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I finally broke down and built my own mold. I wanted to make a slightly different shape, somewhere in between my OM and my concert model...something a bit more modern looking perhaps. Anyway, I made the mold from MDF, and came up with the bolt through method for keeping the model together. Then I styled the spreaders in the fashion of the LMI ones I've seen. I used some brass bushings in the holes for the knobs to press against. Looks like it will work well...

More photos...

Looks great!

I use a speader so it can remain inside the guitar until completed. These are good for keeping the sides until building.
Design a smaller spreader so you can pull it through the sound hole once the top and back are on. It will help a great deal to hold the neck block in position and symmetry.

I do have smaller cauls too John, and I use them sometimes. On my last two builds I used double sides, which I really like. So after gluing in the trail and head blocks, I didn't need the mold anymore...the rim was that stiff! I use the mold for getting the rims profiled with the radius dishes, and then I can pull it out to glue up the back and soundboard. So I think the big cauls will be okay. If I need the smaller ones I can pull through the soundboard, then I have those too!

that sounds like a good plan

Hi, I'm going to make something pretty much like this and was wanting to know if the two tounges (the two pieces that protrude out and into the inside) are still ok and not snapped or twisted?.

Thanks

Nice idea with the system to fasten the two sides together

Ed