Kevin Chilcott
Luthier
MAKING AN ANGEL
Trimming the Headstock to Shape
PAGE 1
Cutting the Basic Shape
The Headstock has been glued
up and left to dry.
the next stage is to trim it to shape.....
This can initially be done with a Bandsaw and then
a Disc Sander.
The Headstock has had the centre-line
marked in, the pattern drawn on and has been firstly trimmed
with a Bandsaw and then the two
sides and 'point' have been sanded
using a Disc Sander.
This now gives an idea of how the shape of the Headstock
is coming together.
Thicknessing the Headstock
Eventually the Headstock needs to be 9/16"
thick (mm), but at this stage it needs to be left a little
thicker..... about 5/8". A
line is marked around the side at a depth of 5/8".
The easiest way to
remove the waste is again by using the Disc Sander.
( It can also be done with a Drill
Press by using a Milling
Cutter, or by using a plane.)
A Disc Sander
has been used to thickness the Headstock
to 5/8"..... The extra thickness is to
allow more work to be done on it..... finishing the outline
and drilling the Machine
Head holes.
When that has all been done it can be thicknessed
to 9/16" -
the finished size.
Note that on this Headstock end,
the point falls away
at an angle to the Headface
that is not 90 degrees.
A 90 degree angle here tends to be Standard in the modern factories .
The one above has the
more 'Vintage Style'.
Trimming the Veneer over the Truss Rod Slot
The Veneer
had been glued over the top of the end of Truss
Rod slot and has to be trimmed back.
The best way I have found to do this is by using a HSS
1/8" Spiral
Milling Cutter in the Router to 'mill'
it back to the sides of the
slot.
The Spiral Milling Cutter is less aggressive than a Standard Router Cutter. It will cut the Veneer quite easily, but if the main waste in the centre is removed first, and if used very carefully it will tend to follow the edge of Mahogany under the Veneer rather than cutting into it.
Job Done. The Milling
Cutter has done a clean job and the Headstock
looks a lot neater.
For this particular task, the method
or the way that this is approached
and implemented by different manufacturers
is usually quite specific and the end result is
usually quite a recognisable 'Trademark' sign of a Factory
or Brand.
The Headstock has been Cut and Thicknessed to Basic Shape and has had the Veneer Trimmed over the Truss Rod slot and has then been sanded by hand with a block and 80 grit paper.
Drilling the Machine Head holes..... is The Next Stage.
Now - Back to Making an Angel.
I'll continue this as soon as I can.....