Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

How bracing controls a vibration

Braces stiffen chosen lines of the soundboard so some motions are freed and others are held back.

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From the opening

Braces are wooden bars glued to the underside of a thin top or back. They control vibration by adding stiffness and a little mass along chosen paths, so the plate flexes in some patterns and resists others. The opening covers bars add stiffness along a line, x-braces and fan struts differ, and shaving a brace frees more plate.

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Inside

Bars add stiffness along a line
X-braces and fan struts differ
Shaving a brace frees more plate
A loose brace stops controlling
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

X-bracing on steel-string tops
Fan bracing on classical soundboards

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How bracing controls a vibration

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk