So much accomplished over the past several days. I have been dreading working on bridges for the walnut guitars. It seems like a step that is so critical to the final setup and playability of the guitar. I watched videos, considered a lot of options. Should I wait until after the finish is on to place and slot the bridge? Should I shape and slot the bridge before finishing and then place the completed bridge after finish is applied? I honestly don’t know the right answer, but I decided to shape and slot the bridge before finishing and without the bridge in final position. The thought is I can adjust the position after it has been slotted as long as it isn’t glued in place and I don’t want to glue it in place until the finish is applied to the rest of the guitar. It was a process making the bridges. I started with ebony blanks and then made a temple based on the shape from the plans. Then I used the template (double stick tape applied) as a guide for the a sanding bit in the drill press. This worked pretty quickly after I removed excess first with the bandsaw. Then I drilled the pin holes. Next I had to radius the bottom of the bridge (30’) to match the guitar top and the top of the bridge to match the fingerboard radius. Then I had to make sure the thickness was ok to allow for setup with the neck/frets/nut later. Finally, I had to slot the bridge for the saddle. This was involved. It was much easier with two things from Stew-Mac: the saddle position marker and the slotting jig. After many measurements, I used the Dremel and the 3/32” to cut the slot at the correct angle for compensation (I hope). That is the crazy thing, you don’t know if it will be right until everything is done.
I also was able to work on the new guitars. I bent the sides for Luke and Linley’s. and joined the back for Linley’s. The LMII side bending machine worked like a dream. I had a good bit of trouble cutting the sides of the walnut guitars to size after bending, so on the new guitars I chose to trim the sides down a good bit prior to bending. This took a bit longer on the front end, but hopefully will pay off and allow me to simply start radiating after the heel and end plates are installed.
