Stick Dulcimer making part 2 side bending-the low tech way

[PrinsRik]

Hi Michael,

first of all thanks for the youtube movies! They are great. I will start building one in the future (doing a guitar building course right now). But I have a question about bending the sides in this way. As you probably well know luthiers are always concerned with the humidity of the workshop when building instruments since they can show severe cracks in the future when finished. How does this bending technique affect this?

Thanks!

[michaeljking]

@PrinsRik The boiling method is for home use only, not for professional makers, you have to leave it for a week before gluing up at which point it is fully dry again and will not crack any more than heat bent wood. I have 2 digital temperature and humidity instruments, always aiming for 43-45% Whatever the humidity is while working the wood make sure it is in the safe range when gluing up, good luck!!

[PrinsRik]

@michaeljking thanks Michael for the quick answer! Makes sense!

[scsesc]

I used this method some time ago on a piece of beautiful flamed beech but unfortunately one of the sides cracked when I pressed it into the mould.

Keep in mind that some loss can occur and extra care is called for - both with the boiling water and with the wood.

[a0e0roberts]

Never pour boiling water into a cold glass container, unless it's pyrex. Heat shock will often cause it to shatter, and that would be bad. Warm it up a bit with hot (not boiling) water first.

[michaeljking]

You are absolutely right, many thanks!!! I have used that temperature difference to remove bottle top guitar slides before....I will add a warning note on that one.

[murdelabop]

No worries.

[murdelabop]

Oh, BTW: I can't wait until you get the whole course complete!

[michaeljking]

I have filmed one new episode, but I am waiting until I have the neck glued on and the fingerboard and back finished before I release them, Very busy with lots of different commissions at the moment, I can only keep two instruments types in my head at any time........

[murdelabop]

It'll be a while before I can try it, but yes, I will.

[murdelabop]

Would something like a steaming box work as well?

[michaeljking]

That could work, but would be overkill, I have to confess that I normally just get out my sloan bending iron, The jar method using hot water is a concession for people without equipment and plenty of time to allow the wood to dry out before gluing up.

[murdelabop]

That makes sense. I was just thinking that the pieces are all small enough that I could do them in my crab steamer.

[michaeljking]

nomenclature!! ( lol )I thought you mean a steaming box used in furniture making, these are huge!!!  but yes, a circular or oval kitchen steamer, 2 or 3 tier could well do these tiny bits of wood. give it a try and let me know

[simonaris]

Great video, looking forward to the followup. It is an interesting way to bend the sides. Could it also be used for larger instruments, such as a fiddle or would you use a bending iron for that?

[michaeljking]

I think I first read about boiling water as a method in the classical guitar making book by Irving Sloane. Today, using boiling water for classical guitars is discredited, for rosewoods it can lead to loss of color, plus you take so long to dry the wood in the first place plus it is not feasible for any commercial luthier to ever do this, when a "fox Bender" can do it so well.

I have a bending iron that I would normally use, but this project is about making things easy at the start.

[michaeljking]

NB: If you want you can transfer the techniques to violin or mandolin, just just need to allow a good drying time before you glue on the blocks.

[psychodelicdragon]

keep them coming, waiting to lean how to finish making one.