Stewart MacDonald 5295, Assembly Instructions Manual

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caul to fit snugly over the installed bridge plate between
the X-braces, and glue the plate onto the soundboard
with Titebond or hide glue . The lower clamp jaws should
contact the back of your workboard to protect the spruce
soundboard .
tuck under . Reclamp the X-braces onto the soundboard and
workboard . Check the fit of the tone bars in the notches .
Disassemble, apply Titebond to the braces and tone bars,
reclamp, and let the glue dry overnight . This work can be
done in stages, depending upon the number of available
clamps . Use two flat clamping cauls for each pair of tone bars,
with the soundboard resting on your workboard to keep it
flat at this stage
(pictured) . Cut the three flat soundhole
reinforcement strips (T-4) to length and glue them into
position on the soundboard .
Transfer the outline of the bridge plate from the blueprint
to the flat maple bridge plate stock . Saw out the plate and
true its edges against a piece of sandpaper taped to a flat
work surface . Don’t drill the bridge pin holes yet; this will be
done later . File a 45° bevel at each end of the bridge plate
and check for proper fit in the X-brace notches . File off each
pointed end of the bridge plate so that it can slide forward
as it tucks under the X-braces . Prepare a wooden clamping
While the braces are accessible, prepare a bridge clamping
caul and a shoulder brace caul that will be used in the “Install-
ing the neck” and “Installing the bridge” sections . The bridge
caul
(illustrated) is 7-1/2" x 1-3/4" x 3/4" . It must be relieved
to contact the bridge plate and the soundboard, and have
sufficient relief to clear the X-braces and the tone bars . The
easiest way to create this relief is to glue scrap corners from
the bridge plate itself onto the corners of the caul . This way,
the caul’s center portion is relieved by an amount equal to
the thickness of the bridge plate .
The shoulder brace caul is 2" x 2-5/8" x 1-1/4", with relief to
clear both shoulder braces . Use a saw and a chisel or router
to make these cauls .
Bridge and shoulder brace clamping cauls
1-3/4"
3/4"
7-1/2"
2"
1-1/4"
2-5/8"
Bridge clamping caul
These surfaces must contact the soundboard;
the notches should not contact the braces .
This surface must
be relieved to contact
the maple bridge plate .
Shoulder brace caul
1-3/4"
3/4"
7-1/2"
2"
1-1/4"
2-5/8"
Bridge clamping caul
These surfaces must contact the soundboard;
the notches should not contact the braces .
This surface must
be relieved to contact
the maple bridge plate .
Shoulder brace caul
9