Talk me out of this idea - Jumbo 45 Guitar Kit

[Brent Dowell]

I've built a couple guitars in the past and actually designed and built my own nylon string acoustic a few years ago.

I'm not afraid to tinker with guitars and feel like I actually kind of know enough to not be dangerous when setting one up.

I've got a gift certificate to stew mac, and I'm thinking of getting a nice acoustic kit to put together.

I've already got a nice Taylor Dreadnought, and was thinking of getting one of their Jumbo 45 kits. Right now the kits are 600$ off, and fit right within the budget.

Seems like it'd be a great project. I've already got most of the tools I need for assembly and setup.

 

[Darren Wright]

Looking forward to this build. I've had one on the bucket list for a long time. There was a guitar building book I used to check out at the library in college over and over, never have started one.

 

[Brent Dowell]

This is the kit I'm thinking of

Jumbo 45

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Far be it from me to suggest someone not start on a project...

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

I'm pretty sure you know what my answer would be...

That looks like an awesome kit.

 

[Brent Dowell]

LOL, I know Right?

I mean, Technically it's a type of guitar I don't currently have soooooooooo

 

[Leo Voisine]

You can never have enough ---- clamps? ---- guitars?

 

[Tom Niemi]

I feel you should, and do a step by step tutorial, so if anyone else out here would like to try, but are chicken…

 

[Bill Satko]

Go for it! What could possible go wrong?

 

[Don Baer]

go for it we all know you got the talent look at the great dinning room table you built. you should have it done in no time.

 

[Ted Calver]

I was perusing the StewMac site to see what tools doing this project would force you to buy and noticed their ultimate scrapers were unavailable for purchase or backorder at this time. These are pricey, but excellent and I use mine all the time. Hope it's just a temporary supply chain issue. Anyone made their own?

 

[Darren Wright]

Jason Beam made one a few years back from scratch, and quite a few of the tools to make it as well. It was quite a build to watch.

 

[Brent Dowell]

I remember Jasons Build. Was pretty impressive.

Well, I ordered the kit and one of their guitar workstations. Figured that would come in handy.

Shipping was going to be over 70$, but a one year membership to StewMax for 54 includes free shipping, so that was kind of a no brainer.

Time to download the instructions and start seeing what other supplies I'll need. Time to clean out the shop too, lol.

 

[Brent Dowell]

I was perusing the StewMac site to see what tools doing this project would force you to buy and noticed their ultimate scrapers were unavailable for purchase or backorder at this time. These are pricey, but excellent and I use mine all the time. Hope it's just a temporary supply chain issue. Anyone made their own?

Those do look pretty beefy. Seems like you'd just need to source some 1/8" tool steel to make something like that?

 

[Chuck Ellis]

I'm pretty sure you know what my answer would be...

That looks like an awesome kit.

Gas near an open flame???????????

 

[Ted Calver]

Those do look pretty beefy. Seems like you'd just need to source some 1/8" tool steel to make something like that?

True, but it looks like it would need to be hardened and that's yet another area I'm not familiar with.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

True, but it looks like it would need to be hardened and that's yet another area I'm not familiar with.

Far be it from me to suggest such a thing.. but if you're interested....

Hardening, Tempering, Annealing And Forging Of Steel ;:…

This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur…

www.goodreads.com

High Speed Steel | Tool Steel | O1 | O1 Technical Data

Hudson Tool Steel shares technical data associated with O1 tool steel including strength and wear resistance

hudsontoolsteel.com

Quite easy to do on something like a piece of O1 with a MAP or propane torch, 4 fire bricks, a jar of oil, and the kitchen oven...

• Shape your scraper to "close" but leave the edges maybe a little rounded for now.. Grinding out the center of the sides will make subsequent polishing less work.
• Make a tunnel with the 4 bricks and put your piece-to-be-hardened in it
• preheat the oven to 350.
• Put the torch at one end and turn it on.
• Once the piece reaches bright cherry red (you can check with a magnet) pick it up with some long handled pliers dunk it in a bucket of oil and swish around vigorously, take it out while it's still quite hot (you can touch it but it feels pretty warm)
• Throw it right into the oven and let it soak for an hour.
• polish it out to nice crisp edges

Will it be perfect? probably not.. will it be pretty good? very likely.

 

[Ted Calver]

What Ryan said:
"Quite easy to do on something like a piece of O1 with a MAP or propane torch, 4 fire bricks, a jar of oil, and the kitchen oven..."

What Ted heard :
A torch and a few fire bricks...and something to handle a piece of O1

 

[Ryan Mooney]

A torch and a few fire bricks...and something to handle a piece of O1

Forge has free shipping though...

That grinder is... something else.. I've kind of wanted a 2x72 but holy cow that's like a rolls royce or something!

 

[Brent Dowell]

Stewmac doesn't mess around. Just got an email that they've already shipped my entire order out in 3 boxes, by fedex. Should be here in a couple days!