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Thanks Hesh. Mine are pretty long and go to a deck that is also a storage shelf for the bars and other stuff.

I use my solera deck.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I use pretty much the same method (exact same clamps) but I use 3/4"x3/4"x4" plywood cauls and only half as many clamps. I arrange all the cauls around the edge of the body before I apply the glue (HHG). It takes me about 90 seconds to apply the glue and all the clamps.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

I also use my solera.
The first time I have used reed cane for the go bar deck (each cane cut in 3 lengths). One can find reed everywhere here. It can also be done with bamboo.

My go bars are the fibreglass tension rods in the chain link fence section at Home Depot .. buy the 60 inch length, cut in half ...

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Birch go bars; 1/4" x 1"..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2SuYAYJ5oQ

I've got a bunch of those which I bought after using them at deJonge's class (those were pretty long- the deck seemed quite high).
Even at 36" (the length for my deck) I find them over-firm for most uses; I know at 30" I'd find them too stiff.
I've 'gone back' to wooden sticks- I can afford to have 'sets' of different lengths, and when they break, they can be burned!

Cheers
John

My external forms are made with two layers of 3/4" wood with a 3/4" space between. When it comes time to glue on the top or back, I put small sticks all around the form in the space so that they stick out about an inch. I use the sticks as something to hook elastic bands over the plate being glued. Sorry I don't have a picture.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Here's a couple suggestions for the Money/Space impaired....

1. Ratchet tiedown straps... You can get a 4-pack at Wal-mart for $12.00 or so.....
2. Heavy weights on top of a fitted solera/dish
3. A whole bunch of clamps - You choose which ever flavor you prefer/have

On go-bar decks....
The caution I would give is that they have to withstand *Way* more force than you would ever think.... Say each stick is pushing with 20 lbs... and you have 20 sticks -- You gotta contain 400 lbs!

This is a sure way to break the bottoms out of Kitchen cabinets... Lift Kitchen cabinets off their hangers, break countertop mountings loose, pick up heavy steel office desks and shift things you can't even move without your 2-big gorilla type friends...

I have a 300 lb Office desk I have used as a Go-Bar deck on the current build... Lifted it completely off the ground with 10 Spruce wood sticks! Imagine my surprise.... Needless to say, I ripped most of them in half... then proceeded to lift it up with 18 sticks... I had to ballast it with another 200 lbs to keep the desk on the floor!

As for sticks -- If you have a reasonably straight 2x4 and a Bandsaw or table saw.. Make your own... Saw out 3/8" squares however long you need for your deck.... They need to be about 1" longer than your deck height... or alternatively.. Make them whatever length is convenient and then shim up the deck with pieces of 3/4" MDF... They work just fine!

Here's a pic showing how I had to ballast my heavy desk so it wouldn't lift off...


Thanks

John

Rick,

I can't help but not like the idea of just clamping the neck to the work bench. I guitar shaped work board would be a lot better IMO. If you have a band saw and some 3/4in ply or good quality press board you can cut one out in no time.

My caution is to wear eye protection when putting them on and off. Not too much to ask for the 3 minutes it takes to glue the top on. That is if you are as quick as Mario. I'm close.

Only power tools I have are a Dremel and a cordless drill. No money and def no room in my small apartment. Not that my landlady would let me put a table saw in here anyway!! I could imagine the phone call from upstairs once that thing started up hehe.

I actually did a test run with some inner tube I cut up and with the neck clamped to the bench and it seemed to work ok. Once the inner tube is on I can un-clamp it anyway and set it on the bench, so I only need it clamped for a few minutes.

I glued my first back today with spool clamps and two more solid lever type clamps to secure the neck/end blocks. I just took the clamps off after about 10 hours or so and everything was solid . So I will be using them indefinitely.

Not when you start using a mold and spreaders and HHG. You'll come around sooner or later.
There was a guy that made what he called magic fingers on this building mold.
If your a MIMF member here's a link to the library discussion.
http://www.mimf.com/library/diy_clamp.htm

What about the 45 degree of force from the opposite side ? Don't they cris-cross each other? Although the greatest concentration is at the clamp. But I understand what you are saying about it. And how the caul will more evenly distribute the pressure. I'm just messing with ya The same engineering principle is used in designing footings.

I use an arrangement similar to David's, except I made a bunch of small cauls to spread the clamping pressure. No possibility of using the go-bar deck or a press, as my plates are more cylindrical than radiused -and the back is different than the top-, and I'm not into carving 2 cauls for each model I make.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/