Linings are the strips that help join the top and back to the sides. I use straight grain poplar, which is medium dense and easy to bend. But they are more than just a joining surface. The stiffer they are the less energy from the vibrating top will be dissipated into the sides, with the result that the guitar will have more volume and sustain.
Many customers have bought their guitar over the web, never having seen or played one of my guitars before. This requires a lot of trust. As a service to these brave people I provide the story of their guitar in pictures and words as I build it so they can actually see their own guitar being created.
 "I usually start by building the neck. Here a neck blank of Brazilian cedar has been taken to 19 mm and the end of it cut of at an 11 degree angle for the head.")
 "The angled piece is flipped over.")
 "Before I join the neck/head I insert a carbon fibre rod to stiffen the neck which will reduce bend in the neck over the guitar's lifetime.")
 "The rod being glued with a hardwood billet over the top.")
 "Smoothing the billet.")
') "After gluing the head is planed to it's correct thickness (which varies depending on width of the plates on the machine heads)")
 "The head fascia, in this case snakewood, is then glued and smoothed.")
 "The shape of the head is drawn on both the back and front of the head.")
 "The head is shaped with chisels.")
 "The tuning machine slots are cut and smoothed.")
 "The finished head.")
 "The part where the neck joins the head is made by gluing off cuts from the neck blank to form a laminated block, which is stronger than a dingle piece heel.")
 "The block is cut and shaped...")
 "...until it looks like a heel.")
 and jointing it I cut out a rabbet to accept the tiles which I have previously made.') "After selecting a top (in this case master grade European spruce) and jointing it I cut out a rabbet to accept the tiles which I have previously made.")
 "These are glued in place.")
, box (cream) and tulip wood (dyed black).') "Next, two rabbets are cut on either side of the tiles and decorative lines of wood inserted. Here there are padauk (red), box (cream) and tulip wood (dyed black).")
 "The final pieces of inlay are planed to thickness.")
 "Finished rosette")
 "The back of the soundboard is taken to it's final thickness.")
 "A plan of the bracing is drawn on the board. The numbers are the thickness of the board in that spot. Each board is different and I keep records to help me understand what works best. A thin rosette patch is added for support around the hole.")
 "The hole is cut out.")
 "Thin slices of spruce are cut, bent and laminated together.")
 "A laminated strut.")
 "Stout, fine grained red pine cross pieces called tone bars are glued in place.")
 "Before the bracing is glued in place each strut is shaped to the dome of the board. My classical tops are domed to just over 2.5 mm.")
 "I check each strut fits perfectly by placing a thin piecer of paper and pulling with slight pressure on the strut. It the paper doesn't move, the strut fits.")
 "Gluing")
 "All the struts have to be taken down to their final size.")
 "Finished soundboard")
 are selected. The edges which eventually join the top are planed straight. These are pinned to a large board so that they can be run through a sander.') "A matched pair of sides (Brazilian rosewood) are selected. The edges which eventually join the top are planed straight. These are pinned to a large board so that they can be run through a sander.")
 "The sides are then bent individually on a bending form.")
 "After bending a side is placed in a jig to hold its shape while the other side is bent.")
 "Checking to make sure the wedges hold the sides accurately in place.")
 "Both sides in place. A laminated maple end block hold the sides together at the bottom.")
 "Both wedges glued in place holding the sides to the neck.")
 "Linings are the strips that help join the top and back to the sides. I use straight grain poplar, which is medium dense and easy to bend. But they are more than just a joining surface. The stiffer they are the less energy from the vibrating top will be dissipated into the sides, with the result that the guitar will have more volume and sustain.")
 "After bending they are cut into smaller strips which will be glued together to form a surface 8 mm wide to hold the top and back.")
 "Rabbets are cut into the laminated bottom block to accept the linings.")
 "Same with the heel block.")
 "Fitting the linings to the sides.")
 "Gluing the linings in place.")
 "With the linings rounded the top is nearly ready to be glued on.")
 "I put side braces in. Not many makers do because they feel modern construction overcomes the old problem of the sides splitting. Because of the way guitars are made there is string pressure of between 80 and 100 pounds trying to pull the bottom of the guitar forward and and push the sides out which can induce cracks. Braces in the sides should stop any crack spreading and maintain the integrity of the sides. The first step is to cut rabbets in the side linings so a crack can't creep around the join.")
 "A very stiff red pine side brace in place.")
 "The soundboard being glued to the sides.")
 "Supports over the tone bars are inserted to prevent the tone bars coming unstuck if the guitar takes a knock.")
 "Wood has been chosen to match the sides, glued together and sanded to it's final thickness.")
 "A cross grain strip is glued over the centre join...")
 "...then is planed round.")
 "Rabbets are cut to accept cross braces.")
 "Cross braces glued in place.")
 "The cross braces need to be shaped.")
 "Rabbets are cut into the linings to accept the cross braces. They do not go all the way through the linings so as to keep the linings as stiff as possible.")
 "The back is glued on.")
 "Purflings are edging bits of wood which protect the side joints and add a little decoration. They are installed in two stages. A shallow layer of inner purfling to protect the edges of the top or bottom, and a deeper outer layer to protect the inner layer.")
 "These are strips of purfling made of snakewood, box and tulipwood.")
 "Channels are routed out of the edges to accept the purfling.")
 "First, the inner lines are inserted to the depth of the top or back.")
 "The outer purfling is bent.")
 "The purfling is checked for accuracy...")
 "...then glued, holding it in place with knicker elastic while it dries.")
 "The process is repeated on the top.")
 "After an ebony fingerboard has been flattened by planing or sanding, it is placed in a jig to cut fret slots.")
 "Edges are marked, cut and planed to absolute straightness.")
 "The fingerboard is fitted to the top. Usually some wood needs taking off the bottom of the fingerboard where is joins the soundboard because the neck is built with an angle of 1 in 115 which allows a very thin bridge to be built.")
 "The fingerboard being glued.")
 "After the frets have been hammered in they are dressed.")
 "The bridge is cut from a blank of Brazilian rosewood.")
 "It is roughly shaped on the bottom to match the curve of the soundboard. By covering the surface where it will be glued with chalk, and then tapping the bridge while it is in place you can see how good the fit is.")
 "Checking where the string holes will be for accuracy.")
 "Drilling the holes in a 12 hole bridge.")
 "The finished bridge. It can be glued now but many makers wait until the french polishing is done before attaching it so that the finish is perfect all over the top.")
 "It takes about 50 applications over several days to french polish a guitar.")
 "Most of the time is spent waiting for previous layers of polish to dry.")
 until the polish is completely dry.') "It takes about 3 or 4 weeks (some say 6 months) until the polish is completely dry.")
 "All that's need is for the bridge to be glued on...")
 "...and the tuning machines to be fitted.")
 "The guitar is now ready for playing...")
 "...and delivery.")
