NK Forster Guitars Making a Guitar - bending sides

Bending an Indian Rosewood guitar side, by hand. It was getting a bit dull to watch so I chopped a couple of little bits out - the total time was about 10 mins. The non cutaway side took around 6. Must be getting slow! It takes nearly that long to put sides in a modern bending machine.

If I compromised the design - made the waist and the cutaway less tight it would be quicker still, but that's putting the cart before the horse eh? Design first, that's my way.
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com

Category:

Howto & Style

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• nk
• nigel
• forster
• guitars
• lutherie
• luthier
• making
• woodworking
• crafts
• hobbies
• handmade

[XribbleQuebec]

Very nice work!

Some soak in warm water for 5 mins others (for production) soak in boiling water for 45 seconds.

The main idea is to get it wet so the lignin holding the cellulose flexes instead of breaking and of course to avoid burning the wood.

Peace!

[Nkforster]

I never knew it was so complicated!

[gguitarwilly]

Hi there,

I'm watching your video in kind of bitter amazement. It just took me three ours to bend one (!) side of 2,5 mm mahogany, and it still isn't right! what I don't get is that it's dry in 5 minutes, so I had to remoisten it, which I don't see you do. should I leave the side dry, so as not to cool down the bending iron? I have the kinkade and the cumpiano book, but they don't say anything about that. Still have to do the other side....

iron was hot enough, I tested it with drops of water.

[Nkforster]

Now if you go through the clip again you will hear me answer your questions. Practice on scrap - mahogany is very easy to bend but when it snaps it does very quickly due to short grain, and because of the colour it is often difficult to repair invisibly. Watch the other side bending clips I have posted as you will see what I do from a better angle. Basically you heat the wood on the broad part of the iron then move over to the curved part to bend it. Simple.

[pdpluthier]

Do you soak the wood in cold or hot water? If so, for how long? Thanks.

[Nkforster]

You can if you want. Experiment.

[mqmqmwmw]

this guy looks like a psycho!

[1996PhYcOmExIcAn]

hey can u use a reguler iron

[fairbanksave]

Do you soak the wood first or just spray it with water?

David

[Mikyz12]

How much of the bend is lost in the cooling of the wood?

[luthierboy]

I made my bender using a 1' section of 3" pipe, the heating element from a goodwill waffle iron, a dimmer switch, and some steel square stock I bent into legs. Total cost: less than $10.00. That was 27 instruments ago

[Belzanazza]

hey how much would the bending machine cost? is there anyother ways of bending the wood?

[Jazzwayze]

Hi NK,

Why do luthiers take a sharp intake of breath, when you ask about left-handed guitars? Surely there's no more work involved making a l/h than a r/h. (I understand the problem with mass production or a conversion.) Looking at the press you are using that would surey be the mould you'd use for any guitar you made, left or right. Depends on which side you put the back or front. So is there any extra work involved in making a l/h from scratch?

Regards John

[brundontfreeze000]

you can make you're own... lol some person uses some kind of stainless steel and a blow torch and heats it and then bends the sides