Place
the first side into the mold and use your new spreader to clamp it at
the waist. Continue clamping until you're certain that the side fits
tightly in the mold.
Once
you are satisfied that the fit is perfect then use a square or triangle
to mark the ends of the side.
Using
a square, I extended the line across the whole side. Then I clamped the
side to my workbench with a piece of scrap MDF.
The
tall blade of this saw makes it easy to follow my guide and make a perfect
perpendicular cut.
After
trimming the sides refit them into the mold. They will be a tight
fit but once in place should fit the mold very closely, even without
all the spreaders installed. Make certain that you are working on a flat
surface and that the sides are flush with the table top.
Here
is a trial fit of the neck and tail blocks. See how closely the sides
conform to the mold?
Fitting
the neck and tail blocks
Some
guitars are completely flat at the neck and tail and you can simply glue
the blocks in without any further work. No such luck here. The
blocks need to be contoured to fit the curve of the mold.
Before
matching the curve I took the opportunity to thin the tail block and
bevel the edges. Then I fitted the block to the mold.
The
neck block gets the same bevel treatment.
A
quick check to make certain that it fits properly.
Before
final clamping you want to be certain the the neck block is PERFECTLY
straight! Otherwise setting the neck angle is going to be harder than
it should be.
Once
you're satisfied you can do your final clamping. I use spreaders AND
clamps.
Now
is the time to clean up any glue squeeze out. This is my favorite
tool, a shovel shaped pick I got from my dentist.
Installing
the end graft.
The
kit comes with Ivoroid trim. This piece is enough for the heel
of the neck and the end graft.
Taking
measurements from my D28.
The
sides are removed from the mold and clamped in a vise. Actually only
the end block is clamped, you'd crush the sides if you tried to clamp
them!
Remember
the old saying about measuring twice and cutting once?
Well here is one reason.
I drew the taper backwards the first time!
The
tall blade on this saw makes it easy to keep the saw straight up and
down. Two fingers against the blade are enough to keep the cut right
on the mark.
Alternatively,
a small router or Dremel Tool could be used for this job. I just
haven't gotten around to building a fixture yet.
A
6 mm chisel is perfect for removing the material between the cuts.
Going
. . .
Going
. . .
Gone!
The
ivoroid has stripes and I want them to run straight so I have to cut
both sides of the taper.
A
little touch up on a piece of sandpaper to remove any ragged edges, and
. . .
The
graft slides snuggly into it's groove. Notice that I've also included
two pieces of black/white purfling.
Glued
in place.
A
scraper makes short work of leveling things.
All
done!
Trimming
the Sides
Most
guitar bodies are thinner at the neck than they are at the heel. Before
you glue the kerfed lining you need to get the body taper right.
The
sides that come with this kit are pretty close to the right size at the
heel but are too tall at the neck. A little work with a plane reduces
the neck block.
Since
the back and top are both domed I use a dished form with sandpaper glued
on it to sand the sides. The back has a 15' radius and the top has a
30' radius.
Rub
chalk onto the blocks and rim and then sand like a mad-man until all
the chalk is gone.
Rotating
the mold back and forth on the hollow form with sandpaper will cut the
sides so they match the dome of the top or bottom perfectly.
Sand
until you achieve the desired dimension. A couple of sheets of paper
under one block or the other will allow you to sand without thinning
that end.
If
you look closely you can see daylight between the rim and the sandpaper. I've
still got a ways to go.
You
can see the chalk left where the side doesn't touch the sandpaper. A
little more sanding and the job will be done.
Gluing
the Kerfed Lining
Here's
my set up for gluing linings. The mold is clamped in my bench vise and
I've got a drawer full of clamps close at hand. I cut the lining into
pieces that are 4 to 6 inches long. They are easier to handle and
because the sides are tapered a single long piece is almost impossible
to glue properly.
In
the top photo you can see that I've just started gluing the lining. Clothespins
work quite well but I've got my eye on the fancy ones in LMI's catalog!
Gluing
Side Braces
Inside
the guitar most folks glue in some reinforcements to help keep the sides
from splitting. Some guitars use a fabric web in place of "Popsicle
sticks"
I
prefer wood reinforcements. I've discovered that a pair of welding
pliers are perfect for holding these little pieces of wood while I sand
a taper on their edges.
enlarge
this picture and you can see the taper.
I'm
making these out of mahogany because it matches the linings. That's probably
not important, what is important is that the grain runs perpendicular
to the grain of the side.
Here's
what it looks like when I'm done.
Sand
top and back to proper Taper
The
sides are almost done, now we just need to return to the hollow forms
with sandpaper to make certain that the lining is tapered perfectly.
In
the first picture you can see the chalk I use to mark the rim. In
this picture you can see that chalk remains in the waist, showing me
thai I'm not done yet.
Top
side is done (no chalk is left) and I've changed the dished form to the
15' radius for the back.
With
the top and back both done I switch to a flat sanding board and put a
couple of 1/4" spacers under the butt of the guitar. The top is
actually flat under the fingerboard extension.