Stewart MacDonald 5348, Assembly Instructions Manual

Page: 9 / 24

First, the sides and braces need to be trimmed so they will
be flush when gluing .
Put the sides into the body assembly jig with the top facing
up . Make sure the sides are centered, using a turnbuckle to
hold it into place (pictured) . Using aggressive sandpaper (80-
grit), sand the sides and lining so that they’re flat and level .
Insure even, flat sides by taping sandpaper to your bench .
With a chisel and sandpaper,
trim and taper the ends of
the braces that extend to the
body edge .
With the sides still in the jig,
dry-fit the top onto the sides .
Be sure it will glue flush, and
the braces don’t interfere with
the sides .
Dry run: Clamp the top to the sides using a cam clamp at
each end of the assembly . Carefully line up the centerline
on the top with the centerline of the sides . Use the rubber
bands to apply even clamping pressure to the top .
Caution
Before gluing, be sure you can get your fingers
through the soundhole to release the turnbuckle,
so you can get the assembled sides and top out of
the body mold .
When you’re satisfied with the fit, unclamp . Clean off dust
and shavings, and apply Titebond glue to the edges of the
sides, spreading it evenly . Reclamp each end, lining up the
centerlines, followed by the rubber bands . Allow 3 hours
to dry .
Glue the top onto the sides
The large self-adhesive
Sanding Disc (#6085)
shown here is part
of StewMac’s Go-bar
Clamping System, and
has many uses around
the shop!
7