teaching alone in my shop.

Yesterday I began making the box part of a box guitar. The first step is to prepare the materials for the sides. I used a band saw to rip maple stock right down the middle so it could be planed to final thickness of about 3/8 in. The sides of this box will be arranged with a four corner match and be held together by keyed miter joints.

The four corner match with grain running continuous around all four corners of the box is accomplished by book matching, a process in which the board is simply opened inside out, just as one would open a book. Normally book matching is done with the grain in the parts running side by side. For book matching sides, the match is achieved end to end.

The small walnut keys will add interest to the corners. Some viewers say "I like the inlay in the corners," as they may not understand that the keys have more than decorative effect. They strengthen the joint.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the camera is a frequent guest in my shop, allowing me to teach and share when no one else is present. It is an undemanding guest. It never asks for lunch. But it enables me to share what I've done.

After taking the photos, I'll go through them and write captions and text to describe what the photos show and some of what they cannot show. Then copies of the photos will be sent to the magazine for review.

This is 4th of July weekend when our small town is overrun with guests who have come for the holiday. It is great to have so many people in town, but it is also a great time to stay home, off the highway, and in my own shop. Today I expect to add the walnut keys to the box I have assembled, then turn my attention to shaping the neck. By the end of the week, I plan to have the box guitar ready for strings.

Make, fix, and create. By doing so, you may encourage others to learn likewise.