Stewart Golf ukulele kit, Assembly Instructions Manual

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5
You can glue each brace separately, or use wooden cauls to
clamp more than one at a time as in the photo of clamped
back braces on the previous page .
Do a dry run before gluing
Test your clamping setup before you use glue . Decide where
to place clamps and cauls, and look to see that the braces
are held down tightly from end to end . You don’t want to
figure this out while the glue is drying!
The important thing is that you’re comfortable with your
clamping plan, and have seen that it works before you’re
under the time pressure created by wet glue .
Use tape for a clean joint
When you dry-run your clamping setup, place masking tape
next to the braces . When glue squeezes out during the glue-
up, the tape catches it . Peel the tape away, and most of the
glue mess goes with it .
Keep a bowl of water handy
Water is always needed for cleanup, and sometimes for
wetting the glue joint as you get ready to clamp .
Apply the glue
Apply the glue to the exposed wood between the strips of
tape . It’s not necessary to put glue on the braces; an even
coat on the back/top wood will be enough . A glue brush
is helpful . Use scissors to trim the brush smaller for better
control .
Let it dry for 45 minutes
Titebond III recommends a drying time of 30 minutes . That
generally is plenty of time, but to be extra sure, we recom-
mend giving your glue joints an extra 15 minutes under
clamping pressure .
Glue the top braces
Start with the upper braces above and below the sound-
hole . With a caul spanning them, they can be glued up at
the same time .
Position the soundhole reinforcement strips between the
upper braces, 3/8" from the soundhole . The cauls in the
photo above include the neck block and tail block included
with the kit . A piece of waxed paper keeps glue from getting
on these parts .