Finally got some time to work on the bubinga dreadnought this past week. I was able to glue the braces onto the top, carve them, and then glue the top to the sides.
Still working on technique. There are a lot of skills that can only be developed with practice. Brace size, placement, shaping, and fitting are definitely one of them. I drilled a bunch of holes in the mold so I could slip the spool clamps through them while gluing. This was much easier to line things up than the last time trying to glue the top and back on without them. Now I just need some more clamps..
The last build I used pre-made braces but this one has all handmade bracing and end blocks. The lower bout bracing probably should have been at more of an angle than 90 degrees to the cross bracing, but like I said with time and experience those things will work themselves out.
When I get back next week the back can be glued on and I can start working on bindings and purflings.
