Stewart MacDonald 5295 Manuel utilisateur

Dreadnought

Acoustic Guitar Kit

#5295 Assembly Instructions

www.stewmac.com

Getting started

Welcome to guitar building! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Recommended tools and supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Kitpartslist.....................................3

Side Assembly

Assemblingthesides ...........................4

Makingabodymold............................5

Installing kerfed linings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Squaring the neck block and tailblock . . . . . . . . . . .6

Leveling the kerfed linings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Soundboard bracing and ﬁtting

Installing the soundhole rosette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Installing the soundboard bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Bridge and shoulder brace clamping cauls . . . . . . .9

Fitting the soundboard to the sides . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Opening the dovetail joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Installing the soundboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Back bracing and ﬁtting

Installing the back bracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Fitting the back to the sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Installing the side reinforcing strips . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Installingtheback ..............................13

Routing and binding

Trimming the top and back overhang . . . . . . . . . . .14

Routing for the plastic body bindings . . . . . . . . . . .14

Shaping end trim and heel cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Installingtheendtrim ..........................16

Installing the bindings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Peghead shaping and drilling

Pegheadoverlay................................17

Shapethepeghead.............................17

Fittingthetrussrod.............................18

Making a fretboard

Trimming the fretboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Inlayingthefretboard...........................19

Installing the fretboard side dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Installingthefrets ..............................20

Installing the fretboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Neck shaping and ﬁtting

Shapingtheneck ...............................22

Fittingtheheelcap .............................22

Understanding the neck joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

The neck heel sets the neck angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Fitting the neck to the body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Neck adjustment: side-to-side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Neck adjustment: tilt the neck back . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Neck adjustment: tilt the neck up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Tightening the dovetail joint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Installing the last frets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Installingthenut ...............................26

Finishing

Introduction to ﬁnishing and materials . . . . . . . . . .27

Sandingthebody ..............................27

Fillingthefretends .............................28

Sandingtheneck ...............................28

Spray handles and hangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Masking the neck and body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Staining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Applying a washcoat to seal the wood . . . . . . . . . .29

Filling the wood grain pores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Lacquer spraying schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Sanding and rubbing-out the ﬁnish . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Final assembly and setup

Prepare for neck installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Installtheneck .................................31

Prepare for bridge installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Installingthebridge ............................32

Fittingthebridgepins...........................32

Fitting the bridge saddle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Installing the tuning machines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Seatingthestrings..............................33

Understanding neck relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Nut slotting, saddle adjustment & string action . .34

Levelingthefrets ...............................36

Installing the pickguard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Installingtheendpin............................36

CONGRATULATIONS! ...........................36

Table of contents

stewmac.com

Large cam clamp (2) #3723

Spool clamps (24) #0684

Clothes Pins (50)

Medium bar-style clamp (2)

Supplies

3/4" plywood workboard 24" x 20"

Titebond glue #0620

Weld-On Cement #1975

Superglue (#0010 thin and #0020 medium)

Double-stick tape #1689

Draftsman’s tape (low tack)

Masking/binding tape (high tack) #0677

Rubber binding bands #1274 (option to using binding tape)

Sandpaper (80, 100, 150 and 220-grit)

Wax paper

White pencil

Felt-tip marker

Clean cotton glove

Finishing materials (for aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer ﬁnish)

Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step book #5095

Fre-Cut® sandpaper 150, 220, 320, 600, 800, and 1200-grit at least 2 sheets

of each grit (included in Finishing Paper Sampler Package #5562)

ColorTone Concentrated Liquid Stain (tobacco brown #5034, red

mahogany #5032)

ColorTone Waterbase Grain Filler, medium brown #5577

ColorTone Clear Gloss aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer (6) #3881

Black superglue #0020-B (or black epoxy)

Blush Eraser #1313

Stewart-MacDonald Polishing Compound medium #1202 and ﬁne #1203

Stewart-MacDonald Swirl Remover #1204 (optional)

Foam Polishing Pads for your 1/4" electric hand drill (2 or 3) #3414

Naphtha solvent #0775

Paint stripper

Masking supplies: brown paper, masking tape, cardboard and

rubber balloon (or newspaper) for soundhole

The following tools and supplies are recommended to as-

semble your kit. Though all of these tools aren’t necessary

to build your kit, they make many assembly steps easier

and more professional. Where applicable, item numbers for

ordering from Stewart-MacDonald are included.

For binding installation, you have a couple of different

options to choose from depending on the tools you already

own. If you plan on using a laminate trimmer or router for

binding channels, we suggest our Binding Router Bit Set

(#1298). It is our preferred method. If you plan on routing

your binding channels with a Dremel tool, our Precision

Router Set (#5263) ships with everything you will need.

Tools

Electric hand drill

Coping saw

Center punch or awl

Glue brushes #4167

6" Steel rule #4894

1/2" Chisel

1/4" and 3/8"-diameter brad point bit (in #0339 set)

File set #0842

Mini-rasp set #3064

Nut-slotting ﬁles (#4541, 4542, 4543, and 4544 are suggested for the kit)

Fret Leveler #0862

Dressing stick #1826

Fret cutter #0619

Fret hammer #4895

24" Straightedge #3799

Radius gauge set #5432

.020" gauged saw #3598

Scraper blade #0654

Bridge pin reamer #3227

Violin reamer (to enlarge pegholes for bushings) #0344

Small cam clamps (at least 4) #3723

Recommended tools and supplies

and the season, you may need to humidify or dehumidify

your shop to maintain the desired relative humidity. It is ad-

visable to purchase a thermometer/hygrometer to monitor

your shop’s climate. If you’re unable to control the relative

humidity in your shop, we discourage building the guitar

during the transition from dry to wet seasons, or vise versa.

The radical change in humidity can cause warping, splitting

or other serious complications.

Throughout the assembly of the kit you’ll need a ﬂat work-

board of 3/4" plywood approximately 24" long and 20" wide,

big enough for your guitar’s body assembly.

Be safe when using tools, glues, and chemicals. Wear

eye protection and gloves when needed, and always

use proper ventilation.

You are about to build a truly great guitar! We designed this

kit with the small shop builder and a modest tool budget

in mind, with the exception of a few specialty guitar mak-

ing tools.

Please read these instructions before building your guitar.

They were written to include all variations of our Dread-

nought Acoustic Guitar Kit. Options include dovetail or

bolt-on neck, and back and side woods of either mahogany

or rosewood.

Also, it’s very important to acclimate the wood to your build-

ing environment. The ideal building environment tempera-

ture is 70-80° Fahrenheit, with a controlled relative humidity

of 45-50%. The kit wood should be laid out and allowed to

“equalize” for one week in your shop. Flip the wood daily to

neutralize excessive warping. Depending upon your location

Getting started

Welcome to guitar building!

stewmac.com

1Bent sides, rosewood or

mahogany (2)

2Slotted ebony fretboard

3Mahogany neck, dovetail

or bolt-on

4Kerfed lining (8)

5Neck block, dovetail or bolt-on

6Tailblock

7Purﬂing (2), herringbone or

black/white

8Sitka spruce soundboard

9Back, rosewood or mahogany

10 Black pickguard

11 Building an Acoustic Guitar Kit

DVD

12 Blueprint

13 Bracing pattern

14 Cardboard body form (2)

15 Fretwire (3)

16 Herringbone rosette (3 pieces)

17 Rosewood peghead

overlay veneer

Kit parts list

18 Maple bridge plate stock

19 Binding (2)

20 Back brace set (9 pieces)

21 Reinforcement strips (3)

22 Hot Rod truss rod

23 End trim, heel cap

24 White pearl dots (8)

25 White side dot material

26 Ebony bridge

27 Bone saddle blank

28 Bone nut blank

29 Bridge pins (6), cream

or black

30 Endpin, cream or black

31 Shim stock

(not in bolt-on kit)

32 Top brace set (11 pieces)

Not pictured: this assembly

instructions book, scrap wood,

and large rubber band.

23 24

29 30

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Save the cardboard box your kit came in. Cut away the

sides of the box and use the large top and bottom to create

a double-thick cardboard surface on your workboard.

Each bent guitar side has been formed from a tapered piece

of wood. One of the longer edges is straight (the guitar top)

and the other is slightly curved (the back). Place the sides,

straight edges down, on the cardboard and butt the ends

together. The sides shouldn’t rock on the workboard surface.

Pencil accurately measured centerlines on the neck block

and the tailblock, and align these marks against the inner

seams of the adjoining guitar sides. The open top of the

neck block must face downward against the workboard,

and both blocks must be ﬂush with the sides at the top and

bottom.

Dry-clamp the two blocks to the sides, place a piece of wood

across the waist, and rest a weight (a couple of bricks worked

for us) on the piece of wood (pictured) to keep the sides

ﬂat against the cardboard. Now readjust the neck block and

tailblock while the sides are weighted down.

KIT TIP: Dry clamping

It’s important to try ﬁtting and clamping kit pieces

before you use glue. Practice a “dry run” to make

sure you have all the clamps and cauls needed

before glue is applied. We found that using an acid

ﬂux brush (common in hardware stores) helps to

apply the glue evenly on the surface.

The neck block is beveled on the surfaces which will contact

the top and back of the guitar. The back side of the neck

block has a fairly steep 5° angle to match the arch of the

back; the open top of the neck block has a shallower 1-1/2°

taper. Trace around the neck block onto the cardboard, and

use a sharp knife to cut along that line through the ﬁrst layer

of cardboard. Don’t cut the edge where the block meets

the guitar sides. This allows you to compress the cardboard

downward to make clearance for the 1-1/2° taper of the

neck block as you press it down against the ﬂat surface of

the cardboard. Viewed from the side, in cross-section, both

ends of the neck block are ﬂush where they meet the sides,

but are higher than the sides as they taper up toward the

interior of the guitar.

The side of the neck block that touches the guitar sides is

curved. A clamping caul with matching curvature (illus-

trated) should be prepared from scrap wood and placed

against the outer side seam. The same caul will ﬁt both the

neck block and tailblock areas.

KIT TIP: Cauls

You’ll need scrap wood to make cauls that will be

used throughout assembly. Cauls are used to apply

even pressure while glue dries, and to protect the

guitar’s surface from the clamps.

Remove the clamps and, one at a time, apply Titebond glue

to the inner block surfaces. Reclamp using four clamps per

block. Wipe off the excess glue with a damp cloth and let

the assembly dry overnight before unclamping. Use waxed

paper to prevent the wooden parts from being glued to the

cardboard surface.

Side Assembly

Assembling the sides

Clamping caul with

curved face

Use

waxed

paper to

protect

guitar

sides

Use four

clamps

Cut the

corrogated

board to fit

the angled

face of the

neck block

Neck

block

5° taper for back

1-1/2° taper for top

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Using the two heavy cardboard body forms (supplied with

the kit) create a guitarmaking form which supports the body

during the early stages of assembly.

First, place two scraps of 3/4" plywood onto the work surface

inside the guitar. This will lift the cardboard form up to make

room for the kerfed linings which will be installed later. Lay

the ﬁrst cardboard piece onto the 3/4" plywood inside the

guitar body.

Next, glue a 2" thick block of scrap wood onto the cardboard,

centered about 4" from the smaller end of the guitar mold.

Then glue a second 2-1/2" piece of scrap wood, centered

about 4" from the bottom (larger end) of the guitar mold.

Glue the second piece of cardboard onto them. Now the

two cardboard forms are fastened together with blocks of

wood between them, creating a three-dimensional form for

supporting the guitar sides.

Make a U-shaped waist clamp from 3/4"-thick plywood,

using the waist clamp measurements (illustrated). The

purpose of the waist clamp is to hold the guitar's waist tight

to the inner cardboard mold, maintaining a constant shape

until the back is glued on.

Use a ﬁle to round the two inner edges of the waist clamp

to remove edges and protect the guitar sides.

To start out, install the waist clamp from the back side of

the guitar. (Later, after the top is installed, you'll switch the

waist clamp to the top side) When sliding the waist clamp

on, hold the guitar sides tight against the cardboard form

to keep from cracking the sides. If the ﬁt is too tight, remove

small amounts from each side of the U-shape until the waist

clamp slides snugly onto the waist (but not so snug that it's

hard to remove).

Making a body mold

Rounded

edge

Waist

clamp

2" block

2-1/2"

block

Corrugated

cardboard

Workboard

3/4"

scrap

10-13/16"

14-13/16"

Waist Clamp

Made from 3/4"-thick plywood

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Eight kerfed (notched) wooden lining strips, or “kerﬁng”,

are supplied for reinforcing the glue joints between the

soundboard, sides and back. Refer to the blueprint; dry-

clamp (no glue) the kerﬁng strips to the top edge of the

side assembly using ordinary spring-tension clothespins

(pictured). Each side of the guitar requires two strips, which

should be accurately trimmed where they meet the body

blocks. Use at least four or ﬁve dozen clothespins. The top

(gluing) surface of the kerﬁngs should extend 1/32" above

the edge of the guitar’s sides, on both the top and back

sides. The kerﬁng is left slightly tall so that you’ll have a little

wood to sand off until the kerﬁng comes perfectly ﬂush with

the top edge of the sides, and to make up for any possible

misalignment during glue-up. Disassemble, trim the lin-

ings, glue them into place with Titebond, check the 1/32"

clearance and reclamp. Let the glue dry for 4 hours. Install

the kerﬁng strips on the back edge of the side assembly in

the same manner.

Installing kerfed linings

Squaring the neck block and tailblock

Although they work quite well, the waist clamp and card-

board inner body mold still allow some movement. Handle

the rim assembly carefully, especially until the top and back

are glued on and the assembly becomes more rigid. Lay the

rim assembly topside-down on the plywood work surface,

weight it down again, and use a square at each end to see if

the neck block and tailblock are square to the plywood sur-

face. If either end is slightly out of square, use a thin tapered

wedge pressed between the cardboard inner body mold

and either the neck block or tailblock as needed, to force the

blocks and sides into square (pictured). Having the sides

properly squared up at this stage is important.

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Prepare a “sanding board” from a straight ﬂat piece of wood

about 3-4" wide, at least 1" thick, and 24" long (illustrated).

Add a wedge on each side of one end of the sanding board.

These wedges will tip the sanding board to match the angles

of the top and back as you sand the kerfed linings, neck and

tailblocks. The wedges should be approximately 8" long, and

as wide as the sanding board. Make one wedge 5° for the

back linings, and the other 1-1/2° for the top linings.

Rest the side assembly, with the straight top edge down,

on the ﬂat surface of your workbench. The front shoulders

should overhang the bench, so that the waist clamp can be

fastened to the edge of the benchtop with two wood screws.

If you’re unable to screw the waist clamp to the bench, clamp

a board ﬂush to the bottom edge of your bench, and clamp

or screw the waist clamp to the board.

Draw a white pencil line on the edge of the guitar sides to

serve as an indicator of your sanding progress. Stop sanding

when the line is gone and you begin to graze the sides. Us-

ing double-stick tape, attach 80-grit sandpaper to the side

of the sanding board with the 5° wedge. Hold the wedged

end of the board against the tailblock as a pivot point, and

begin sanding the neck block and the front shoulder area

ﬁrst. Work around the sides to the tailblock, moving the

pivot point frequently, until the sandpaper begins grazing

the white pencil marks on the top edge of the sides. It’s easy

to oversand the sides and the kerfed linings, leaving the

neck block or tailblock higher than the sides, and causing

a “hump” in that area later. Keep this in mind, and give the

blocks a little extra sanding. White pencil them several times

and use a straightedge to be sure they are ﬂat.

Move the waist clamp to the back side of the rim assembly,

and refasten the clamp to the bench with the top kerfed lin-

ings facing up. Repeat the sanding process, using the 1-1/2°

wedged side of the sanding board. The top kerfed linings

have a slighter bevel and are easier to sand than those on the

back of the rim. When your sanding reaches the white pencil

line, the linings are ready for the guitar top to be ﬁtted.

KIT TIP: Back kerﬁng

The back kerfed linings can be level-sanded AFTER

the top is glued to the sides. The rigidity added by

the glued top makes the sanding easier and more

accurate. If you choose this option, level the top

kerfed linings ﬁrst (pictured), and sand the back

linings just before removing the cardboard inner

mold.

1-1/2° wedge

for sanding top edge

5° wedge for

sanding back edge

Sandpaper

on both sides

Sands the kerfing

at the angle

of the tapered

block

Leveling the kerfed linings

stewmac.com

Glue the purﬂings in place with Titebond and press them

ﬁrmly into the channels. A ﬂat clamping caul covered in wax

paper will seat them well. After drying, scrape the purﬂings

ﬂush to the surface of the soundboard, using a sharp scraper

blade. Flex the scraper slightly as you work, and trim the

purﬂings until the tool begins to pick up bits of spruce.

Soundboard bracing and ﬁtting

Installing the soundhole rosette

Installing the soundboard bracing

Three bent wooden purﬂings form the soundhole rosette.

The two narrow rings composed of parallel black and white

strips install in the inner and outer rings of the rosette, and

the wide decorative ring goes in the middle channel.

The purﬂings are longer than needed, to enable the removal

of the straightened ends on each ring left from the bending

process. Dry-ﬁt the three rings in their channels. Trim the

ends closely at a slight angle to compensate for the curve of

the channel. The outer and center ring joints will be hidden

under the fretboard, so you don’t have to be too critical with

the ﬁt of the ends. However, be careful to trim the inner ring

accurately, as it will be exposed. Trim the outer and center

rings ﬁrst for practice, and then concentrate on the inner

ring. A few extra minutes of careful work here will make a

big difference in the appearance of the ﬁnal instrument.

Using the bracing pattern, pencil the soundboard bracing

pattern (pictured) on the inside surface of the soundboard

(cut small holes in the pattern at the corners and intersec-

tions of the braces, lay the pattern on the soundboard,

transfer the hole positions in pencil, and “connect the dots”

on the soundboard when the blueprint is lifted away). The

pattern MUST be correctly centered along the soundboard’s

center seam, with the soundhole properly located. Note that

the soundboard and the back have been trimmed to allow

about 1/8" overhang all around. This offers a little freedom

when assembling the top and back to the rim, and will be

trimmed away later.

The two long X-braces (T-1 on the blueprint), the tall front

shoulder brace (T-5), and the tone-bars (T-2) are radiused.

The ﬂat shoulder brace and the four small braces (T-3) are

not radiused.

With the soundboard face down on your workboard, place

these two X-braces on the penciled lines and mark where

they cross. With a razor saw, notch the radiused T-1 braces

so they interlock. Using the rigid workboard, dry-clamp the

ends in place, ﬂat to the soundboard (pictured). Clamp

the center of the “X” down, using one or two long cam

clamps. The combination of the curved braces and the rigid

workboard will produce the proper soundboard arch when

the clamps are removed.

As shown in the blueprint, the ends of the T-2 tone-bars,

the four small T-3 braces, and the maple bridge plate tuck

under the X-braces. File these notches in the X-braces at a

45° angle (pictured). Using a sharp chisel, carefully shape

a matching angle on one end of these braces where they

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