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In Cumpiano's book, it seems that he profiles his braces on a sander and then uses cam clamps on a carpet covered flat board to glue them on.

I was wondering if anyone glues in this manner. Would gluing a radiused brace on a flate surface still allow the soundboard to contour according to the radius once the pressure/clamps are released from the flat gluing surface.

ps, it's just a question so please don't reply if you wish to simply state how ignorant I sound.

Thanks

I have made a dish see my reply to you

I started with Cumpiano's book and approach.  Even went so far as to make his build board.  In the book he instructs to glue 1/8"cork around the perimeter, which effectively creates the radius for the plate.  Anyone who wants the build board can have it.

I decided I didn't like this method about the time I was actually ready to glue the braces to the plates so I made a couple of radius dishes (one each for front and back) and used go-bars instead.  Just seemed to make more sense - as well as the use of a mold.

As an aside, there are more than a few very prominent builders (Larivee and Stephan Sobell as example) that advocate building the least amount of stress into the guitar as possible.  The idea being that a piece of wood that holds it's shape without being under tension is more able to move or resonate when excited by the strings.  Again seems to make sense to me.  Following this logic you would want to use a radius dish or other means to comform the plates to the arc of the braces as much as possible thereby minimizing stress in the plates.

Doug

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]Good points Doug and even Cumpiano pitched the building board in favor of a mold.

I bought Cumpiano and Natelson's book when I started too but decided that I needed a system to follow at least in the beginning. More builders seemed o use dishes and molds so I went that direction.

Are you using a go-bar deck? It is a much better way to glue braces onto the top and back and the top and back to the rim IMHO.[/QUOTE]

I used a go-bar deck when gluing all the braces to the plates.  For attaching the plates to the rims I used a thinned plywood caul that screws to the mold per Kinkead's book.  It worked well, but plan to go-bar the plates to the rims next time.

Doug

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]Jon this is an interesting question and the answer is not as clear as I thought it was.

I agree with Simon on all counts and I glue my radiused braced on in the radius dish with go-bars as many builders do.

But I also remember my first Stew-Mac kit and I reviewed the instructions. They say that you can glue radiused braces onto a top/back that is on a flat work board. They go on to say when the clamps are released the raidused braces will pull the top/back into the dome shape...

So go-figure.......

Maybe someone else chan weigh in here and help us out.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Hesh, I think you understood exactly what I was asking. I am following Cumpianos book closely. He states in the begining of the book that he is explaining the process as simply as possible without the need of power tools. I think the only thing I have found almost indispensible up til now is the Band saw. (BTW I did wind up getting a 10" ryobi similar to yours, and with the timberwolf blades I bought it is quite a handy tool for less than 200 bucks, so thanks for the advice on that too Hesh!) In the book he basically says exactly what you are saying stew mac said, and I wanted to be sure I was reading that right.

It figures I would learn this while I am in the tweeking stages of a tabletop setup to make radius dishes. I think I am still going to use the dish, but was wanting to know how essential it was anyway.

Thanks

I use a dish and a domed top, but just because everyone says that is the way to go. But there are some highly respected luthiers that still build with a flat top and put out spectacular instruments. I've also played guitars from two well known luthiers that have used the stressed top method and one of the two was the best sounding guitar I've ever played. Whether it is the stressed top or just the skill of that luthier, I don't know but I suspect the later. I seem to recall Roy Mcalister saying he does his vintage models with a flat top and I wonder if Greven is doing that also. And, frankly, my flat top Martin is pretty hard to beat for tone and I get a lot of people asking me about that guitar when they hear it. I'm seriously considering building a flat top again, but it's hard to buck the trend.

Kent    

I use a dish and a domed top, but just because everyone says that is the way to go. But there are some highly respected luthiers that still build with a flat top and put out spectacular instruments. I've also played guitars from two well known luthiers that have used the stressed top method and one of the two was the best sounding guitar I've ever played. Whether it is the stressed top or just the skill of that luthier, I don't know but I suspect the later. I seem to recall Roy Mcalister saying he does his vintage models with a flat top and I wonder if Greven is doing that also. And, frankly, my flat top Martin is pretty hard to beat for tone and I get a lot of people asking me about that guitar when they hear it. I'm seriously considering building a flat top again, but it's hard to buck the trend.

Kent