proper direction so the grain does not tear out. Think of it as petting a cat, you go with the grain ( or fur) and not from the tail to the head.

[@JohnSund-Music]

Great video and great craftsmanship... where does one purchase those kidney shaped scrapers - I couldn't locate them on Ashley Iles or your website? Thank you!!!

[@JohnSund-Music]

Much obliged 😊

[@Shaqsonville]

Not sure if comments on these older vids get read but I'd love to see an updated version on this. I'm starting an es335-esq build but not sure how or when to carve the top

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I am due to build a version if a 335 type guitar soon.. and will carve much of it by hand. In the meantime look at violin or cello makers and how they carve.. thatnis the method I use.

[@Shaqsonville]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars well this is wonderful news. And a damn fine idea. Thank you very much captain

[@nikolaibarbarich7887]

What thickness is tbe kidney scraper mate? I'm playing on re carving my les paul top.

[@sprinkleLPs]

I like to use the sharpened bones of my enemies.

[@ZuoLuoT]

***** Turn those bones into nuts, feed the squirrels !

[@mcl40000]

i really like this mini-series! since i´m living in an appartment with no access to a workshop i´m very interested in working without powered tools (have to live and sleep in the same appartment as i´m working on guitars). ofccourse, some things can be done, but i´d like to avoid activities like sanding and routing with machines. how would you rout without a router?

[@Gcrowan]

mcl40000 You could just use chisels and just slowly carve the wood away to the depth you need.

[@mcl40000]

thought about chisels too, thanks for the input!

[@ZuoLuoT]

mcl40000 There are various kinds of planes, among those you'll find the router plane and other sorts of specific use planes. But well a router is really a must have for me, working on some templates right now for a second guitar build ^^ And I bless my router :p

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Still with a forstner bit then chisel out with sharp chisels.. Alternatively a router plane of some sort, though I've not had the pleasure of trying one of those yet.. Thanks for watching and happy apartment luthiery!

[@mcl40000]

Crimson Custom Guitars thanks alot!

[@CountryHouseGent]

Probably silly question time - that curved scraper removes quite a sizeable amount of wood with minimal effort. Could you not have contoured the entire top using just the scraper?

[@wheezer7]

Would i be right in thinking that the scrapers provide a lot more accuracy and cut down the chances of over sanding?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Absolutely, in most situations I prefer scrapers and edged tools over sandpaper, it is, as you say, so much more precise. Thanks for your support.

[@esa062]

That is pretty much how I do it too, except that you still need to teach me to properly sharpen a scraper. Nobody else has been able to. I sometimes get a good cutting edge, but there's too much luck involved.

[@STRATOHOLICRichman]

Mycel Actually the burr is the cutting edge, you're supposed to leave it there, I'll see if I can find a tutorial on that... Cheers

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Hey Esa, you are one of our biggest fans and I really really appreciate it! I will shoot my scraper sharpening tutorial this week sometime, no real secrets but I hope it helps. :)

[@Quipstiley]

There's something much more cathartic about using a scraper than sandpaper.

[@guitardobasso2199]

Rasp, file, pencil, and a KBar

[@marshalcraft]

Hmm I think for me just understanding the contour is enough. Seems concave on front until the slop is just strait and then convex on the rear portion.

[@jimmynosebleed]

A sharpened scraper is fundementally a shaper.

[@murmles]

Voodoo!

[@robinmackey4102]

Have you ever heard of using a piece of glass to scrape with? One would need to be especially careful, obviously.

[@Echo3_]

The gouges are super expensive here :(

[@timhallas4275]

The interesting thing about a hand carved guitar with a hand carved neck is that, if done right, you can't tell it from one made by a CNC machine, and assembled by an unskilled factory worker in Taiwan. In the end, the true value of a hand made guitar is lost to the buying public and found only in the respect of other craftsmen. If the end product is identical to one made in minutes by machines, then one must question the reasoning behind the craft. I think if I were to spend 100 or more hours making a guitar by hand, i would certainly not make a copy of the ones at guitar center that sell for a few hundred dollars. Why compete with the CNC machines at all? None of the hand made guitars I have built resemble any factory made guitar. That is how I justify my time and skill. I don't think I would take any more pride in my grass if I cut it one blade at a time by hand, if I could get the same results with a riding mower. I might suggest that you leave this "Les Paul" guitar in a rough carved condition, so as to separate it from the factory made ones. I personally would pay more for a guitar that showed me the skill that was employed to create it.

[@cherimichael6402]

has anyone ever tried to queir bash u because of your tattoo

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Que?

[@helmeczitomi]

what you did is totally waste of time...

[@donchristie420]

Kinda like your comment

[@flatfootio]

Thankyou Ben I just watched all 4 parts and ordered my gouges! this is going to be a fun time! haha|!