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Morning all -

Background - I came across a StewMac 000 kit at a bargain price. This being my second Stewmac build, I wanted to avoid the interior cardboard mold and set out to make an exterior mold. I probably should have ordered the mold ready-made from John, but I do have a thick skull. And I must say, I enjoyed making a lot of sawdust. The process was good preparation for the build as it got me thinking about the order of the build and what new things I hoped to learn. It also was a good opportunity to tune up my machines and organize the shop.

• The good news - the sides of the mold are vertical and symmetrical.
• The bad news - Ater smoothing out the side walls, the mold is a skoche bigger than what the plans called for. At the end of the lower bout, there is a 3/8" gap between the two pre-cut sides.

Not so coincidentally, this is where the end trim is placed. So am I right to assume that I can simply proceed without too much fear, and use the end trim in the gap?

I would. That's what happens when we cut away the sides for the end trim anyway.

Yep. I always try to get both the neck and tail joints tight, but, sometimes “stuff” happens. I usually fit the neck block install first and work pretty hard to make sure everything is tight and square. While I want the tail block to be the same, I’m not quite as particular on it since any gap in the side joint is going to be routed out when fitting the end wedge. You should be fine.

Thanks guys - I’ll check that little issue off the worry list.

The kit was originally manufactured in 2008, so I have some nice, seasoned wood to work with. But the sides have lost a bit of their shape and now it’s time to aim for a passive fit. BTW, included in the kit was a StewMac catalog from 2008. Great prices!