Official Luthiers Forum!

A simple question, I hope. How many do I need?

TIA

Steve

More than you think if you plan to attach tops and backs using the deck I have 40 and that is plenty 20 is a decent supply to start with

What Michael said. When I used a go bar system, and at other shop used wood dowels. They come in long lengths and could get a few out of one piece. Found that various lengths helped when clamping tops and backs to the sides, or heighths of braces different.

Stan, I've been planning on using wooden dowels instead of ordering the CF tubes. What diameter did you find worked well? And what length did you cut them to?

Thanks.

-Clint

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-Clint Beacock

Any hard wood will do. I'll buy some ash and cut them from it since ash is pretty cheap compared to other hard woods. The length depends on your deck height and what you are gluing up. I've also used some 5/16" thick oak flooring that was left over from my kitchen floor. Cut it into 5/8"-3/4" strips. I like the 3/4" better as they don't break as easy. Note to wear eye protection when working with them and keep your face away from them.

If you have a table saw and a wood scrap pile you can cut rectangular go bars from that. My best ones are made from straight grained ash and oak. The rectangular cross section makes them more manageable than square ones, I find.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I have 36 fiberglass rods(3/16"), a dozen of which are varying heights. You can't have too many but you sure don't want to find out you don't have enough with glue drying.

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Jeremy Douglas

I ordered mine from goodwindskites.com. I got 12 72" fiberglass rods, 3/16" diam for $1.35 each. So for about 16 dollars I got 36 24" rods out of the lot. They also have the little vinyl ends for them. I only have the one size, so I put my radius dishes on a a little pedestal if need be.

Darrin

I cut mine from old, left-over pine 2x4s laying around the shop....... Apparently I am not as on-top-of-it as some with the hard wood dowels. But, as long as you have them the right dimensions for the stiffness of wood (harder probably = thinner) I imagine they will work. Yeah, I agree to have LOTS on hand before you glue - I set it all up before I glue so I know where I am going to put them and how many I need.

Thinking more about it - I bet mine won't last as long as nice hard wood ones would.

5/16" when I used them and at Moll's, use varied lengths. I just took the ones for braces and measured how long needed for say X brace, and #4 back brace or upper transverse brace. and cut them. Had a color on them to match a legend thing until could remember what sticks for what braces, top or back. Just have to mess with them until get it with your deck or whatever doing. Take in considration the cauls if use them.

Seems like no matter how many I have on hand, I always need to come up with a couple more!

I cut some out of some straight grained red oak that work well, then I also bought a couple dozen of the fiberglass ones at Home Depot that they sell as driveway markers or something like that. They work well also and come with the little plastic feet on one end.

Don't forget goodwindkites.com. Excellent source for 72" rods and caps. Inexpensive too. I know, we have vendors... but like buying stuff from the vendors I can't get elsewheres.

Mike

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I got fiberglass driveway marker rods from the local big box home improvement store. Cut them to the length I wanted and they work great. Just make sure to put a caul under them if you use the cut end with no vinyl protector.

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Rob

Rob, I thought about using those once. If you go over to the hardware department where the "specialty drawers" are, you can find vinyl protectors.

Also, you can buy them from the website I mentioned above.

Mike