|
Brian's Guitar from Conception to Birth
or How to Build a Guitar in 62 Easy Steps! |
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41
Glue on the Top Body Panel |
  Dry
fit the top and trace around the pickup cavities and anywhere else
you don’t want glue to be. It is also a good precaution to tape off
the neck to make glue ooze clean up easier. |
  Dribble
in some glue into the dowel holes and push in the dowels. Drizzle on
some glue over the whole face of the panel and use a finger to
spread out an even layer (we used Titebond II glue for just about
everything). Don’t put glue in the pickup cavity locations you
penciled in earlier. Make sure you go right up to the edges of the
guitar. Get into any narrow spots with a brush. You need to work
quickly. There’s a lot of area to cover and you don’t want the glue
to start drying out before the top goes on. Again, only experience
will tell you how much glue to use. Obviously you want enough to
stick it, but not too much where you’re left with a sticky mess.
Compare the photo above (the one where I’m brushing) with the amount
of ooze in the final clamp up shown below.
|
  Locate
the top body panel over the dowels and push it into its final
resting place. Then screw on every clamp you own (literally). Use
clamping blocks down the middle (top and bottom) with deep throated
clamps to apply strong pressure over the neck. Use light duty clamps
(with pads, no blocks) about every 2" around the entire perimeter.
Do not clamp over the control cavity since there is nothing there to
back it up and you don’t want to crack the wood. Carefully inspect
that there are no gaps around the edge where the front and back body
panels join. If you see a gap, add another clamp. Don’t try to clean
up any glue ooze, just let it dry where it oozed (see previous ooze
discussion). Leave everything sit overnight to insure that the glue
is totally cured. |
Dry
fit the top and trace around the pickup cavities and anywhere else
you don’t want glue to be. It is also a good precaution to tape off
the neck to make glue ooze clean up easier.
Dribble
in some glue into the dowel holes and push in the dowels. Drizzle on
some glue over the whole face of the panel and use a finger to
spread out an even layer (we used Titebond II glue for just about
everything). Don’t put glue in the pickup cavity locations you
penciled in earlier. Make sure you go right up to the edges of the
guitar. Get into any narrow spots with a brush. You need to work
quickly. There’s a lot of area to cover and you don’t want the glue
to start drying out before the top goes on. Again, only experience
will tell you how much glue to use. Obviously you want enough to
stick it, but not too much where you’re left with a sticky mess.
Compare the photo above (the one where I’m brushing) with the amount
of ooze in the final clamp up shown below.
Locate
the top body panel over the dowels and push it into its final
resting place. Then screw on every clamp you own (literally). Use
clamping blocks down the middle (top and bottom) with deep throated
clamps to apply strong pressure over the neck. Use light duty clamps
(with pads, no blocks) about every 2" around the entire perimeter.
Do not clamp over the control cavity since there is nothing there to
back it up and you don’t want to crack the wood. Carefully inspect
that there are no gaps around the edge where the front and back body
panels join. If you see a gap, add another clamp. Don’t try to clean
up any glue ooze, just let it dry where it oozed (see previous ooze
discussion). Leave everything sit overnight to insure that the glue
is totally cured.
