2012 TDPRI Tele Build Challenge - Joining the back of the body

I've started joining the three piece maple back. Between each piece there is a thin layer of mahogany veneer. 

I glued two of the maple pieces with one of the mahogany pieces together first. The glue caused the wood to shift slightly. I caught it while the glue was still soft. And I was able to force it into place using a couple of extra clamps. After the glue dried I moved on to the third piece. This time I taped off the wood next to the seem to help keep from making a mess with glue overflow. I also used clamps to hole the wood tight against the table. I then added weight to the top. This worked out much better.

The thin pieces of mahogany will look much better after the body is sanded.


I also took a moment to to check out the placement of my hardware and electronics. I picked up the bridge from Guitar Fetish. And I'll be using a single concentric volume and tone pot. I'll cut a cat's eye Rickenbacker style f-hole. I planning on gluing mahogany veneer to the back of the maple top. And the Area just behind the f-hole and the electronics area will need to be routed to about a 4 mm thickness. The top is currently 3/8" thick.