For Guitar #56, the soundbox has been closed and it is ready for binding! I talk about the layout for this extremely unique set of ziricote back and sides. ? Subscribe for weekly guitar making tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricSchaeferGuitars?sub_confirmation=1 New episodes are released every Friday at 10am ? Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/ ?Check out the online course "Building an OM Acoustic": https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/ ?Check out the online course: Tru Oil Finishing: A Method for Acoustic Guitar: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/course/tru-oil-finishing-method-acoustic-guitar/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2KndJONF4I

Video Transcript: Okay, the sides are looking pretty good at this point. The addition of a decorative endwedge will make the seam at the lower bout disappear and it will carry the design motif that you’ve established with the rosette to other parts of the guitar. I clamp a board so that it overhangs the workbench and hang the sides on the board with the lower bout seam facing up. I mark the center at the top and bottom of the endblock and carry both of those centerlines onto the side with a square. By squaring the centerline onto the sides from both the the top and bottom of the endblock, you may notice that you get two centerlines. This is a relatively common occurance. It simply means that at some point during radius sanding you sanded a little heavy to one side or the other and now the endblock is out of square, like you see here. This is not an issue. Just know that you’re true center is directly in the middle of those two lines. It should also be mentioned that the seam between the two sides is not a reliable measure of center. Now let’s make the endwedge. I use the same material that I used for the rosette. I find a section of the material that I am using that has similar grain and color. That’s where I will mark out my endwedge. I use a straightedge to make two converging lines with the grain or any interesting banding running relatively straight down the center between those two lines. The taper can be dramatic or slight. It is a matter of taste. Just know that, in order to use this method, you cannot have no taper at all. The wedge shape of the aptly named endwedge has an important functionality when it comes to fitting and gluing it in place. I cut out the endwedge on the bandsaw, staying 1/16″ outside of the line. The endwedge can now be planed down to the line on the shooting board with a block plane. Keep in mind that it is best to shoot the plane from the wide end of the taper to the thin end, to avoid catching the grain and tearing out. I’ve decided which face I want to be the show face and now I flip the endwedge over to find and mark the centerline on the opposite face. To make a lengthwise centerline on a tapered wedge, first I make 2 parallel lines. I find the center of each line and then connect the those center marks with a straight edge. I use double stick tape and 2 cam clamps to hold the endwedge in place. I carefully line up the centerline of the endwedge with the centerline on the sides and clamp it in place. I use the endwedge as a fence for making a saw cut on each side. A fine toothed dovetail saw or, in this case, a japanese dsouki saw, make the cuts. Take your time setting the cut and be very careful not to inadvertently skate off the line. The goal is to cut all the way through the glue line o ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pspCGF-CyjE

Want to improve your results when duplicating patterns in the shop? This is especially important for luthiers as we use templates for headstock, bridge, guitar body, and fretboard tongue shapes. This series covers some of the common problems people have when using flush trim and pattern bits in a router table. ? Subscribe for weekly guitar making tips: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricSchaefe... New episodes are released every Friday at 10am ? Register for an 8 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/l... ?Check out the online course "Building an OM Acoustic": https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/c... ?Check out the online course: Tru Oil Finishing: A Method for Acoustic Guitar: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/c... ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF_VkYd0WtQ

In this episode of DIY Guitar Making, I discuss the installation of the soundboard braces and give a detailed overview of the various functions of the braces, plates and grafts and how they work together to encourage specific modal movements of the top. ? All episodes available at diyguitarmaking.com ? Register for an 9 day Hands-On Guitar Building Workshop in Bernville, Pennsylvania: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/learn-to-build-your-own-guitar/ ? Check out the online course "Building an OM Acoustic": https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/course/building-an-om-acoustic/ ? See Eric's Available Instruments: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/available-instruments/ ? Check out the Radial Rosette Maker Jig: https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/the-radial-rosette-maker-kit/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL3x8hTeHPU