The soundboards are all completed. Now it is time to carve the concave backs. It all begins with a thick slab of tiger stripe maple and a compass to mark off the contours that you want to carve.
Next you get out that rough and sharp rasp to hog off a lot of wood fast
You will want to to wear leather gloves when using this baby cause it is sharp. It works great to rough out the curved shapes of the first two contours.
Now it is time to get a little more refined. Smooth up the rasp marks with a fine rasp
And now smooth it nicely with that great homemade tool, the bow sander.
I swear, there is no better sander of curved surfaces than a bow sander. Every shop needs one, and they are easy to make.
Now all three backs are rounded. It is time to turn them over and carve out the inside concavity. Perhaps tomorrow !
