Installment 9: back to the soundboard bracing:
As I'd alluded to earlier, there was a mistake with the top that wasn't apparent until I performed my first tap test. There was a slight buzz that meant that my braces weren't fully glued to the top. That meant that they had to come off. Another major setback.
Maybe it was for the best. One thing I must say though is that I've found the online lutherie community to be among the most generous and supportive - even for the likes of me who are riddled with adult-onset ADD with a little OCD sprinkled in. My friend and I actually met through a mutual friend who is a luthier in central Ohio. He happily chiseled off my braces and confirmed what I'd done wrong. It took him 15 minutes to erase 3 months of my work! He dug into his pile for a pre-lapjointed pair and a new UTB to replace them though which was awful nice I must say.
These new braces were different than mine though. He looked at my plans and noted that the angle of the X brace was a bit tight to accommodate where the bridge was to go. The X that he gave me has a wider angle (which I'm told had several benefits) so I basically had to throw out my template and rebrace the top with the safety of a pre-rendered set of outlines. I like to think I was up to the challenge though, so I got to work:
I decided to save them for last and followed Natelson and Cumpiano's order for installing the braces:
First were the finger braces and upper transverse brace which have no radius on the underside
Then on to the X brace which has a 28' radius:
Inletting the other braces into the X:
Finishing up with the lower face braces and osage orange bridge plate which don't have a radius, leaving the X alone to provide the arch for the top:
Then taking my work home to finish up in my own go-bar deck:
The final pre-scalloped bracing:
Next time on to the back plate...
