Thicknessing and bracing a Sitka archtop.

[rocket]

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Iv'e taken a bunch of pics of this current build so the customer can see what's under the bonnet, but i thought some in here might be interested also.
This thread starts with the Sitka spruce top already having had the outer arching completed and then i've roughly carved out the inner surface, taking thickness measurements with the dial calliper,the plate is graduated from 6mm in the centre to 3.75mm just inside the lining line.
Then it goes on to scribing and fitting the braces, i glue the braces in and then carve them down to the required height and shape i want, on this build i've put a cap over the intersection of the braces.
Cutting out and binding the "F" holes is the next step, not a job i particularly love but it adds a lot to the aesthetics of the instrument and also provides some protection to the exposed end grain in the sound holes

Cheers.
Rod.

[Crafty Fox]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. I hope to start my first archtop later this year so I find your excellent work inspiring and very helpful.

[Nick]

Do you find yourself building more x'd braced than parallel Rod? Personally I like the tone of a parallel braced top but most customers/interested parties like the mellower x. Just interested in which you are building more of.

[rocket]

Building more X than parallel Nick, tone wood choice has a big impact on the tone you get out of these but in my experience the parallel braced instrument will give you a much brighter sound than an X braced instrument that will be more woody/mellow. Most of my Xbracings have been on instruments with blackwood backs and parallel builds have been on maple backs, this on is on a maple back so i'll be interested in what it produces, i'm guestimating somewhere between the two.
Rod.