Bending Figured Mahogany with Fox Bender Pt.3

[frg8888]

Great tutorial Mr. Stock. I don't have a Fox Style Bender , but instead I have a simple bending form with dowels . do you think It is good enough for bending Honduran hog?

[MDLuthier]

@frg8888 I think you can give it a try..the Fox bender is one of many ways to bend sides...

[JustWonderingHowToDo]

I took a look at the website from LMI and it seems that they no longer carry those plans. Does someane know of any other places where i can get the plans or maybe someone is willing to sell their own plans (preferably in Europe).

[MDLuthier]

Try Luthiers Cool Tools...they have drawings/plans for a 'Side Bending Machine' which is pretty much identical to the plans offered by LMI'. A 12" press screw can be had directly from Wetzler Clamp for less than half of what the luthier specialty guys want...under $20 and nice people. Good luck!

[kmh196700]

Mr. M D Luthier, what do you recomend for a novice in order to get started. I have the Kincade book on building guitars. Do you recomend any books, material of wood, money to spend?

[MDLuthier]

Online forums are the place to find fellow builders that can help out...try the Official Luthiers Forum...google for the link...it's free, and with 4000 members, you'll def get answers.

[conor1148]

did you make the bender yourself? if so, that looks great. VERY professional looking, then again, im sure you're a professional too.

[MDLuthier]

Thanks...just a standard Fox bender except the waist block is solid (matches each mold). LMII (Luthier's mercantile) has plans...pretty easy to build with jig saw and a router.

[rm3150]

12 hours later? I just watched a luthier bend a rosewood side on a bending iron in 6 minutes. Then he dropped in in his form. Perfect fit.

[MDLuthier]

Different animals...rosewoods are ideal for newbs...easy to bend with just about any technique. Fox benders were designed to make difficult woods easier, and make work in blistered maple, curly mahogany, or pomele sapele a lot more predictable. While you might wait a bit for the wood to cook in a Fox, it's usually faster than pipe bending and far lower risk. I like pipe bending, and do it for shapes that can't be bent on the Fox. That said, the Fox is what most production builders use.

[elluisito000]

thanks MD for the vids :D

[MDLuthier]

Hope it helped.

[elluisito000]

a lot! I'm even thinking to build a bending machine my self :D

[helisrule]

Nice videos. Thanks, but you made this entire process WAY more difficult than it needs to be or really is.

[MDLuthier]

I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it educational.

[MDLuthier]

Wood is wood, and the laminates for a drum could be bent on a Fox bender with the right setup. Let me know if you try it - interested in seeing how it works out for you.

[Quitcappingwhileimsc]

i do not like gitars. i like drums. can you bend drums?

[MDLuthier]

Try treating the bindings with SuperSoftII veneer softener if you are having problems bending. I routinely do ebony and other 'hard-to-bend' bindings with a little help from SSII.

[whitewater4526600]

I have a question do you soak your binding before you bend it in the side bender I tried bending some bloodwood binding and it snapped I misted it and heated it up 10 min before bending still snapped

[iorixs]

those metal strips you used, how thick are they> thanks for the vid. very informative

[MDLuthier]

The slats are 6" x 34" x .015 spring steel from Blues Creek Guitars (google for the web address). Spring steel supports the wood in tight bends and returns to it's unbent shape afterwards.

[doylehall68]

sure like the vids helped me out alot,,

[MDLuthier]

Good to hear - good luck!

[thesoobz]

wonderful i was so confused. and this video made a lot of sense! thank you very much

[skikiteflyer]

Really good video but I take exception to the shortness of the mold. It should be nearly as high as the side. A little too much spring back.

[MDLuthier]

Once again, I disagree...the only reason to go with a full height mold is to tame misbehaving, rippled sides. Good bending technique - whether pipe or bender should avoid most of those issues. Higher sides also interfere with dish radiusing, so a three ply mold is enough for anything short of an ABG, where a fourth ply might be worth while. FWIW, I build Weissenborn-style bodies with a three ply tapering to a single ply. As for springback...there is essentially none on the side shown.

[deweycal]

Thanks for the tutorial. Very helpful.

[MDLuthier]

Thanks - appreciate the feedback.

[Papachulo57]

Nice video. Good to see you on here building great guitars.

[mrterryman]

Hey Todd, Good on ya. First bending tutorial I've seen on youtube

Terry