OK looks like my first snag. I am building the stew mac 000 kit. I glued the tail and neck block and put in the inner mold (cardboard) per the instructions. It was a very tight fit but it did go.
Now, The waist is 10" across and I need to somehow put the 9 1/4" waist clamp on. The sides are tight and I don't think they will pull in enough without breaking the wood.
What to do? Do I need to trim the cardboard down until the waist can be pulled in? Crap
I'm building the same kit and had the exact same problem. I emailed stew Mac and they told me to trim the cardboard just as you mentioned. I drew a centerline on the cardboard and used it as a reference to make sure I trimmed equally from both sides. I ended up trimming all four bouts.
With it clamped as shown in your pic, I used a pencil to mark on the cardboard where i wanted to trim. To keep the form smooth, it trimmed with 80 grit sandpaper glued to a flexible backing such as plastic laminated.
Also, the waist clamp may also need to be made a bit wider. And make sure to round the edges of the waist clamp where it meets the sides. It's also really important that the two sides of the waist clamp are perfectly parallel.
I hate cardboard molds.
You may need to shorten the mold what is the length?
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
That is what I was also thinking John. Shorten the cardboard so it is not so tight and the sides should come in a little easier.
I built my first guitar using this method. I swore I'd never do it again. Mine was a dred so the waist wasn't so deep but as long as the sides have SPACE to move, you can bring them in. The thing I found really difficult in building this way was keeping the sides perpendicular/square to the top and back. It is not too late. You might think it is a lot of work, but take a Saturday and make yourself a mold for this build. Believe me, you will not regret it for the rest of the process, and for the end result. Go buy a half sheet of MDF, that is all you need and some glue and sheet rock screws.
That is my advice, which is worth alot, to some people, but not so much to others..... :>)
Thanks for the advice. I ended up trimming down the cardboard using the provided stewmac template. I had to shave a decent amount off of all the bouts. I REALLY wish I would have bought a mold for this but I think it is too late.
I have already installed the back and top kerfing and sanded it using radius bars per Bill Cory's book. Basically the rim is complete using the stupid cardboard mold. I am not sure if an outer mold could be used as this point?
Hello.
I was in a similar boat when I started my Martin Dread kit. The people on this fine forum talked me into getting the mold. My wife agreed and said not to cheap out on that one... I am happy I did get it. From my understanding, building with an "inside" mold is obviously possible but it is a little easier and more accurate to build with the outside mold. Word of caution, once you glue on your top or bottom (which ever you choose to do first), keep the rim in the mold until you get the other piece (top or bottom) glued on too. It was a little scary for me to get the rim back into the mold to glue my top on. All is well but it would have been easier and less stressful if I had just left it in the mold. Best of luck and show us some more pictures...
