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Each bent guitar side has been formed from a tapered piece
of wood . One of the longer edges is straight (the guitar top)
and the other is slightly curved (the back) . Place the sides,
straight edges down, on the workboard and butt the ends
together . The sides shouldn’t rock on the workboard surface .
Pencil accurately measured centerlines on the neck block
and the tailblock, and align these marks against the inner
seams of the adjoining guitar sides . The open end of the
neck block must face downward against the workboard,
and both blocks must be flush with the sides at the top and
bottom .
Dry-clamp the two blocks to the sides, place a piece of wood
across the waist, and rest a weight (a couple of bricks worked
for us) on the piece of wood (pictured) to keep the sides
flat against the cardboard . Now readjust the neck block and
tailblock while the sides are weighted down .
KIT TIP: Dry clamping
It’s important to try fitting and clamping the kit
pieces before you use glue . Practice a “dry run” to
make sure you have all the clamps and cauls needed
before glue is applied . We found that using a little
brush (like our Glue Brush) helps to apply the glue
evenly on the surface .
The back side of the neck block has a fairly steep 5° angle to
match the arch of the back . Viewed from the side, in cross-
section, both ends of the neck block are flush where they
meet the sides, but the 5° side will be higher than the sides
as it tapers up toward the interior of the guitar .
The side of the neck block that touches the guitar sides is
curved . A clamping caul with matching curvature (illus-
trated) should be prepared from scrap wood and placed
against the outer side seam . The same caul will fit both the
neck block and tailblock areas .
KIT TIP: Cauls
You’ll need scrap wood to make cauls that will be
used throughout assembly . Cauls are used to ap-
ply uniform pressure while the glue dries, and to
protect the guitar’s surface from the clamps .
Remove the clamps and, one at a time, apply Titebond glue
to the inner block surfaces . Reclamp using four clamps per
block . Wipe off the excess glue with a damp cloth and let
the assembly dry overnight before unclamping . Use waxed
paper to prevent the wooden parts from being glued to the
cardboard surface .
After unclamping the neck block and tail block, draw a
center line on the maple tailblock reinforcement strip, and
also on the top and bottom of the tailblock . On the side of
the tailblock that contacts the back, measure down 3/16"
make a mark (this is for clearance for the back center strip) .
Apply glue to the maple reinforcement strip and place the
centerline on the marks on the tailblock and to the edge of
the 3/16" mark .
Side Assembly
Assembling the sides
Clamping caul with
curved face
Use
waxed
paper to
protect
guitar
sides
Use four
clamps
Neck
block
5° taper for back
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