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Hey John and the other builders, I always wanted to know and never found out yet whats this extra area with the hole on guitar tops when rough-sawing them to shape. You know those on the waist I dont know what to call them.
http://www.martinguitar.com/featuresmat ... terns.html

Benjoo

The outer holes are for production floor jigs and have nothing to do with a guitar. They make sure the top or back is positioned correct for brace locations and sound hole and rosette cutter. I always called them jig locating holes

tippie53 wrote:The outer holes are for production floor jigs and have nothing to do with a guitar. They make sure the top or back is positioned correct for brace locations and sound hole and rosette cutter. I always called them jig locating holes

Yea i was thinking of something like that, thanks for clarifying John.

Benjoo

you are most welcome

Technically, I think they are for locating fixtures, not jigs, but everybody and everybody mixes up the terms jig and fixture. Here is one definition:

A jig is a type of tool that is used to control the location and/or motion of another tool. A fixture, on the other hand, is a work-holding or support device, used to hold the work in place.

Think of a "drilling jig" used to positively locate the position of drilled holes by providing hardened bushings the drill passes through. A "workholding fixture" would hold the part in the correct position to be drilled.

But everybody gets the terms mixed up, so who cares.

you are right main they are fixture holes used to set the top in the right position for bracing , rosetting and even when the top gets set to the sides.