Carved solid wood top and back with...laminated sides?

[Greg McKnight]

The prospect of bending the sides is scaring me a bit. I wonder if I can do it without destroying the sides (which aren't cheap). I don't have a bender, and I planned on using a pipe and some sort of heater like a torch, heat gun, charcoal starter, etc. Then I saw some veneer that meets the measurements except it's 1/42" or 0.6 mm thick. I wonder if I could laminate those, which would no doubt be easier to bend, and not harm the acoustic tone too badly. Any advice?

[Bill Raymond]

You can do that, but it would be best to laminate over a guitar-shaped mold and use shaped cauls. It wouldn't necessarily be easier to bend laminates that were glued together flat. Best advice might be to get some practice sides and learn to bend over your heated pipe so that you can bend solid sides with confidence.

[Bob Gramann]

Get some scrap wood (my Home Depot sells maple--flat sawn will work fine for practice) thinned to about .080 plus or minus a few, and practice. It's not hard to do. Use a good, strong source of heat. I use a charcoal starter, squashed to fit in the pipe, and a lamp dimmer to control the heat. I set mine so that water spritzed onto the pipe flashes off immediately. You'll figure it out with a few practice bends. Some woods bend well dry; others do better with a little spritz of water right before the bend. Water does tend to mess up the bend for highly figured wood. I rock the wood about the contact point with the pipe to spread the heat. You will feel it when it starts to get plastic. If you need to force it, it's not ready. If you use an outside mold, bend a little on the pipe and compare, and then bend a little more making it fit as you go, you will get skilled pretty quickly. You might even enjoy it. Bending sides is one of my favorite tasks in building.

[Patrick Hanna]

Greg, I remember very clearly the first time I bent wood over a hot pipe. I was intimidated by the thought of it. The only difference between me and you is that I already had some practice wood. Bob Gramann described my experience perfectly. You will quickly learn to feel the wood plasticize. As far as laminating goes, I did that once, too. I was only laminating enough for the inside curve of a pointed cutaway. It worked out okay for me, but if I did it again, I'd bend the curve from a piece of solid side.

[Chris Richards]

I have only done this once myself and will echo Bob Gramann's methods... I purchased the ready sanded sides from Stewmac which were flamed and didn't have a great deal of bother bending them, I think the secret is that if you think that you are pushing the wood too hard you ARE... Soak the wood for an hour to be sure it's wet all the way through. I used a 3 inch diameter copper pipe and a propane blow torch (very crude) then pressed the wood onto the pipe and rocked it, once the water started steaming I gently moulded the wood around the pipe... Like I say DON'T force the wood, it should feel quite plastic when it's ready to bend... I had no problem even going around a cut away..

You can see the propane torch pointing to the inside of the pipe...So nothing "fancy" there.... The sides remained very pliable to clamp them into the mould although the next day they were much stiffer and had formed to the mould perfectly, you can see that I did scorch the wood a little but it was nothing serious and was easily sanded off.

[Michael Lewis]

With highly figured wood it is generally best to NOT soak it, as that tends to cause separations in the curls. Your luck may be better than mine in this regard, but I found a paper towel folded over several times and wetted, then laid on the pipe, and put the wood on the wet towel. The steam carries the heat deep into the wood and the bends usually come easier with much less scorching involved. You have to keep adding water to the towel as it dries (I use a spray bottle). As with most operations, it takes a bit of trial and error to get a feel for bending sides.

[Greg McKnight]

Does anyone know of a good source for non-figured maple sides? Seems like everywhere I look it's only figured maple and in a back and sides set. I already have the back wood (black walnut). I guess I could also try walnut sides but I wouldn't know where to find them either. Any ideas?

[Joe Lanza]

Walnut should be very easy to find from most tonewood vendors, and nearly any hardwood dealer. The cheapest way to go is to find a suitable board and saw your own. If you don't have a bandsaw, a well-tuned table saw (good fence, zero clearance inset, thin kerf blade, everything in alignment, feather boards, etc.) will do the job. 3" sides can be cut in one pass with a 10" blade. With a smaller blade, cut a little thicker and flip the board over. You can finish thicknessing with a hand plane and or sanders.

[Mario Proulx]

I scored some really nice veneer some years ago, and have failed completely at laminating sides with it.... Bending solid wood is so easy, and enjoyable, I see no reason to ever re-visit laminating sides again. Here's a most boring video I made of me bending some highly figured maple just a few weeks ago. Watch it for the technique, not the lack of entertainment value... <bg>

http://youtu.be/1foU_BRK_8M?list=UUvMjS ... dPPFKZjFpw

[Mark Swanson]

I don't know where you live Greg, but you can score plain old maple at most any big box hardware store around here, you might be able to find it as well but availability depends on location somewhat.

[Greg McKnight]

I don't know where you live Greg, but you can score plain old maple at most any big box hardware store around here, you might be able to find it as well but availability depends on location somewhat.

Unfortunately I live in one of those areas (southwest Virginia) that seems only to stock red oak, poplar, and pine in Lowe's and Home Depot. I've been searching the internet for lumber suppliers that I might be able to visit. Don't know if such businesses are into selling single boards but I won't know until I ask right? My last resort is online, but I hate to pay S&H on EVERYTHING I get for a build.

[Greg McKnight]

I don't suppose poplar would be an acceptable side wood? I know it doesn't look like much but would it, at least theoretically, hold up as well as maple or mahogany? Just spitballing here.

[Barry Daniels]

Not as hard as maple or even mahogany, but it would be acceptable. Remember that 99% of guitars have matching back an sides but it is not required.

[John Mueller]

StewMac sells practice sides for learning how to bend. http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Su ... _Wood.html

[Michael Lewis]

Joe Lanza is right on here, cut your own. Get a decent board and saw it and sand it. Then bend it. This is how parts are made. Since your back is already walnut I suggest you use walnut for the sides too, unless you want your guitar to look like patchwork. Nothing wrong with that structurally, but as long as you are going to the trouble of making a guitar, why not make it as 'right' as you can.

[Randolph Rhett]

I don't want to high jack this thread, but I was wondering if anyone has ever laminated an exotic/decorative veneer to sides? I am not avoiding bending sides. However, highly figured or exotic woods are not really conducive to using as bent sides, but might add a real visual pop. Has anyone ver taken plain Jane maple or mahogany sides an veneered them with something exotic?

[Barry Daniels]

Sure you can do that but you have to be careful when using regular thickness veneer on the show side as it does not allow much wood for sanding or scraping. I like to use .050" veneer on top to minimize the threat of sand-thru.