page 5
Apply adhesive-backed 80-grit sandpaper (or non-stick sand-
paper and double-stick tape) to an area of the workboard as
shown in the picture
(4)
. Don’t cover the entire board, just a
large enough area so that the kerfing and sides contact the
sandpaper as you move the side assembly, face down, in
small circles to level the kerfed lining. Mark the gluing sur-
5.
Try using a weighted board placed across the top side of the rim
for uniform downward pressure.
Choose the best looking surface of the guitar top as the out-
side surface. There two small centering holes at each end of
the guitar top. Center a long straightedge on these holes,
and lightly pencil an erasable centerline on the top.
Next, glue on the top. The most important thing you must do
is to line up the front (machined) edge of the top with the
sides at the neck block. The top and sides must be flush
there. This alignment locates the soundwell, and with it,
accurate intonation. There should not be ANY top overhang
in this area! (If, by accident, you glue on the top so that it
overhangs the sides at the neck block read “Appendix 2:
Intonation Check” at the end of these instructions before
continuing.)
With the waist clamp still installed from the rear, line up the
top’s centerline with the centerlines you drew on the neck
and tail blocks. Start clamping in the waist area, within sever-
al inches of either side of the waist clamp, using spool clamps
to gently hold the top in place
(6)
. Clamp the tail block, using
two cam clamps or bar clamps and a caul to spread the
clamp pressure. Next, clamp the neck block. Use an accurate
square to be sure that the neck block is square to the top as
you clamp. Use the same type of clamps and caul that you
Installing the top
4.
Apply adhesive-backed 80-grit sandpaper (or non-stick sandpa-
per and double-stick tape) to an area of the workboard.
faces of the sides, kerfing, neck block, and tail block all the
way around with a pencil. Check your sanding progress
often; when the sandpaper begins to remove the pencil
marks around the entire top, the kerfed lining will be level
with the sides. Try using a weighted board placed across the
top side of the rim for uniform downward pressure
(5)
.
6.
Start clamping in the waist area, for several inches to either side
of the waist clamp, using spool clamps to gently hold the top in
place.
