In a burst of activity, I’ve made some basswood side braces in the Gibson style.  The side braces serve to stop any split in the side, in case it gets bashed in or otherwise abused.  I’ve let them in to the kerfing, so there is no weak space between for cracks to propagate.  The originals used a bit of linen soaked in hide glue, but the basswood will add stiffness and looks nice, as well.

The blocks and kerfing are left proud of the ribs, so they can be angled to match the 20′ radius of the soundboards.

My radius dish is lined with sandpaper, so a fair amount of elbow grease is required to spin the ribs and mold in a sanding motion.

Now, everything is nicely radiused and ready for the brace ends to be let in.

Finally, the top is glued on, using clamps and bungee cord in an awesome way.