Acoustic Guitar Construction

Nice start. I too, started with a D-18 style and now I'm starting #26 and #27:)

Go for it, I want to warn you that your family may suffer, this thing about building a guitar can be a horrible addiction! My second guitar was a KMG kit, that was 5 years ago and I'm now working on number 86. Ken's kits answers many of the question that you'll have in the process and if you follow the instruction you'll most likely have a guitar that you can feel proud of. This forum is filled with many people like yourself that started with their first guitar kit, we all have made our mistakes and solved them with the help of other builders. The help is out there, all you have to do is ask.
I see that you live in Portland, I live in Mosier and if you need any help you could always come out and I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have with your project. I have five guitars at Artichoke Music in Portland if you'd like to see some of my work. Good luck and have fun.

Just getting back to the build. I took a family vacation to Costa Rica back in February and it's been tough to get back into a routine. I hope to make more regular progress but we'll see.

This week I managed to cut the notch for my X-brace and install the bridge plate. I did manage to screw up my X notch and it's not as tight as I would like. I think I'll glue a shim in and re-shape it for a tighter fit, per Ken's advice. It was a stupid mistake...

The bridge plate went on well. After I put it in I was researching X-braces and bridge plates and I learned this is a hot topic among builders. Some suggest reinforcing the X-brace across the joint with a thin strip of veneer and some suggest tucking the bridge plate under the braces. It looks like I will be doing neither but it is an interesting discussion, mostly on UMGF.

Although I've never used the "X" joint cap I am still toying with the idea, structurally its far superior to the fabric patch which personally I don't get at all and my personal choice to use epoxy for that "one and only joint." I suspect that the "X" and the legs an inch or so out in any direction act and respond as a single unit regardless of the gluing method. So it seems a cap would not hurt.

Ken, what's your thoughts on tucking the bridge into the X?

A waste of time --- I believe Don Teeter (master repair person) concluded that it can weaken braces and for sure inhibited repairs. $.02