Sabbatical Entry 2

The time is simply moving too quickly!  There have been many irons in the fire and lots of work getting done to be sure. 

On the curriculum front I've been working on a couple new packets of information for students.  The first is an all new take on the planning information for the Electric Construction course that runs in the spring semester.  This information has evolved over the years but this time I started from scratch and have put a lot of time into the new packet with some pictures and details that have never previously been included.  I'm really looking forward to putting this to use and ironing out the kinks with this years class.  The second packet of information I've been working on is for the Guitar Production and Development program.  The second year students are expected to be more self reliant than in the first year program and as part of that, they handle the finishing materials and equipment much more than they did last year.  So to address this reality and help everyone invovled I'm working on a packet of information for "finishing procedures" that goes beyond the mechanics of using a spray gun or a brush.  Instead, this packet is designed to give them the information they need to use the finishing area more efficiently by knowing where things are stored, which guns are for which materials, what solvents to use at certain times and how to handle, setup and clean the spray guns.  We use finishes that will ruin a spray gun if they're not cleaned properly or as was the case last year, not cleaned at all.  No more of that and no more excuses!

The CAD course is moving along at a perfect pace.  We're studying Rhino 5.0 which is not only a drafting program but a modeling program that gives the user an unbelievable amount of control in creating and designing just about anything the imagination can dream up.  We are in the process of working through a training manual but along the way we take the opportunity to put that to use on something directly related to guitars, mandolins or other fretted instruments.  We worked through creating an outline of a dreadnought acoustic guitar and from that created a three dimensional object.  Eventually we'll be doing a full 3D rendering of a dreadnought. For now though we've created the outline, extruded a 3D solid object in that shape and "rolled out" a side template.  There's a lot more to it but here's just a sample:

Above is a perspective view of some different things created in Rhino.  An outline of a dreadnought acoustic, a 3D extrusion, a radius dish and a side template.   The options for what can be done are virtually limitless and we've only scratched the surface thus far.

Another exercise related to instruments was to create a fingerboard.  Students can choose to create whatever scale length they want but in my case I simply went with a 25.5" scale.  I won't get into a step be step accounting but you can create a custom scale length using a simple formula and some arcs.  From there you can lay lines out, establish a taper and extrude it into three dimensions.  It's easy to organize the different parts you're doing and turn those on and off.

Here is a fingerboard as it appears when we're done.  On this particular fingerboard I chose a 9.5" radius.

These pictures are not in order but here I've turned on the arcs we created to find the location of each fret slot earlier in the process.  We don't necessarily have to keep but it's very easy to put them into another layer and turn them on and off as necessary.  I took the time to draw them, why not keep them just in case?

In this picture I've turned on another layer so the slot locations are visible.  It is from these blue lines that we make a taper and it begins to look like a fingerboard.  My high school geometry teacher could have inspired me by explaining this is how the frets in my guitar make the proper notes but I digress...

Here are some copies I made of the tapered fingerboard in two dimensions.  I could easily come back, extrude them and put a different radius on each one.

My Wednesday's are usually dedicated to electronics and there aren't any fancy pictures or illustrations to share here.  I have been focusing on a deeper understanding of electronics with emphasis on tube guitar amplifiers and their design.  The fact is, without the amplifier an electric guitar is incomplete!  Later I'll be working with pickup winding to create some pickups for the program we can use in class or in different school guitars and eventually be demonstrating how a pickup is made. 

I've set some dates for travel and am looking forward to spending a few days at the Colling's Guitar factory in Texas learning about how they organize their workflow, manage their manufacturing and seeing particular processes and procedures.  I can't thank them enough for being so generous with their time.  I'm not sure about taking photographs while I'm there but am hoping to share a few pictures on the blog if I can get the "ok".

The finishing time on Friday's has had some overlap with curriculum since I'm working on with the finishing procedures packet.  I did get a chance to meet with a sales rep about some new spray guns to phase out our turbine spray guns that have served us admirably for at least twenty years.  However, it's time to make sure all the equipment is what is on par with industry and this should make for a more efficient process and clearer understanding of equipment.  With these new spray guns all the different ones will share the same basic design.  In the coming weeks I'll be getting back to my test boards for the wood filling process. In October I'll make a trip to Des Moines and work with an alumni at his shop for a couple days.  We'll be working on all sorts of things but I'm excited to see his processes for doing touch up work on all sorts of different coatings.  Another big thanks goes out to him for giving up some time to have me there.  More on that later and I'll be sure to include the specifics in a blog post.

I think that's it for now, time to get back to work on some CAD (computer aided drafting) exercises and with any luck, finish that electric design packet of information.  Aim high right!?

Sabbatical Entry 1

This year summer seemed to come and go faster than any other I can remember.  Another school year is underway and the difference this year is I'm not teaching!  I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to have a sabbatical for the fall semester and plan to update the "goings on" with our blog along the way.

Whenever I talk to someone about my sabbatical the first question (obviously) is..."What are you going to be doing?".  The reality is there are a variety of things I'll be working on and have planned a framework for each day of the week so here goes...

Monday - Curriculum day!

• As instructors we are always making tweaks and changes to improve the content of our courses but inevitably there is only so much time in a day.  No matter how much of that time I spend updating handouts, presentations or course content there has been a growing "to-do list".  It actually feels more like a "wish-list"!  So Monday is the day to tackle all of the courses I teach and whittle it down while at the same time making some great updates and additions.

Tuesday - CAD/CNC!

• One very exciting thing for me this fall is the opportunity to take a couple classes in our second year program.  From 8am - Noon I'm a student in the Guitar Development and Production program studying computer drafting for guitar that includes 3D modeling.
• As the weeks go by we'll also be getting into CNC machines and their use in guitar making.  Computer Numerical Controlled machines allow for incredible precision work but it isn't quite "plug and play" stepping up to use one.  
• The afternoon on Tuesday will usually be working with the software to spend time learning it and developing some drawings.  Also in the afternoon time can be spent on anything needing a little extra time for any particular week.

Wednesday - Electronics!

• A fair amount of the information I teach has to do with electric guitars specifically and I've always wanted to talk more about pickups and how they're made.  The Electric Set-up course is plump full of information already but at the very least I want to demonstrate how to make an electric guitar pickup.  So, with time available I'll be working on pickup winding.  
• There are also changes to course content I want to make and streamline some things to hopefully make room for a few additions to what students can learn.
• The other portion of this time is being spent learning more about tube guitar amplifiers and how they are made.  I'm somewhat familiar with this already but it's time to sink my teeth into the topic and be able to relay some of these concepts and information to students in the program.  This can allow us to better understand "tone" and the never ending quest for the magical/mystical sound we (and our customers) have.  Oh...and by the way, I'll be making a tube guitar amp!

Thursday - CAD/CNC and Industry!

• In the morning it's back to school for more in the CAD/CNC courses in the second year program.  The courses run again from 8am - Noon.
• Thursday afternoons will be spent on industrial aspects of guitar making with some trips being planned for later in the fall.  More on this later but it's something I'm incredibly excited about.

 Friday - Finishing!

• As the main instructor for all things guitar finishing related Friday's will be dedicated to the broad topic of wood finishing.  The first area I'm focusing on is a new pore filling process that will be more user friendly and more importantly, FASTER.  At the end of each school year we have a production setting with anywhere from 40-60 instruments being sanded, sprayed and every step in between within about a ten day window (controlled chaos).  The pore filling process is always time consuming and labor intensive and while I can't suddenly make it a quick easy process, I'm confident we can shave some dry time!
• I'll also be updating some of the processes we use in both guitar programs. 
• In October I will be taking a little road trip to a repair shop in Des Moines Iowa to focus on touch up techniques.  Again, more on this to come at a later date!

So there you have it.  My sabbatical has been about two years in the making and now it's time to seize this wonderful opportunity to hone my skills, learn new things and come back better than ever!