Braces

I just shot off a quick e-mail to USGUITARKITS.com with a questions about shaping the upper X Braces. The instructions they give have 2 templates for the lower X Braces, but none for the upper X Braces.

They replied quickly by letting me know that the template for Lower X Brace on the right hand side of their template page was mislabeled and should read Upper X Brace. They also said the manual will be getting an update and posted on the website.

Tonight I fit the top of the guitar to the back and everything lines up great. Just a little cleanup work on the braces and I should be band-sawing some of the excess off the top and gluing the top to the sides. This is my plan for next week. But first I must complete making the spool clamps I had started. I completed a few, now to drill and felt the rest.

I was also contemplating replacing the plastic binding and perfling in the kit with:
Binding Laminated Rosewood:

Perfling:

Images from Stuart Macdonald http://www.stewmac.com