Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all at OLF,
wondering if you can help, I make electric basses but am now doing my first acoustic for a friend, I bougt one of stew mac's kits and have only got as far as putting on the end blocks, now I did it the way they said but when I went to check after de-clamping it doesn't sit flat, one side rise's up about a mil and half around the upper bout, it pulls down easy enuff, will I have to undo and re-do this or will it get pulled in to place when the back and front go on. If I have to re-do it can I just steam it apart, it was glued with titebond red.
many thanks for any help
Heath

Heath,
After those sides were bent at the StewMac shop, they began to relax a bit from their initial shape just as they do in any shop with time. As they relax, some slight tension changes present themselves that aren;e serious or build threatening.

   From here, be sure to get the rim which is the combination of the sides and blocks into your mold to keep everything aligned and stable as you sand the radius onto the sides and later onto the kerfing. Be sure that the rim is securely held in the mold to ensure good symetrical distribution of those radii for the top and back installation so you won't run into problems later with the insertion of the neck joint and alignment and interface between the top and the fingerboard tongue.

Mistakes made now have a bearing on all subsequent steps in the build process so be sure to lay a good foundation or the house will be much harder to build on it.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Heath and Hesh,
If the person waiting for the guitar is paying for it, I would recommend that a mold be made to the shape necessary and used to provide the stability neede to build it. I've built from kits by Stew Mac, LMI, Grizzly and Martin while helping friends of mine who got stuck on the less than stellar directions provided by each. Each time, we took the hour needed to make the mold that they could keep in case they decided to build again in the future.

It is difficult to achieve the rigidity needed using the waist clamp and insert. Clamping by an inexperiene builder is usually a bit overzealous a lots of distortion occurs most times that can cause problems later.

   Just a suggestion, but your decision.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Just heating the block with an iron should be enough to get the glue soft and enough to reposition the block without taking it off. I've done this before with excellent results. I heat with a damp rag and iron on the outside of the side where the block is. Reposition and clamp. You should be good to go. Oh yea, and make a mold, you will be much happier with the finished product.
Tracy

thanks for the advice, I'm going to make a mould as the cardboard way just seemed abit too unstable for me.
I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I think I'll re-do the joint, It is strange as the two side ends meet perfect on each end block no gap in the join, there bang on the center line (which was done with a dail caliper) they are both the right way up and yet this twist, also if I put a small set square on the sides and bring it up the the end blocks one side is good, the other out by a couple of mill???? I'm going to check to see if the ends of the sides have been cut square to the top, as this would throw it out surely?
thanks again and keep it coming if you don't mind cuz this sure is a different fish to electric guitars!

I just finished the same kit, mine had the same issues. I just sanded mine out and it sat perfectly flat.

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

thanks for all the help, I re-checked it done a little sanding and got it to a point where I was happy, and it was sitting bang on.
time for the next step now.
I'm sure this probably won't be the last time I need help!
thanks again
Heath