sanding them on a 150 grit sanding block.
position on the one edge of each brace facing the neck block. Using a square along the
centerline extend a line off the mark to the perimeter of the back. Use a straight edge to
draw the line all the way across the back. Repeat this procedure at all four brace
locations.
of the back plate, than mark the edge of the reinforcement on the back. Extend the
reinforcement edge line the full length of the back.
and tail block on the back. The reinforcement material will stop at this point on each
end of the back.
material is too short to cover the whole length of the back, the sections need to be
butted. To conceal the joint place the seam where a brace will cross. Cut the material to
fall short of the block intersection marks that were made above.
clamping caul to glue the
reinforcement material. It should be
straight or slightly bowed. If bowed, the
convex bowed edge should be placed
down against the reinforcement.
the bench.
arrangement, for this procedure three
cam clamps and one conventional
clamp works well.
strips, I like to use a Popsicle stick with
taper sanded on the end, a brush also
works OK.
starts to set, its best to stabilize the
reinforcement strips with a few pieces
of masking tape.
apply pressure making sure the strips
align with the edge lines that were
marked previously. Clean up the glue
squeeze out using a tapered stick.
Sometimes its best to let the glue set
up a little to prevent smearing.
reinforcement material. Protect the surface of the back to prevent scratching. I use a
piece of sheet metal; card stock will work just as good. Use progressive sand paper
grits 100 to 320.
a simple tool can be made from a piece of scrap wood. The wood must be cut square
and parallel. Mark the width of the reinforcement perpendicular to the length. Than
chisel out that section so the tool will straddle the reinforcement. The tool can be used
as a square and a saw guide.
the precision contoured back braces.
The two shorter braces are joined and
need to be cut to separate.
length of each brace than trim to size.
reinforcement. Use the lines drawn previously as the guide marks both edges of
the brace. The saw guide tool we made above can be used to help stabilize the
brace while drawing the lines
braces to fit snug in the notches we are now cutting.
process we will not round off any of the edges at this time. The photo below
illustrates the goal.
four braces at each end.
photo below. The longest braces have the mark the longest distance from the center
and so on.
make an arch from the line just drawn to the intersection of the line 3/16’ from the
contoured edge. Repeat for all the braces ends. Note that AFTER the braces are
glued to the back plate the ends will be thinned to 1/16".
band saw etc. to cut the brace profiles.
Sand smooth, a piece of plastic pipe
wrapped with 100-grit paper makes
short work of the task.
cauls on the work board in the location of the brace to be glued.
up – three cam clamps and two
conventional clamps works well. Once
satisfied with the setup apply a neat
thin layer of glue to the brace, line up
the centerlines and apply the clamps.
Take care to make sure the brace
dose not slip out of position. A piece of
masking tape can be used to help
stabilize the brace.
be glue simultaneously. Be sure to use contour cauls under each brace.
assure the binding will cover the rim notches. A chisel and sanding drum works well for
this process an alternative method would be the use of a flapper wheel sander chucked
in an electric drill motor.
pieces of cardboard taped to the back to prevent damage.
