Dakota PARLOR Assembly Instruction Manual

DAKOTA PARLOR GUITAR KIT

MUSICMAKER’S KITS, INC

PO Box 2117

Stillwater, MN 55082

651-439-9120

harpkit.com

WOOD PARTS:

A - Neck
B - Fretboard
C - Heel Block
D - Tail Block
E - 2 Heel Ribs
F - 2 Side Ribs
G - 2 Tail Ribs
H - 4 Corner Blocks
I - Back Panel
J - 3 Cross-Braces for Back
K - 2 Flat Braces for Back
L - Front
M - 10 Braces for Front (Soundboard)
N - 6 Inner Kerfing Strips
O - Bridge with Saddle
P - Bridge Clamp, w/4 machine screws,

2 washers, 2 wing nuts

Q - Bridge Plate
R - 4 Clamping Wedges
S - Spacer Block
T - 6 Binding Strips, walnut
U - Heel Cap
V - Truss Rod Cover

(Soundboard)

DAKOTA GUITAR KIT

I

L

O

E

C

HH

F

E

F

A

Z

R

P

B

N

X

V

U

T

Y

S

HARDWARE:

K

J

M

W - 48 Inches Fretwire
X - 1 White Side Marker Rod

5/64”” X 2”

H

H

Y - 6 Black Geared Tuners
w/6 sleeves, 6 washers & 6 tiny screws

Z - Double Truss Rod, with allen wrench
1 - Heavy Fretwire, 2” long, for #0 fret
1 - Set of 6 Guitar Strings, light
1 - Black Wood Nut

Fig 1

G

D

G

Q

W

1 - Hex Bolt, 1/4” X 2”, with washer
2 - Tiny Nails
1 - Drill Bit, 1/16” for tiny screws
1 - Drill Bit, 5/64” for Side Markers
1 - Drill Bit, 3/16” for bridge

If you have any questions about the assembly of your

kit - please visit our online Builder’s Forum

www.harpkit.com /forum

Assembly Instructions

A NOTE ABOUT GLUE

We recommend assembling this kit with standard woodworker’s glue (such as Elmer’s Carpenters Glue or Titebond Wood
Glue). Don’t use Hotmelt glue, Superglue, 5-minute Epoxy, or the plain white School Glue for assembling the major wood
parts -- they are not strong enough for a musical instrument. There is no need to look for any special violin-maker’s adhesive.
You may, however, see epoxy or superglue recommended occasionally for installing non-wood parts.

Every time you use wood glue on this project, it is wise to have a damp rag handy for cleaning up afterwards. It is always best
to scrub away any excess glue that squeezes out of the joints before it dries, especially on the outside of the instrument. Keep
your hands and workbench as clean as possible too. Glue smudges will show up vividly on the finished instrument.

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

_____1. CAUTION: PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THE SEALED PLASTIC BAG CONTAINING THE FRONT
AND BACK PANELS UNTIL YOU REACH STEP #14. These two parts need to be kept very dry until you glue
the braces on them. Check over your kit parts to make sure you find everything listed (see fig. 1 above). Contact us
right away if you are missing anything so we can rectify the problem without causing too much delay for you. We
also recommend checking off each step in the directions as you finish it. You might be skipping forward to another
part of the assembly while waiting for something to dry, and it helps to keep track of where you left off.

2.

GLUING THE BODY FRAME

It is smart to skim through the entire directions before beginning, just to get an overview of the project. You may need to gather
more tools or purchase a few optional decorations or accessories to enhance the finished instrument. Now is a good time to
make those plans so you can avoid delays later. Here are a few of the small items you’ll want to have on hand:

sharp chisel wire cutter 8 spring clamps 2 long-reach clamps for braces
masking tape (blue) clothes pins 8 small c-clamps 40 ft bungee cord (3/16” dia)
carpet tape razor knife triangle file router with flush-trim & inlay bits
straight-edge 6” rat tail file flat mill file wood filler (mahogany color)

_____2. You will find it very helpful to make yourself a perfectly flat
work surface out of 3/4” thick plywood or particle board for use as a
flat clamping pad under the body of the instrument. If you cut it about
1” larger than the shape of the soundboard, you will be able to easily
fit clamps all the way around the perimeter of the instrument (fig 2a).

Plywood

Clamping Board

3/4” thick

perfectly f lat

about 22” X 28”

Another idea that works well is to use a rectangular piece about 22” X
28” (fig 2b) so you can clamp with bungee cords, as shown in steps 21
and 31. We use both types, as you will see in various photos. Just make
sure the clamping pads are good and flat.

Fig 2a

Fig 2b

CAUTION: IT IS POSSIBLE TO ASSEMBLE THE FRAME PARTS U PSIDE DOWN OR BACKWARDS!

_____3. Carefully arrange the side pieces, corner blocks,
heel block and tail block on your plywood clamping board
to see how they fit together (Fig 3).

CAUTION: Orient all parts so the front edges face down­ward on your flat clamping board. Notice that we have
marked each side piece, and heel & tail blocks, indicating
the proper orientation.

All front edges are marked “SB” for soundboard, and the
back edges are marked “B”.

The corner blocks do not have a front or back, but they are
numbered C-1 or C-2 to fit the corners with those numbers.
Please take the time to study this carefully so your parts will
fit properly.

ORIENT ALL PARTS WITH FRONT ED GES FACING DOWN

Fig 3

_____4. Begin by gluing and clamp­ing the four corner blocks to the two
side ribs, taking care to orient them
at the correct ends, as printed on the
wood (each side rib gets a C1 at one
end and a C2 at the other end).

CAUTION: The larger part of the
corner blocks will face the inside of
the body, as shown in fig 3. Don’t

Fig 4a

glue them to the outside of the sides!

Clamping wedges are provided to help compensate for the angles of the
parts, as shown in fig 4b. HINT: If you cover the wedges with Scotch
tape, they won’t get stuck to the other parts when clamped.

Use either spring clamps or small c-clamps for this step (fig 4c), mak­ing sure the parts are fully seated together and flat on the edges. Use a
wet rag to clean off excess glue that squeezes out. This helps you see
the joints clearly, as well as prevent messy glue spots on the instrument.

3.

Fig 4b

Fig 4c

Clean off excess glue

QUESTION

Have you checked to make sure you are still gluing the parts in the correct positions? If you  nd a corner block
glued to the wrong end of a rib, you’ll need to correct it now, before proceeding further. You can so en the dried
glue by getting the seam wet to allow the parts to be separated without breaking anything. Be patient with this
process. It may take 10-20 minutes for water to penetrate far enough into the seam to so en the glue.

_____5. While the corner blocks are drying, you can work on
the tail end of the body. Use tape to hold the tail ribs together
as shown in fig 5a.

Find the center of the tail block
and mark it clearly (fig 5b).

Smear glue on the flat face of
the tail block (fig 5c) and place
it inside the seam, as shown in
fig 5d. Find a scrap of wood
to use as a clamping pad for
the outside of the joint, and add
clamps, making sure the block
is oriented correctly and nicely
centered on the seam (fig 5e).

IMPORTANT: Make sure the free
ends of the tail ribs can be pushed down
to the work surface (fig 5e). If not, then
you may have to release the clamps and
slide the parts into better alignment.

Fig 5b

Tail

Block

Fig 5a

Inside surface

of tail block

Fig 5c

_____6. Now you can move to the heel
end of the instrument. Mark the center of
the heel block, on the end marked “Back”
(fig 6a).

Glue this heel block to one heel rib for
now, aligning it to the centerline, as shown
in fig 6b.

Clean up excess glue with a wet rag, as
usual.

Fig 5d Fig 5e

IMPORTANT: Leave the other heel rib
for later. That will be the last step in clos­ing the frame.

Fig 6a Fig 6b

4.

_____7. When the corner
blocks are dry, you can re­move the clamps and glue
the C2 blocks to the tail ribs,
as shown in fig 7a.

Make sure you can press
the C1 corner blocks down

Check for straightness

by pressing sides down

against clamping board.

Check for straightness

by pressing sides down

against clamping board.

against the work surface
when the side ribs are
clamped to the tail ribs. This

C2 Corner Blocks

ensures a flat frame for glu­ing the front (soundboard)
in place later.

Fig 7a

Leave the clamps on these C2 joints while you glue the remaining heel rib to

Tail end

Fig 7b

C1 Corner
Block

the open C1 corner, as shown in fig 7b. Leave clamps in place for several
hours to make sure the glue has cured to full strength.

PAUSE AND DOUBLE-CHECK

Before going further, double-check to make sure your parts are still in the correct positions. Do you see “Back”
written on the same edge of all the parts around the frame? If you find something oriented upside-down or back­wards, you’ll need to correct it now, before proceeding further. You can soften the dried glue by getting the seam
wet to allow the parts to be separated without breaking anything. If the glue is fully cured, it may take 10-20 min­utes for water to penetrate far enough into the seam to soften the adhesive.

_____8. When the four
corner joints have dried
fully, use tape to pull the last
heel rib into place at the heel
block as shown in fig 8a.

Remove the tape so you can
apply glue, and then tape the
parts together again as you
clamp this last joint together
permanently (fig 8b).

Fig 8a

_____9. Once the frame is closed and the glue is dry, you can install
the long spacer block between the heel and tail blocks as shown in fig 9.
This piece will be removed later, but you need it now to hold the frame to
the correct size. Note that the ends of the spacer will fit into the pre-cut
grooves of the heel and tail blocks. Use a clamp at each end to make sure
the heel and tail blocks are held firmly in alignment.

Fig 8b

Spacer block

5.

Fig 9

_____10. Flip the instrument over (soundboard edge up) so you can fit kerfing inside the frame. Cut a length of kerfing to fit
between the corners and blocks inside each rib (fig 10a & 10b). We like to cut these strips a little oversize and then sand them
to fit nicely into the corners, as shown in fig 10c and 10d. CAUTION: Be sure to orient the kerfing with the flat side up. level
with the top edge of the ribs.

Fig 10a

Fig 10c

CHECK-POINT: You should be installing the kerfing on

the soundboard edge of the frame. You should see “S.B.”
written on the ribs at this edge of the frame all around.

We use spring-type clothes pins to clamp the kerfing in place
(fig 10e), but you may find some other small clamps to pinch
the parts together while you glue these kerfing strips in place.
If necessary, you can increase the clamping pressure by wrap­ping rubber bands around the clamps as we have.

Work your way around the soundboard edge of the frame
with the kerfing, but don’t do the back edge yet -- that will
be easier to do later.

Fig 10b

Fig 10d

Fig 10e

_____11. OPTIONAL: You can reduce the weight of your guitar a little by trimming off the large inside corners of the corner
blocks, as shown in fig 11a. This step is optional, but it is recommended.

The illustration shows a chisel, but we use a power drum sander to do this job more quickly. You’ll want the corners to be
trimmed so they blend in with the thickness of the kerfing, as shown in fig 11b.

NOTE: If you decide to leave the corner blocks full size, you should at least bevel the tops of the inside corners by sand-

ing them at an angle so they
won’t touch the soundboard
(fig 11c). This helps prevent
cracks in the soundboard
later, and allows for a little
more vibration in the top.

bevel

Fig 11a

Fig 11b Fig 11c

6.

_____12. This is a good time to open up the slot for the tenon
in the heel block so it looks like fig 12a below. You could do
this by hand with a sharp chisel and/or razor knife, but we use a
router with a flush trim bit (fig 12b). The goal is to trim away
all rib material that covers the pre-cut slot in the heel block.

Fig 12a Fig 12b

_____13. Make yourself a long sanding block now, us­ing a flat board about 2-3” wide and at least 16” long.

Apply double-stick carpet tape to the flat face of the
sanding block, covering the face the full 16” length (fig
13a).

Cut coarse sandpaper (60 grit) to match the width of
the board and press the clean side down against the tape
(fig 13b). You can add to the length of the sandpaper by
pressing a second piece in place at the end of the first.

Pencil hash-marks on the kerfing around body, as shown
in fig 13c.

Fig 13a

Fig 13b

Then use your flat sander to level the entire front edge of the
frame. Keep the sanding block flat by always having both ends
resting across the instrument, as shown in fig 13d.

The pencil marks should all be cleaned off by this sanding work.
Keep sanding until they are all removed.

Fig 13c Fig 13d

7.

PREPARING THE SOUNDBOARD

_____14. Now you can open the sealed bag and begin working on
the soundboard. First thing is to outline the inside of the frame on the
inside face of the soundboard so you know how to trim the braces.

We have marked the location of most of the braces in pencil, but
there are a few things you need to draw. Begin with making a line 4”
from the sound hole and perpendicular to the center line, as shown
in fig 14a.

Center the frame of the guitar on the centerline of the soundboard,
lining up the heel end with your pencil mark (fig 14b).

Then draw a pencil line around the inside of the frame to show where
the kerfing touches the soundboard (fig 14c).

draw line to mark

heel end of frame

Fig 14a

Fig 14b Fig 14c

_____15. Find the two X braces and connect them together in the middle. Note that there is a wrong orientation for these
braces (fig 15a). When properly oriented, the X will match the outline on the soundboard, as shown in fig 15b. Center the X
on the soundboard and mark where the ends of the braces cross your outline of the frame.

WRONG RIGHT

POINT OF INTEREST

Some purists will leave these
braces long enough to fit into
“pockets” that they cut into the
kerfing. This is difficult to do
well, but helps prevent a brace
from breaking free at one end
due to future abuse. We pro­vide bracing long enough to al­low you to choose this method
if you wish, but it will increase
your working time a bit.

Fig 15a Fig 15b

8.

Mark and trim these

braces to the pencil

line, as shown in
fig 15c and 15d.

(or cut them a little

longer if you plan to

cut pockets for them

in the kerfing)

Fig 15c Fig 15d

_____16. Before gluing the X braces in place, test your clamp­ing system without glue to make sure you have sufficient pressure
everywhere. You want even pressure across the full length of the
braces. Make sure that the ends will be pressed fully against the
soundboard. You don’t want these braces to come loose!

When all is ready, glue and clamp them in place to the sound­board, pressing them against your flat clamping board. NOTE:
be sure to put glue in the notch where the two braces intersect.

Use the spacer block (or other long scrap) across the soundboard
to press the intersection firmly (fig 16).

Wipe off excess glue and leave the clamps in place for 3-4 hours
until dry.

_____17. When the braces are dry, use a chisel to clip a 1/4” end of the
thin flat back bracing material to use for a patch across the intersection of
the X braces, as shown below (fig 17a).

Glue and clamp this patch across the intersection forming a “bridge” to tie
the bracing together firmly (fig 17b).

Fig 16

Fig 17a Fig 17b

9.

_____18. Mark and trim all but the
three shortest braces, and glue them
in place where they are marked on the
soundboard (fig 18).

bridge plate

NOTE: Hold off on the three short
soundhole braces for now. It is easier
to shape and sand the larger braces be­fore installing the short ones.

additional

top brace

_____19. Use a sharp chisel to round over tops of braces
and to taper ends to about 1/8” high around the perimeter
of the soundboard (fig 19a).

transverse

brace

Fig 18

finger braces

Switch to medium sandpaper (150 grit) to smooth the
tops of all braces (fig 19b).

1/8” high

at end

Fig 19a Fig 19b

_____20. Fit and glue the three short­est braces around soundhole, as shown
in fig 20.

Fig 20

soundhole

braces

10.

GLUING THE SOUNDBOARD

_____21. Be sure to keep the spac­er block firmly clamped to the frame
for this operation! This will help
hold the shape of the body as you
apply clamps.

Test-fit the frame on top of the
soundboard without glue first, to see
how the braces fit inside the kerfing.
Trim the braces as necessary.

NOTE: If you plan to cut pockets
into the kerfing for the ends of the
main X braces, this will take some
time for trial and error fitting.

Plan out your clamping method and
assemble enough clamps (or Bun­gee cording) to do the job before
you begin.

spacer block

We show two ways to clamp the
body down against the soundboard:

20 clamps, as shown in fig 21a, or 20 feet of light bungee cord­ing (available from Musicmakers), as shown in fig 21b.

If using the Bungee cord method, put screws around your flat
work surface at an angle, about 2-3” apart, for wrapping the
cord. If you didn’t make a 22” X 28” clamping board, you can
put the screws in the edge of your smaller plywood instead of
4” away from the guitar as shown.

When ready, spread glue all around the edge of the guitar frame
(including the kerfing), and put the frame back on the sound­board, making sure there are no obstructions preventing a nice
flat fit.

If using Bungee cord, tie a loop at
one end, hook it on a nail and work
your away cross the instrument in
spider web fashion to press the
entire frame down firmly against
the soundboard (fig 21b).

Fig 21a

Fig 21b

PREPARING THE BACK

_____22. When the soundboard is dry, remove the clamps and
turn the instrument over so you can start working on kerfing
for the back edge. Begin by leveling the edges of the ribs and
corner blocks, using your long flat sanding block (fig 22).

The goal is to eliminate glue blobs and other irregularities that
will interfere with a good fit of the back panel. You’ll be sand­ing more after the kerfing is installed, but you’ll use a curved
sanding block next time.

HINT: Leave the spacer block in to stablize the frame as you
sand, until you get to the heel and tail blocks. You’ll need to
remove the clamps in order to sand those areas.

Fig 22

11.