Official Luthiers Forum!

well as my first solo build I am assembling a bunch of parts I bought as a " kit" , I already tossed the x braces due to a slop joint ,and replaced the transverse brace made of spruce with one I made of mahogany . working without a plan , I merely duplicated the given transverse brace , I am getting near assembling the box now and I noticed the brace, already glued to the top,is about 1/4 " short of ideal , meaning I will have only about 1/8 " on either side supported by the mahogany linings, even less due to the amount lost due to the linings being angled while inletting. there is room for about another 1/8" on each side . do you think this is suffecient? should I replace the brace? ( I am not sure how to remove a glued brace, I used tight bond glue ). another thought I had was to remove a couple of the pieces of lining and fashion and attach small blocks to either side if the rims to give more support to the brace . any and all opinions considered and appreciated.thanks Jody

Jody,
As long as the transverse brace ends "inside" the kerfing, you will have not have any problems.

And, it seems it might be better if the brace ends do not touch the side or the pocket bottom. Romanillos leaves them about 1mm short on each end to avoid potential distortion of the sides or even worse. Not sure if this is really an issue but no harm mentioning it.

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Build log

Yes, spruce doesn't moves much along the grain. But, theres a line his book on Torres, seems to imply he saw a guitar where the back braces bulged somehow throu the sides.

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Build log

Yes a spruce brace will not shrink much at all along it's lenght.
It is wise to leave the slight gap at the end of the brace and the
lining pocket as a safety measure.

It is the width of the Top or Back shrinkage that we are concerned
about. It may take years to show as a problem, or maybe never.
But why take the chance.

Tom

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http://www.moriciguitar.com

Thanks for the discusion guys , now you have me thinking about the accuracy in cutting my ledges ! this is good ! in stead of taking any chances , I just glued in 4 mahogany lining " wedges" right to the lining , on each side , that gives me another 1/4 inch on each side to support the brace . its my first solo build .. with my less than honed skills at work here ,1/8 " on each side seems a bit sketchy ! I may not get the tone I want out of it, but I want it to hold up . I can worry about artistry inside the box on the next one ! thanks again Jody

am I capping the x brace??? doesnt everyone ? Jody