Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm reading and looking at Cumpino and Natelson book and saw that He puts his X brace after finger brace, sound hole braces,bridge plate and so on.

Does it have to be this order? why not glue on the X brace and use that as a reference to shape and glue other braces?

Thanks for the help, David

I don't think the order matters.

I'm with you.... X first.

Mark

Ditto! And if you start your shaping and voicing with only the X on, as I do, this makes all the sense in the world - at least to me.

I believe he suggests it that way because it's easiest to clamp in that order (lowest - height wise - braces first).

If you have a go-bar deck or a vacuum system, I imagine you can do whatever you want.

I've done the tone bars and finger braces first. Makes it easier to taper their ends where they butt up against the X. Then the X and taper it. But this way, it makes it more awkward to do the sides of the X.
If I put the X down first, it's easier to profile the X-brace, but not as easy to do the finger braces and tone bars. In either case, the UTB and bridge plate are last, then final shaping.

So, choose your medicine.

_________________
formerly known around here as burbank
_________________

http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I've gone to X first on my X braced guitars. A lot easier to butt the others up to the
X than to fit them so the X drops in with the rest nicely butted.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Order depends on convenience, bracing layout and clamping technique. I do my X first as all other bracing below the sound hole butts up against the X brace. I pre profile the incline that butts against the X brace on finger and tone bars prior to gluing them in place. The shave as needed to reach Zero at the opposite end with a chisel after glued up. Then use a finger plane to finish all profiling.