Official Luthiers Forum!

Does anyone prefer clamps over go-bars?

It all depends on what you are using them for. I do all my bracing with go-bars and would not want to try doing the same things with clamps, due to the number of clamps I would need to accomplish the same tasks. But besides bracing and gluing on the top and back, I do all other gluing operations with clamps. For my method of building I need both.

Josh

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

yes. I prefer the wooden cam clamps for luthiery. I built a go bar deck, and then wound up dismantling it.For whatever reason it is not sympatico with my building style. I don/t care for them , but they seem to work vy well for others, chacun a son gout. or each to his/her own taste.

baby olyphant, concrete blocks? maybe a 50 ton hydrolic press...it don't matter as long as the glue holds.

simple eh!

Blessings

?adma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I'd be lost without my go bar deck for gluing braces to tops and backs. I also use it for gluing tops and backs to rims, but that can be easily done with clamps or other methods. To me, it's bracing tops and backs where go bars really shine.

I use clamps.

I like them.

I don't carve all my braces at once as they get in the way of each other, for me.

I glue the soundhole and finger braces, carve 'em, then the UFB and LFB's, carve them, then the X-brace, carve 'em.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I think using a radius dish is part of the process. If you use a dish, I could see where gobars would be advantagous. I don't use a dish, so I don't use gobars, clamps for everything. I'm not necessarily recommending clamps over gobars, that's just what works for me.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

go bars for me. very versatile imo

Clamps.........!

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I like vacuum clamping braces...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I like cam clamps. After working with them for so long I've developed a good feel for getting exactly the amount of clamping pressure in just the right direction in just the right spot most of the time. I can finesse clamps a lot better than I can go bars, so they win most of the time.

I use clamps for most everything, but have some fire bricks that come in handy every now and then. Suppose I'd try a go-bar deck if I thought I had the room, but I'm pretty use to my clamps.

Made about three dozen or so cam clamps way back when, and long before the days of go-bar decks. Never had any reason to to change.
I'm from the Padma school on this. What ever works and is handy at the time

Brent

Arrows in ur quiver, variety is a good thing

Once you Go Bar you never go Back
IMHO

Much quicker (important with HHG) more consistent even pressure, and you can do an entire back or soundboard in one go.

To solve this problem I have small cauls with sandpaper on the bottom that I go bar in place to locate the braces temporarily until the glue grabs.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

I have about 20 shop-built cam clamps & use them for a variety of jobs. But the go-bar deck handles all my brace gluing & body assembly work. I wouldn't want to do much instrument work without the deck.

Thanks much for all of your responses. So far, at least, it looks like clamps are the preferred tool.

I'll use either depending on the time of year. When I'm just heating and controlling humidity in a small space (i.e. closet) I will use clamps. If the weather is cooperating I will use go bars. As with glue, I'm not too "hide bound" and will use what I think will work well for the particular occasion.