Stewart Golf ukulele kit, Assembly Instructions Manual

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The first step is gluing the top and back braces . The back
has three braces . The number of top braces depends on
the model of your ukulele: the Soprano has fewer than the
Concert or Tenor .
Transfer the brace plan to the wood
The full-size plan shows where to place the braces . Back
braces are printed in gray, and top braces in white .
The heavy black line on the plan is the actual shape of
the ukulele . Outside of this is a dotted line indicating the
slightly oversize top and back wood . Cut the plan out on
this dotted line .
Decide which side of the top and back you prefer to have
facing outward . We’ll mark brace locations on the opposite
side, which will become the inside of the uke .
Lay the plan over the back or top, centering it on the wood .
Transfer the plan’s centerline to the upper and lower edges
of the top and back wood .
Use a pushpin to poke small holes into the wood at the brace
ends . Connect these holes with a pencil and straightedge,
and you have the brace locations marked for gluing .
Save the plan drawing for use later when building the body .
Clamps
You’ll need at least one clamp big enough to reach onto
the top or back for clamping braces . Smaller clamps are
good for the brace ends . Wooden clothespins make great
small clamps, if you wrap them with rubber bands for extra
strength .
You don’t need many clamps . TiteBond III dries fast, so
gluing the braces goes quickly even when clamping one
brace at a time .
Use pieces of wood to protect the uke parts from the clamps .
Cauls of scrap wood also distribute clamping pressure more
evenly . Cauls also can be placed across multiple braces, so
one clamp can glue two or even three at once .
A piece of wood clamped to your table makes a very handy
gluing rig . It holds the back and top in place while giving
you lots of room to arrange clamps .
Start with the back braces
The back bracing is simpler than the top, so that’s a good
place to start . When you move on to the top braces, you’ll
be familiar with clamping and gluing .
Brace the top and back
SOPRANO
CONCERT
TENOR
Fewer top braces.
Watch the video:
PART 2
BRACING THE TOP+BACK