Luthiers: body molds?
 

Hi all,

Ok, i narrowed down that i want to build the StewMac dread kit. only thing I can't get past is the cardboard mold with plywood waist clamp. Seems cheesy to me, compared to those nice wooden molds with cauls and turnbuckles holding the sides tightly.

So I found a nice one on ebay, and he says:

With Martin and other kits having the radius of the top and back built into the kit , the molds will accomodate this without distorting the body and causing problems during the build like a flat mold will. This is perfect for the guitar builders and luthiers

Not sure what that means, looks pretty squared to me. How does the mold have anything to do with accomodating the radius of the top/back? Isn't its job mainly to hold the sides rigidly in place? There isn't some inside angle off perpendicular to the table that I am unaware of is there? And if so, how would a cardboard cutout and plywood clamp maintain this?

thanks!

(yes i know about www.kitbuilder.com, just wnat to get y'all's opinions too!)
:D :D :D

To me all you need is a flat sided mold to accomodate the sides. Radius does not have anything to do with the mold...
If you want email me the Ebay link and I'll throw in a few more cents!

Aslo, I would recommend a solid mold.... adjustable molds are not as efficient.

Hi Peter,

here is the link, and all the extra cents you can throw me will be money in the bank for me!! :) thanks again,

Adam

http://cgi.ebay.com/Luthier-Martin-G...QQcmdZViewItem

Thats the one you want!! and John Hall is a great person to deal with too!

awesome! kinda figured, but i was a little thrown off by the radius statement, since i couldn't figure out what that would have to do wtih it. Think the stewmac instructions would have to be radically altered to use this with their kit?

Have you bought the kit yet? If not, John sell great kits too! Either way you can email him and he'lll let you know if it fits or not... he has done so many, he'll have the answer for you....

No not yet, still have a few bills to pay down, just ramping up the knowledge phase. the listing says it will fit the stewmac kit, and I did email him. will let you know what he says.

My shop is almost finished, just putting the final touches on it lately. I am so excited to get started, and as always, grateful for the great info i get here. Thanks Peter!

Another vote for John, my 12 string kit came from him. I have had very good luck making my own molds out of pressboard - and I know you've probably seen this on the kit forum

http://www.kitguitarsforum.com/forum...id=961_0_6_0_C]

I simply traced half the plan on a sheet of 3/4 pressboard, cut four pieces with a band saw (clamp them together and cull them all at once) and spaced them with a couple of 3/4 scraps. The waist expander was made out of the parts cut out - they will nicely be the correct shape.

I don't understand what they are saying about the top and back radius - I simply clamped the mold to another piece of flat pressboard while gluing the top on, then when I turned it over to glue the back on (top down ) I made a little 1/4 inch thick spacer ring so the clamping pressure was all on the rim.

Very, very impressive...

I notice you have a expander pushing out at the waist, but not one going from block to block - is there a reason for that? I would be worried about pulling them out of square (with respect to the flat surface its on).

Many of the pics I saw of others building only had the waist expander so that was all I did. I did, however, clamp the ends to the mold. Here was my very first one, similar mold, there is a picture of the clamps

http://www.kitguitarsforum.com/forum...=125_0_6_120_C

You could even use a sabre saw and a rasp to make the mold. That is the one big use I made of the band saw (except when I built the mando - I needed a band saw a lot for that one)