notches for bracing

[tim crain 54]

I was wondering what the advantages are (if any) of cutting mortises in the kerfing for the braces as opposed to running the notches through the kerfing and sides so that the end of the brace comes through the side of the guitar. It would seem that the latter would be easier and the brace ends will be covered with binding any way. Depending on the binding used, I would think that in many cases you would wind up cutting all the way through the side and into the mortise so you are ending up with the same results. Any thoughts? Thanks, Tim

[ken cierp]

Many (most) of the major makers use the "through" notching method. Care has to be taken not to make the notch so deep that the binding does not cover it completely. Martin still uses inlet notches -- easy to do if you use a router and template --- easy to make a mess if you use hand tools, especially with triangular kerfing. The notion that through braces somehow dislodge bindings is BS. However it is easier to remove the top or back on a guitar with inlet brace end -- makes you wonder if the through method yeilds a more stable structure?