what is a BODY PRESS?

[SnowManSnow]

so I was talking to a friend today that had been to Mr. Wayne Henderson's shop, and he said that he used what he called a body press to clamp the tops and bottom to the kerning instead of a bunch of those clamps that go over the edge... I have been searching and can't find a picture of one...

any help appreciated
B

[mirwa]

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online...ping_Deck.html

[SnowManSnow]

well.. from what I understood it was something different,
it was specifically for joining the top and back to the kerfing and sides.
That being said... I guess a go bar would also work

[H165]

from what I understood it was something different,

It is. It's a typical press, like an old-style book press. They can be made two ways:

1. Exact-fit: Top and bottom press plates made for a specific set of dimensions.

2. Universal fit: Top and bottom plates made to fit more than one model with the same curves and arches top and back.

The ones I've seen had interchangeable aluminum "die" plates like a typical press.

There are also the vacuum type presses, but I don't recall seeing one for the full body assembly.

I have an old hand-made full body clamping press but it's falling apart. Mine uses a plywood base for the flat top, and a set of adjustable-curve wood beams for the back. A bolt-down on each end of each beam.

[SnowManSnow]

Originally Posted by H165

It is. It's a typical press, like an old-style book press. They can be made two ways:

1. Exact-fit: Top and bottom press plates made for a specific set of dimensions.

2. Universal fit: Top and bottom plates made to fit more than one model with the same curves and arches top and back.

The ones I've seen had interchangeable aluminum "die" plates like a typical press.

There are also the vacuum type presses, but I don't recall seeing one for the full body assembly.

I have an old hand-made full body clamping press but it's falling apart. Mine uses a plywood base for the flat top, and a set of adjustable-curve wood beams for the back. A bolt-down on each end of each beam.

so really you just need to clamp the edges.. I'd think pressure across the top and entire back would be a no no since they have a radius

[phavriluk]

I saw such a press during a visit to Bourgeois in Maine a couple of weeks ago. The press was bought from Martin years ago when they elaborated their shop practices. I think I noticed that each unique body shape had its own set of shaped cauls to press a back and top against the rim at the same time. Sure is faster than a zillion clamps around the rim. But I think non-production-shop builders can achieve the same results with care and at little capital expense.

[SnowManSnow]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

I saw such a press during a visit to Bourgeois in Maine a couple of weeks ago. The press was bought from Martin years ago when they elaborated their shop practices. I think I noticed that each unique body shape had its own set of shaped cauls to press a back and top against the rim at the same time. Sure is faster than a zillion clamps around the rim. But I think non-production-shop builders can achieve the same results with care and at little capital expense.

I knew they existed
It would probably cost more to make one than to just buy the appropriate clamps.
What I DO like is the idea of putting pressure around the entire perimeter at once.


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[mirwa]

Someone else's

http://www.keldayguitars.com/keldayg...doub_back.html

2nd row 4th down

The go bar deck is one of the cheapest presses you can have, the rest is simply using custom cauls to fit in your press

It needs to be no more elaborate than that.

Steve

[John Arnold]

Wayne Henderson's is pretty simple. It consists of a table with a rack overhead that has turnscrews. He typically places a plywood piece on the top or back. This piece is cut to the shape of the body, and is cut out in the center so that it only applies pressure on the edges. Then, three narrow wooden boards are placed on top of the plywood (across the body), and the screws are wound down to press on the center of each cross piece.
Martin's older body presses had a single large screw on the center. Some of those were wood, but the later ones are metal.
The single screw promotes faster clamping.....a necessary feature when using hot hide glue.

[murrmac123]

An even faster method of clamping than a single screw, would be a cam action lever system with a large cam taking the place of the screw, and with an equally large lever arm... similar in principle to the lever arm on a normal cam clamp, but scaled up about twenty times.

[Aubade Acoustics]

Maybe? This is what I use to glue rims to top and bottom but only one at a time.

[SnowManSnow]

Yes... I think. So do you have anything around the parameter of the top / back?


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[charles Tauber]

Not exactly a body press, but this is one of the methods I use for gluing tops and backs to the sides:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSXmP_eD8c4

[Aubade Acoustics]

Originally Posted by SnowManSnow

Yes... I think. So do you have anything around the parameter of the top / back?


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The sides are held in the body mold, the bottom sits on a radiused plate with felt on it to match the bottom of the body and the top is flat on my guitars with a taper at the front edge for the neck angle. The top press board has a tapered cork section added in the front to press the top down from the sound hole to the neck block to mate the angle on the sides. I only glue one surface ( top or bottom) at a time because it would be to hard to do both at once.

[H165]

so really you just need to clamp the edges..

Yes. And, as noted several places above, it's easy to make a wood perimeter caul backed with an ordinary piece of flat plywood.

There are many ways to squish glue joints.

I have about 100 "big" violin (guitar) clamps that I made years ago. They would be a pain to use if I didn't enjoy the whole building process so much. I also bought a bin full of wooden cam clamps one day at a storage unit sale, so those are handy too.