O'Brien Guitars - Luthier Tips du Jour - Side bending by hand

Luthier and instructor Robert O'Brien shows how to bend guitar sides by hand on a bending iron

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• luthier
• instruction
• guitar
• building
• lutherie
• how
• to
• bend
• sides
• by
• hand
• O'Brien
• guitars

[BuickDoc]

Why do luthiers use this method rather than a steam cabinet like boat builders use?

[OBrienGuitars]

@BuickDoc perhaps because the wood is much thinner. No steam or moisture required. I bent guitar sides dry for years with no problem.

[JustWonderingHowToDo]

Are the videos that you are showing here part of a DVD. I found some DVD's over at apprenticepublishing but it seems to me by the description of them that they are a collection of still images and not really movies.

[OBrienGuitars]

Those dvd's I did are still shots wih audio overdubbing. This way I could be very precise with the instructions and images. No machine noise or wasted time watching me se up things. They are complete start to finish instrucions for building classical or steel string guitars. The reviews are very positive.

[OBrienGuitars]

I have not made a DVD of my Youtube videos yet. Perhaps one day I will.

[fairbanksave]

Could this be right? He only uses water for steam in the rag on the waist and no water at all in the bout area? Bending without water?

[OBrienGuitars]

I did it for years while bending by hand. When I started using a bending machine I moisten the sides cause I can no longer feel them but I can certainly hear that water sizzle. Find a way that works for you.

[dwilliss]

I use a pipe that I heat up with a blow torch. I must not be getting as much heat as the iron he's using here because it goes a lot slower. Either that or this video is edited down for time. His bending iron also has a flat side which probably transfers heat better. My first build the sides were not quite symmetrical and I cracked the wood at the waist. The second one came out much better.

[Hoopermazing]

That was very informative.

[HRRLutherie]

I'm using a heat gun at 500C, do you that that's enough heat?