Official Luthiers Forum!

So, the idea is in no way original, but it may be of some use to someone else.
I needed some clamps in a bit of a hurry to hold newly bent classical sides to forms while waiting for assembly.
Tried small F clamps. Too bulky (nearly 3 feet long with the form) and top heavy.
Searched internet for suitable G clamps (like Courtnall shows in "Master Guitars") and was reluctant to spend (for the 12 which I wanted) a minimum £50/$80, and, even worse, I would have had to wait as I couldn't buy them locally
I remembered seeing someone on the net some years ago, using cut slices of plastic pipe (6 or 8") to hold a top or back on during assembly, can't remember where or who.
I had some 110mm plastic (soil?) plumbing pipe lying around, so dragged out the mitre saw and played with the width to cut. Ended up with 2 x 30mm widths, one inside the other as giving a reasonably "grippy" hold (couple or so kilos, maybe a bit more?)
So, sorry whoever you were, no attribution. But thank you.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Clever. I like it.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Wonderful idea! You can control the level of tension with the spacers. Genius. And you can put a bunch of them on. Even better.

And if you put one in your sound hole with a wedge it holds your sound hole binding nice and tight til the glue dries.

Bob

Brilliant!

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Pat