ATTACHING THE SIDES

Getting the sides glued on and secured with tentalones always feels like a huge step in the building process.
​I do this in a homemade set up jig on which the soundboard and neck are laid upside down.

Here they are waiting for the sids.  Notice the movable braces ready to position the sides and be held down with the wing nuts.  There are six of them

After carefully trimming and dry fitting the sides to be sure they will fit perfectly, I use masking tape to join the bottoms of the sides to mate closely.  Now we are ready for the glue

You must not forget to glue up the butt plate.  I will spread the glue evenly with a little brush

Then quickly put glue along the lower edge of the side where it will attach to the soundboard.  This also got smoothed out considerably.

First you insert the top of the sides into the neck slots.  Secondly you clamp the bottom to the butt plate using a wooden caul shaped to the curve of the butt plate and cinch it up tight being sure to also clamp the sides downward tight to the sound board. Next you push the waists in to their proper mark and tighten the wing nuts to hold them there.  The other braces are then positioned and wing nuts tightened.  Then using the irvine clamps the sides are pressed firmly against the sound board.  Now it is time to clean up any sloppy glue with a damp paper towel and you are done

Well, not quite,  I always like to get some tent alone installed to be sure the sides are not going to jump loose when taken out of the set up jig.  That is a very small glue surface, edge to soundboard.  I never release it from the jig until the tentalones are in place.
Now all thee tenors have their sides.  A good build so far.