[barry larson]

Matt
Barry Larson from Anoka Mn.. Just hapen to have a steel bodied guitar in the works for sometning to do.. Retired Machinest for 12 years and have a shop behind the house...Have been Makeing Native American style flutes for 4 years and moved on to makeing bench rest guns last year...built 8....Wanted a project for Az this winter so i thought a national steel guitar would keep me busie..All i got done down there was the neck and fret board..Neck is maple with Bocatie down the center and fret board.
I ended up makeing a hamer form for the front and back..Made a hardwood die to press the back out a bit to stifen it up..20 ga steel......front is formed and sq hole pattren punched in...Had to make up some tooling for the bead roller to make the well. had to machinf a slug to get it to round out and lay flat. Now it,s time to cut the center hole and make some tooling to put the cover offset in.....I punched 3/16 holes ever invh to help with forming the sides.......That about where i am at...Sides are the next thing...I see they soder the national ones....but i read about the guys sending them back in to be resodered.......Is it soft soder they use or silver... I asume they soder the joint full and file to finish ? I thought about using the tig and silacone bronze to tac the top from the inside and soder the botton only.....Havent figured how the big boys do it buy watching U tube,,,,,,,,,,,,
This is just a project for me to see if i can do it..Dont play and dont plan on learning...Have the cover plate and cone ready to order if this comes together .Ordered the plans from Beard...Hardly a no on the print just scale every thing.
Any input would be very welcom....I make metal working machines for something to do also..Take a look at the Dake Power Hamer..It started life hear in the shop... Do you have you tops lazer cut with the f holes in them androll the sides in with a punch? Like the bare metal look...Nice web sight.......Barry