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Stansell Guitars, the steps   

Adapted from William Cupiano’s Guitar Making Sequence

Preparation and Planning

Assuming the shop is completely "tooled up" and climate controlled, with all the appropriate templates, jigs, and forms.
Procure, select and re-saw for all components of the guitar

Neck and Headpiece
Construct the neck blank
Lay-up headstock veneers
Slot the heel block and trim the head block
Cut out the heel piece outline
Cut out the head piece outline, Carve the head piece (optional)
Drill and slot the headpiece
Carve the heel
Shape and finish the foot
Inlay ebony tension bar
Cut the ledge for the top

The Plates
Joint the plates (top, back, and sides)
Join the plates (top and back)
Thickness Plates
Prepare and bend the sides

The Soundhole Rosette
Design and build the mosaic log
Cut and trim the tiles
Excavate the rosette channels
Fit and glue the rosette purfling

Fit and inlay the rosette tiles

Cut out the soundhole 

 

Back Bracing
Apply center reinforcement strip

Arch and glue cross struts

Carve and polish bracing

 

Soundboard Bracing
Lay out bracing pattern on soundboard

Glue down the flat grafts, the fans and the finger braces

Carve the fans

Glue and carve the bottom “v”, the upper cross strut

and the upper and lower transverse bars

Cut back the bar ends

Trim top edge of soundboard plate

Body Assembly
Fit and assemble neck, sides, and tailblock

Fit and glue neck, sides, tailblock assembly to top

Make kerfed linings and tentelonnies

Apply tentellonies and linings to the body assembly

Mark and notch the linings to accept the back brace ends

Glue the brace feet to the sides

Prepare the lined edges to accept the back

Fit and glue the back

Bind the guitar

 

The Fingerboard

Make the fingerboard

Glue the fingerboard

Taper the fingerboard

Fret the fingerboard

Finish carve the neck

Refine all surfaces
Scrape sand and prepare for finish

Finish the guitar
Pre-seal all surfaces

Fill the open pores

Apply the undercoats

Polish the finish

Bridge

Make the bridge

Finish the bridge

Glue the bridge

 

Stringing

Dress and polish the frets and fingerboard

Fit the nut and saddle blanks into their slots

Install tuning machine

String the guitar and do final set-up

 

Allow the guitar to “set” its shape (preferably at least one month). Re-check the action, relief, etc. and make any necessary final adjustments

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