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This might sound quite silly, but how do you transfer the guitar outline and bracing pattern from the plans onto a template/jigs. i cant really figure out a sensible way to do it....

anyway, thanks in advance for you help!

Jonny

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"Anything that happens, happens. Anything that in happening causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen. Anything that in happening happens again, happens again. Though not necessarily in that order." Douglas Adams

Hi Jonny:

What i do is tape the plan over the joined top or back taking care to align the center lines of the plan at the head block and tail block with the center seam of my joined top or back.

Prior to this I sat down with the plan and an X-acto knife and made cuts/slits on the plan just wide enough to draw with a pencil through at the critical intersections. This means that at the ends of the X-brace legs, intersection of the X, bridge plate location, where the finger braces and tone bars intersect the X, upper transverse brace and Popsicle brace I make slits in the plan.

Once the plan is taped onto the top or back and centered I use a pencil through the slits to transfer the marks, remove the plan, and play connect the dots with the top or back and a straight edge.

You can draw out the entire bracing scheme or just locater lines at the beginnings and ends for each brace.

This picture might help:



I hope this helps.

Maybe I do not understand the question, but I use carbon paper under the plan and a stylus.

hmmm

im still a little confused.

Hesh, does that mean you dont use templates as in Kinkead/cumpiano, you just draw "through" the plans onto the top wood?

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"Anything that happens, happens. Anything that in happening causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen. Anything that in happening happens again, happens again. Though not necessarily in that order." Douglas Adams

Yes - just slit the plans where you need to make a mark. the slits are only 1/4 - 1/2" long and only wide enough to get a fine point pencil though.

The disadvantage is that Paper, the plans, are not entirely stable and do move with RH changes but that is another subject where your RH should be stable if your are building.

Templates are great if you have them and if you want to repeat your bracing exactly every time.

Also, when drawing the guitar shape onto your top and back use the mold to trace the shape and not the plans. I have yet to find a set of plans and a mold that are exactly the same.

Make sense?

What Todd says. Before I made some quality templates, I used the mold to draw in the outline of the body and then laid out the bracing dimensions and angles from the drawing.

Templates...soooo easy!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I use posterboard for templates. I have probably 30 plans that I have drawn hanging on shop walls. When I have transferred plans to the posterboard, I have used carbon paper, and I have also cut them out and the transferred them.
David

Hi Jonny,

I think it's worth the time to make lexan templates for these repeatable chores. The lexan is not affected by humidity and will last pretty much forever.
I've found that picture framing shops are a good source for lexan and plexi, as it is used in a lot of frames instead of glass due to the lower weight, etc. They usually will have some damaged pieces around that will just get thrown out, so it's worth checking or letting them know that you would take the stuff they can't use, and ask them to save it for you.

Free or almost free is good.

Cal

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Carbon paper to posterboard, a big sheet from hobby lobby will do, its like $2 bucks.

You have to use a very sharp pencil and go very slow. Us a straight edge over the p;an when you mark the brace ends.

You can also use mylar for more permanent templates if you don't use the lexan. Art suppliy shops would have lots of different types of drawing plastic/mylar.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

You can photocopy, too. Since your plans are probably bigger than what you can copy with your average work or library xerox machine, you can use the lines on the drawing or draw your own pencil lines on the plan so you can realign everything correctly when you tape the photo copies together to get your shape.

After you have your photocopy taped together, you can either cut it out and trace around it, or use 3m spray adhesive to stick it to some plywood, then cut and sand to the line.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR