U.S. Guitar Kits Cutaway Assembly Instructions Manual Download | Manualshive

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Step Twenty Three-Finishing

You will want to apply a top coat of finish to the instrument to protect the
bare wood from dirt and oils. There are countless finishing products to use
and will post on our website forum, feedback from those that have already
built kits. Many builders use nitro-cellulose lacquer but there are many
precautions needed to use this product. There are many water-borne products
available that are less volatile and less hazardous. Also, there are some nice
hand rubbed oil finishes that require much more work but with spectacular
results. We suggest several tests on scrap woods to find the perfect finish
before working directly on your new instrument.

We hope that you have enjoyed the process and have an instrument that you
will show to others. Hopefully, you or someone you have made this for will
begin to play this with the appreciation of all your time and efforts.

Thanks again for purchasing a kit from US Guitar Kits, Inc.
We would love to see a picture of your finished guitar.
Visit our site at www.usguitarkits.com or send us an e-mail at

[email protected]

.

Safe building and happy playing!!!!!

Copyright © 2011 by U.S. Guitar Kits, Inc.
All rights reserved.

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Summary of Contents for Cutaway

Page 1: ...se note that although we warrant this kit to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 30 days from purchase we cannot guarantee the outcome of your instrument since skill levels vary grea...

Page 2: ...required 1 8 chisel and others are nice to have flat scrapers a utility knife AND an Exacto type knife 1 2 phillips screwdrivers and a 10mm deep socket with handle or equivalent open end wrench a sho...

Page 3: ...to you be sure to follow the instructions in precise sequence or you may have to disassemble parts or even start over Also be sure to read and understand the use and care of all tools and wear the pr...

Page 4: ...diagram for easy identification Not illustrated are 1 Frets Hammered Pressed into the Fingerboard 2 Abalone Dots 12th Position Marker Glue into the Fingerboard 3 Kerfed Lining Pre glued to inside of...

Page 5: ...es of the guitar Note Identifying the braces See picture Note The bracing on the top consists of the Shoulder Brace an X Brace 2 Tone Bars and 2 small Finger Braces as well as a Bridge Plate It is imp...

Page 6: ...on of the sound hole o The hole will give access for clamping the neck plate As long as the hole is reasonably close you ll be fine Step Three Locating and Marking the Top Mark the centerline on the g...

Page 7: ...both sides Cut the stretcher to that length and slightly round the ends so that the sharp corners don t damage the sides when installed Cut the stretcher almost all the way through put a shim in the k...

Page 8: ...the Plywood Template Use two spool clamps and position the plywood template and the guitar top so they are flush at the ends o You ll notice that the side of the body may not match the plywood templat...

Page 9: ...a slow feed rate if you are using a band saw Because you are cutting with the bracing on the table the top is unsupported in areas and has the potential to crack with too fast or aggressive cut Take...

Page 10: ...cutter set at a height that will cut the brace to 3 32 high Be sure to cut a test piece With the top face down pass the ends of the x braces and shoulder brace under the cutter to trim the ends Now sc...

Page 11: ...e brace from the top Once removed lightly scrape the surface where the brace was glued to ensure a clean surface to glue the top to the sides Note The ends of the tone braces do not touch the sides of...

Page 12: ...12 12 Marking and Scalloping a Tone Brace...

Page 13: ...e Braces The previous several photos are used to illustrate the methods used to trim away the heaviness of the braces to allow for better top vibration which produces better tone and volume This is a...

Page 14: ...14 14 Finger Brace Lower X Brace Tone Brace Upper X Brace Brace Templates Cut out and lay on side of braces to mark...

Page 15: ...ndbox Lining provides a larger gluing surface for the top to attach Each brace needs to be let into the lining by cutting small pockets for the bracing to rest on Transfer the marks along the top of t...

Page 16: ...reful sloppy glue joints inside a guitar are a sure sign of careless workmanship Do not apply glue to the top 3 Install the top check all your alignments again making sure the ends of the braces are s...

Page 17: ...t you can to insure the top is firmly fixed onto the soundbox If you see gaps use a little more clamping pressure 7 Set the assembly aside until the glue sets With aliphatic resin white or yellow glue...

Page 18: ...flush in the hole IMPORTANT NOTE DO NOT DRILL HOLES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FACE OF THE HEADSTOCK 2 Truss rod fitting Make sure the truss rod s flat surface is face up and lay just below flush with t...

Page 19: ...ear of the sides of the neck plate mortise Finish trim the sides of the mortise using a chisel Step Sixteen Preparing the Neck This is one of the most critical steps in the entire build and an extreme...

Page 20: ...w instructions will provide steps to quickly correct the neck angle The machine setup here is critical to the outcome and improper setup and subsequent sanding could result in an undesirable and irrev...

Page 21: ...m the body and glue the tang into the neck Once the glue is dry 1 hour bolt the neck back on to the body using all three bolts Using a circular motion and a sanding block sand the tang flush to the to...

Page 22: ...nut end to be sure the fingerboard sits flush with the side at the cutaway area and the centerline is pointing to center at the bridge area Otherwise the bridge location could end up being slightly o...

Page 23: ...OTE There are many ways and various clamps that can be used to secure the fingerboard to the neck Some builders already have a bunch of c clamps or f style clamps and these will work fine Others use a...

Page 24: ...f the fingerboard at the 12th fret and the genuine abalone block inlay This rectangle represents the 12th fret and will be inlaid with the abalone block 4 Using a small chisel square the corners of th...

Page 25: ...us block as these are not shaping or aggressive grits Use the foam sanding pads and continue to sand to as high grits as you wish Some builders use the micro mesh pads bringing the polishing of the fi...

Page 26: ...lot is not deep enough use the Japanese saw to deepen the slots 2 Position the neck securely on a bench supporting the area where you will hammer the fret Gently but firmly hammer the fret by taping t...

Page 27: ...shape the back of the neck differently than someone else This is all a personal preference Without doing anything more than sanding the existing neck shape the guitar neck will likely feel comfortabl...

Page 28: ...ing to match the width and depth of the binding Set the height just slightly shallower that the height of the binding It is preferable to be a little shallow instead of too deep because you have no ro...

Page 29: ...rated from the wider binding strip don t worry about scraping this area When you glue the binding on the glue will re adhere this spot Note All the layers of the purfling are attached to one another o...

Page 30: ...here the most noticeable details can be found on your instrument So take your time Note While scraping be sure to scrape only the binding and NOT the sides or back veneer The veneer is thin and scrapi...

Page 31: ...with a bridge locator tool This tool sets the scale length by positioning it with the end of the fingerboard nut end and allowing the bridge saddle to accept the raised insert in the tool 4 With the b...

Page 32: ...he bridge will be located Poke holes through the tape where the holes are in the top for the bridge clamp Using the bridge clamp place the 2 studs through the clamp through the bridge and through the...

Page 33: ...ain place the studs through the clamp through the bridge and onto the top Either completely clamp it down or hold it securely while you firmly and carefully cut around the perimeter of the bridge and...

Page 34: ...Continue to test fit the saddle until it fits snugly in the bridge without having to force it but NOT loose Be sure the saddle bottoms out in the bridge Drill the remaining holes in the bridge using...

Page 35: ...he specific nut files for the diameter of the string size slowly file to just slightly above the pencil line being sure to file back from the from edge of the nut Note Continue to lower the saddle unt...

Page 36: ...the ends of the frets 4 Using the small needle file remove the burr on either side of the fret Note This is a critical step and will take a fair amount of time skill and practice to perfect the techni...

Page 37: ...oper remedy In a perfect world the neck will bend just the right amount to give you the right action and you will hear no buzzing That is however very unlikely You may want to make any necessary adjus...

Page 38: ...dpin until the final sanding and finishing is complete The strap button comes complete with a button screw and a felt washer Do not install this until the guitar has been completely finished with a to...

Page 39: ...ed oil finishes that require much more work but with spectacular results We suggest several tests on scrap woods to find the perfect finish before working directly on your new instrument We hope that...

Page 40: ...u the finish is only as good as the preparation This means taking extra special attention to the details of sanding through the various grits not skipping grits and finishing with grits up to 150 or 1...

Page 41: ...nd letting it dry before applying the grain filler This will prevent the moisture in the filler from swelling the wood and creating cracks in the finish later Once the grain filler has dried completel...

Page 42: ...ructions regarding the specific product you use Consult a local retail finishing supplier for ideas on user friendly finishes There are also mail order finishes focused on water borne type finishes th...

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