Acoustic Guitar Construction

So I was about to notch a brace and decided this might work. It works great and relieves a bit of anxiety (for me) as well. A cheap plastic holder with a hack saw blade; an extra washer to keep the blades parallel and 1/4" apart (I'm using 1/4" braces but the adaptation to 5/16" would be a snap); another hacksaw blade, a little tape.
You can cut right there on the spot instead of marking two lines and making two cuts; or you can make one line and transfer the brace to something like Ken's neat angle sawing jig and cut the slot in one cut. I will no doubt refine this but it works as is. Any ideas to improve it for the good of the realm?

I've thought of a few ways to make this - just any method to keep two blades 1/4" or 5/16" apart (outside measurement) and parallel, and also with only 1/2 brace height exposed, will do the trick.


I wonder if this would work for notching the kerfing/rim for brace ends? Adjust the exposed part of the blade to cut only as deep as you want?

So I've been practicing on scrap pieces of bracing. Here is the method I've come up with that has its advantages - no 'creeping up' on the correct depth or angle, no having to eyeball approximate angles (for those with good eyes that is not a problem, for me it is) and virtually just a one cut per brace and you're done, since the 2 blades are fixed and parallel and work together. . Like I said, for a geezer like me this makes it goof proof.

This is the tool - HF under $2 if I remember. You can just cut one blade in half, no real need to purchase a second blade, I just had one laying around.

Thats pretty neat Dave, but that X-brace is not really going to work. Its a bit short.

I glue on extensions to get out towards the rim.



Not.

Sounds about right.