Carved Archtop  

We're showing the birth of a new guitar for the Phoenix Guitar Company, that we'll call the Baby Phoenix.  This will be a 14" (at the lower bout) archtop.  We'll spare you the building of the mold and the workboard, and jump in as we get the top and back glued up and carved.

	Here, I am inspecting a beautiful wedge of flamed maple, which we'll use as the back of the Baby Phoenix.
	Now, getting the edges jointed.
	squeezing out the glue...
	Here is the back, clamped
	Here, we have carved out the back, like a relief map.  Next, will be cutting the edges back, and shaping the back.
	Now, using an angle grinder with some pretty abrasive sandpaper, I'm getting rid of all the rough edges.
	Here's a closeup of the grinder, going after the edges...
	Here's a view of the carved and sanded back, showing the shadow of a straightedge over the curve.  It's starting to get there...
	Here's the relief map for the top.  Now, we'll do the same thing that we just did on the back.
	Here, I'm using the router of our multi carver--as an overhead router to get the relief lines routed into the top.  Once I have a model of the top and back, we can use the multi carver to do the actual carving...
	This step is done...now to use the angle grinder again and carve away the sharp edges and smooth things out.
	Here they are...the top and back outside shapes all carved...Now for the inside of each piece...
	First, we have to set up the drill press.  we drill a 1/4 in. hole, and insert a short dowel into the hole.  Then, we set the stop on the drill press to stop the drill bit 1/4 in. above the top of the dowel.
	Now we start drilling holes.  The stop on the drill press will stop the drill bit 1/4 in. from going through the back piece.  We drill a couple hundred holes in the back...
	Next, we again use the angle grinder to cut all the tall spots down, and create a new level at 1/4 in. thick.
	Here's a closer view.
	When we get close, we switch over to a random orbital sander with 100 grit sandpaper.  this takes the wood off much slower, so we have better control.
	The finished back is at the top of the photo, and the top--with holes--is about to be carved down.
	The spruce top goes much faster than the maple back...
	A scraper cleans up the final sanding marks.
	In this photo, I'm using a piece of sandpaper, sanding the uderside of a brace to get it to conform to the shape of the top.  The clamps hold the brace in place so it doesn't shift while the sandpaper moves under it.
	The braces have been fit, notched, and are being clamped to the top.
	Now, we sketch the soundholes.  This guitar will have "Flame" F-holes.
	The hole markers are transferred to the top with carbon paper, and the brace locations are also drawn.  holes have been drilled in each hole, to fit a sawblade.
	The holes are being cut...
	Now, after filing  the holes, we go to work on the sides.  They get bent, and put into the mold.  Here, the kerf is being put on.
	Here are the sides, in the mold, with our go-bars holding the sides against the mold.  Next, after sanding the side profile flat, we glue on the back.
	Here is the back, being glued.
	Now, the braces are planed and shaped, using a curved sole plane.
	Now the top is glued on.
	After gluing the body together, the sides are sanded flat.
	Here is the body, ready for cutting binding and purfling channels.
	And, as the channels are being cut...
	Now, bindings are bent, as we prepare to glue them on.  Here, we are bending the cutaway.
	During bending, the binding is checked for fit with the body.
	After the binding and purfling is glued in place, the final piece, at the end of the cutaway, is fit.
	The  cutaway channel is cut by hand, and the binding piece is fit.
	Here it is...the body is done.  Time to get the neck prepared.
	First, we will prepare the inlay for the fingerboard.  The pattern will be a small bonsai tree.  We will use reconstitued stone for the trunk and leaves, and will use ebony for the knots in the trunk.
	There is the trunk, cut out
	Here is the trunk, inlaid into the fingerboard, and the green branches all cut out, waiting to be inlaid...
	Here is the tree, after branches are inlaid...
	Now, the engraving of the age lines on the tree trunk is done
	Now, it's time to get the neck done...we start by taking the rough cut neck blank, and use the safety planer to get the dimensions of the neck and headstock planed down to size.
	Gluing down the fingerboard..the headstock comes next, prior to inlaying the rest of the patterns.
	Cutting the neck and headstock down to final dimensions on the router table, with the use of templates--double stick taped to the headstock.
	Now, the remaining inlay patterns are put into the fingerboard and headstock.  On the left, the diamond patterns are cut, which will be used as fret markers.  On the right, the beak of the phoenix bird is being cut out.
	After the inlay is done, the neck is carved.  I'm carving on our downdraft bench to keep the dust down.
	Neck is carved, fit to the body, and is being glued on.
	After spraying the finish of blonde shellac and KTM-9, the bottom of the bridge is shaped by sanding it against the top of the guitar.
	Sanding the finish in the cutaway...The white material in the soundholes are balloons--blown up to keep the spray out of the guitar body.  When the finish is done, the balloons are punctured and pulled out.
	Final buffing...then the tailpiece is put on, then the bridge, strings, pickguard, pickup and electronics...
	Here it is...finished.  This guitar was really fun to make, and it has really paid off.  We expect to be making a lot more of the Baby Phoenix...