Official Luthiers Forum!

I can find uses for the cut-offs at the waist of the backs, like rosettes or head plates, but what about the cut-offs at the waist of tops? Does anyone use these pieces for anything? ...maybe side bracing or something...? I'd like to use it for something other than waste...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

firewood?

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

popsicle braces and soundhole reinforcements?

Save them to have matching wood for when the top needs repair?

Defintily not waste! JM has apoint with repairs. Myself I use them to get the density for both inner and outer sections of the tree, and I save them for later reference. On the larger pieces it is possible to do some useful deflection testing. If there is no runout I can cut fan braces. If there is some runout, they are still good for soundhole and side braces.
You can also use them for back reinforcement strips.

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Build log

Use them to widen the top from which they were cut.

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Oops - I misread the post. I thought you asked about the backs and tops.

I keep them for repairs, small braces and for any "just in case" scenarios that come up.

Laurie

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Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.

All of the above.

I also use the, for side reinforcement braces.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

If ever you are using waist off cuts as wings to widen a top, it is a good idea to take the piece from one plate of the book match, flip it over, and then glue it to the opposite plate from which it was originally cut. Doing so will match up any runout in the top perfectly so the wings will remain virtually undetectable once a finish goes on and light refraction comes in to play.

Edit: By Kim 12/12/11....The above paragraph is misinformed. To match grain runout with the top plate so that light refraction within a waist off cut glued on as a 'wing' remains the same, you must either take the waste from the 'same' side it had been cut from and then shoot a new jointing edge along its 'curved' edge, being that edge cut to form the waist of the top/back, or, the curved edge from the opposite plate...flipping will make no difference to runout orientation as the angle remains the same regardless of which surface you view it from.

Cheers

Kim

Clamping cauls, cleat material, Glue removing tools the list is as long as your imagination

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I use them to make an all-side-grain middle bit for the soundhole...



Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Tasteful and cleverly executed Dave.

I label one so I know which side, bass or treble, it came from, which end points to the neck, which guitar it came from, in case I need a patch if the customer needs a repair done to the top. The one repair I've done is pretty much invisible.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com