working the plates

Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) is such an oily wood that it gums up the sandpaper in my abrasive planer real fast.  I am going to finish thinning Rick's back down by hand.  This is a scraper planer and you can see the fine shavings it takes off the wood 

Rick's Top

Gluing on the bridgeplate 

Clamping the bridgeplate down to the top (which is resting in a dished workboard).

This is a gobar deck that I use to clamp braces and such onto tops and backs

Some braces clamped into place using the gobar deck.  I am using hot hide glue as an adhesive for all the sound producing plates (top and back)