Posted on April 22, 2023March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Nuts and Bolts for Bridge Gluing Nuts and Bolts for Bridge Gluing by Tim Olsen Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #126, 1979 and Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1998 The holes of a pin-style bridge provide a golden opportunity to apply some very convincing clamping pressure. I use 3 10×32 1" round-head bolts with washers, wing nuts, and pieces of drilled shoe sole leather to temporarily bolt the bridge on while gluing. This not only exerts a strong pressure to the back edge of the bridge, but the bolts ensure an accurate alignment of the bridge. All that remains is to set a deep-throated cam clamp on each end of the bridge. The leather washers will take up any slop that the bridge might have. This is a natural for repair work as well as construction. ◆
