Glue Maple Top

[daveq]

I'm gluing my first maple top on soon. It's a bookmatched 1/4" curly maple top being glued to a mahagony body. I already made a slight arm-rest area in the mahagony and will be steaming the maple top to fit it (per Scott Rosenberger - thanks for the hint!).

I'm not sure if I should have the glue sitting on it when steaming or steam then glue once it is shaped? I'm thinking of going with the glue while steaming.

Should I use more or less glue than I normally would for something like the fretboard? To hold it in place, some screws in places where it wont matter?

Thanks for any tips you may be able to provide.

Dave

[westhemann]

i think he said he glues everything but the armrest,then after the glue sets he steams it (i would assume you put the glue under it and then steam it)

but i may be wrong.

[Scott Rosenberger]

GEt the top nice and flexible first then glue and clamp the whole thing all at once. When I said glue the flat part first I meant clamp it then proceed to bend the top with more clamps. All in one step. Use as many clamps as you can fit. Alternatively you can use wood blocks on the flat part to distribute the clamping pressure and you can get away with less clamps there.

[krazyderek]

i think i'll just use tops thick enough to carve

[Ford]

That would look slick from the side. Though, I like the way they layers of wood show up when you start carving the "comfort curves" (arm rest, belly area, etc). I always thought the way some of PRS's guitars had their lower horn carved was cool, so that you could see both the top and bottom woods.