Stew mac Kits, A useful jig to hold the body.

[Dave Sayers]

One of the attractions of Stew Mac kits is that they clearly show you how to build a good guitar with the minimum of tools and equipment. They even provided the inner cardboard templates. Then you use a body clamp to hold the body in shape. I do have to say that I really appreciated this when building the first one.
The trouble with the Stew Mac method is that body clamp sticking out below during many operation, and on the 000 build I am doing now is just a nuisance.
This is my answer. It should be quite self explanatory from the photos. Useful for body mould builds too! It even comes apart and stores flat!

[justrfb]

Nice thinking and work... It is quite a journey building these beautiful instruments, isn't it.

Sincerely,
Rich

[Dave Sayers]

more fun than watching tv, that's for sure

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Nice jig Dave. I tried the inside mold, waist holder deal with my first guitar and it was just adequate.
Your deal looks good. I hope it works well for you.

Kevin

[Dave Sayers]

thank you. So far the body jig is working well.

I have to admit that I posted the information for the benefit of first and second time builders. I know it's great to have body moulds and all the other expensive stuff like a body mould and I have made a very nice and accurate one for my Blues Creek figured maple L1 kit, but a first time builder may be put off by the additional cost. If someone had told me I couldn't build a guitar kit without a body mould $90 minimum, a binding machine $425 and a body cradle $100 I would have given up on building my own guitar and gone down to the local guitar shop and bought a mid range mass produced guitar. As I wasn't a member of any guitar building forum during the first build I got on with it and loved the (very poor) result and knew I had to make another one.

Sometimes, when the choice is between a 14" cutting depth band saw and a visit to the grandchildren the grandchildren win.

[Victory Pete]

I have mine so it fits in my Harbor Freight bench vices. Works great.