Assembly
The assembly portion consists of gluing the back to the ribs, cutting the pilot hole for the endpin and inserting the label, then gluing on the belly to the back/ribs. After this a mortise is cut in the top block of the assembly to fit the neck into. Once the neck is glued in place, the final shaping of the neck will be finished. After this its on to grounds and varnishing.
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- The back, rib garland, belly and partially finished neck-fingerboard-scroll, ready to be assembled.
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- The back is first glued to the ribs
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- Me attaching the spool calms prior to gluing.
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- The label is attached and the endpin hole piloted prior to putting on the belly
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- Once the clamps are in place we glue around the edge by removing a section at a time.
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- The belly is attached in the same manner as the back
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- The corners are lined up first, then the upper and lower blocks
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- The glue only takes about an hour to set.
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- After assembly the neck is attached to the body by cutting a mortise into the top block. This is a exacting process and is done is very small increments.
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- The ribs are cut away and the neck is test fitted repeatedly.
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- Here the ribs are cut through and the mortise is entering the top block.
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- The cutting can be started with a fine veneer saw, but is finished with knives and chisels.
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- As progress is made, the neck positioning is checked against critical measurements. The height is projected to the bridge, the fingerboard must be parallel to the belly, or slightly lower on the E-string side.
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- Eventually the excess under the heel of the neck is cut to fit over the button.
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- The neck is test fit for a snug fit. It must provide the correct stop-length (nut to body distance) or this will frustrate players!
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- The button is marked out on the overhang left on the back plate.
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- The button is rough cut and will be finished as the neck and heel are finished.
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- The neck is test fitted several times and must fit perfectly. Its then glued and clamped.
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- The neck is now attached to the instrument with the correct alignment.
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- The neck is then finished to its final shape, along with the heel and button.
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