MIMF

Mhmm, if they are to be removed anyway they could even be made as small as possible. Something as small as 2x16 mm might possibly suit?

you know those barrel clamps that you use to close the box? Two discs of wood and a bolt through? I was going to just use a bunch of those to hold the back on. And yes, glue on properly when done. Or not if I give up. Apparently internet pundits on other sites think my idea is stupid, and that building instruments that don't follow their perfected traditional paths is akin to becoming addicted to smoking odd but somehow pleasing semi-legal vegetables and fungii.

Beate Ritzert wrote:Mhmm, if they are to be removed anyway they could even be made as small as possible. Something as small as 2x16 mm might possibly suit?

I used #2 but shorter - maybe 1/2" (12mm).

On a flattop...
On an archtop the plates are thicker. I would be afraid 12 mm might be a bit short.

Brian Evans wrote:you know those barrel clamps that you use to close the box? Two discs of wood and a bolt through? I was going to just use a bunch of those to hold the back on. And yes, glue on properly when done. Or not if I give up.

Sounds interesting, but might affect the final result. Due to lack of experience (one acoustic archtop) i do not dare to judge how. But anyway - You will lose nothing if You try...

and that building instruments that don't follow their perfected traditional paths

Breaking traditional paths in a systematic manner is the mother of any progress. Torres was breaking tradition at his time, Orville Gibson did break traditions with his first archtops, cutawas in flattops and even more classical guitars broke traditions (just some 30 years ago...), and the first electric solid bodies broke traditions in the 30s. Maybe the inventors all have smoked strange stuff. So what.

The clamps would add enough weight to affect the resonant frequencies.

Can you find any nylon machine screws? Most woods can be tapped for fine threads that will hold up for a few cycles of use, and that should be all you'll need. Reinforce the wood threads with CA, and run the tap through again after it has set up to toughen them up.