| The cooled sides are placed in the guitar mold. |  |
| The mahogany tail and heel blocks are glued to the sides. A lining is glued to the top and bottom edges of the sides, called kerfing. It is mahogany sawn so that it is flexible and will conform to the shape of the sides. |  |
| Clothespins reinforced with heavy elastic bands create enough pressure to hold the kerfing snugly in place. |  |
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The sides are trimmed to create space for an inlay at the tail of the
instrument. At the heel block, a dovetail mortise is cut into the sides and heel block |
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| Here a tapered strip of flamed maple is used as the inlay for a steel guitar. Typically, an end pin is either taper fitted or screwed into the tail block. The maple's grain runs vertical to the sides and acts to prevent the sides from splitting. |  |
| Here's a look at the finished side assembly, highlighting the kerfing. |  |