Mors Phagist Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 When making a guitar with a top, should I glue the top wood to the back wood and cut the body out of the single piece? Or should I cut the Body out of the mahogony (In this case) then cut the top out of the 2nd wood and glue the two together? (After bookmatching, if I decide to go that direction) The first way seems less labor intensive, and I have a bandsaw strong enough to cut the laminated piece, but what way is proper or better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessejames Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 My advice would to be glue your top board to your backing board, plane it, and cut out the pattern all as one piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 Either or, doesn't matter. I just find it easier to do both together if I'm not doing any chambering or fancy stuff. Easier to get perfect glue-line at edge that way, fewer steps, etc. etc. But by all means both ways work. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 I like to glue the body wood together first and then route wiring channels and a neck pocket for a long tenon neck into that. After the top halves have been glued together, the neck is set and the top is glued forming a sandwich over the neck tenon and covering the wiring channels. I then use the body as a routing template for the top which has only been band sawed close to this point. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 I have done it several ways... I have glued the halves together then joined the halves (not the best method). I have joined the back, joined the top separately, then joined the 2 and used a router and template to cut out the guitar shape. Lately I have joined and cut out the back, routed any internal cavities that are 2 hard to drill. I join the top separately and cut it close to the profile of the body (2mm overhang). Next I tape up the electronic routes and internal cavities to keep glue out of them. Then I clamp them together. There is more cleanup of glue if you are not careful... however if you tape up the edge of the body first it is trivial. Then I use a rasp and clean up the overhang. I know what you are thinking... "Why don't you use a router to clean everything up?" Because the crazy burl/spalt/flame/quilt/knotty maple likes to explode when you touch it with a router. It is much easier to spend a few minutes attacking the edges from the right angles to prevent figured grain from tearing out. Plus I hate routers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helldunkel Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 I've tried both ways, I prefer to glue the top and the body together as a big blank... Then I cut out the shape... I'm about to actually cut out the shape on this piece here, just finished jointing and gluying the top... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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