3 8 threaded rods were used to make the deck easy to break down and store.
Go bar deck.
The go bar deck or the use of bent sticks between two solid surfaces is a very old method of applying clamping pressure while gluing two parts together.
Now you could just use lots and lots of expensive clamps with many cauls but most luthiers use what is called a go bar deck.
The basic idea is that you apply vertical pressure using rods usually fiberglass under tension.
By bending fiberglass or wood rods between the upper and lower decks it is easy to put pressure just about anywhere you need it.
The compression bars are made from straight grained maple with a 3 16 x 3 8 cross section.
A gobar clamping deck is a nifty system for clamping.
Go bar deck assembly from a sheet of 3 4 plywood cut six pieces each 2 feet x 2 feet.
What you are looking at is a go bar deck sitting on the extension table of my table saw.
In the picture the upper transverse brace is being glued to the top of an acoustic bass guitar.
Stack and glue two of the pieces together and stack and glue the other four together the extra thickness is required to give the go bar deck base sufficient stiffness.
The second part of the equation is to press it all into a disk with the correct radius but that s not todays problem.
The deck is roughly 2 feet square and 2 feet tall.