BENDING WOOD WITHOUT A SHOP

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by William McCauley on March 13, 2012 at 2:58pm

Be VERY careful of the 1x2 boards, they seem to be warped pretty often. Get in the habit of checking any board you choose against something straight (take a metal yard stick along). I gauge them against the rack's uprights. Check for twist also. You can pick thru the whole rack if you want to until you find what you like. I often buy wider than the 2" and rip them to the width I want. You can also rip them, reverse the grain and glue them up.  

Permalink Reply by Habanera Hal on March 13, 2012 at 4:25pm

If it's just bowed a bit (as opposed to warped), use it with the bow facing down (arc up, if that make sense).  Your string tension will help to straighten it out.

Permalink Reply by Sean Laffey on March 13, 2012 at 4:31pm

You can buy special birch ply, that is ideal for bending, it's whiote wood and takes any stain you like. Be careful if you get it and make sure its the bendy variety, I was sold a very expensive sheet once that was useless, the sheets are about 35 Euro here for 8 foot by 4 foot, the precision sawing is the stuff that piles up the costs, I had them make 4 inch wide planks for me. They charged me 2 euro per cut. I picked up the wood, loaded the van, when I got home  found I'd been sold the no-bendy variety. Test it before you pay for it.

Permalink Reply by BadTimmy on March 13, 2012 at 4:49pm

I always build my CBG's with a steel rod reinforcement (like the older Martin guitars). If I'm fretting the oak neck itself, I rout the back of the neck, and epoxy in a piece of 3/8" round rod and, then place a "skunk stripe" over the rout. If I'm using a separate fingerboard, I install the rod in a rout under the fingerboard. You can influence the neck to "back-bow" a few degrees with clamps and cauls while the epoxy cures, (I let mine stay clamped this way for several days.) You'll also find that if you attempt to soak and clamp the stock without introducing clamping pressure in the opposite warp direction and use heat to fully dry the stock, the warp will return on it's own later on. My early CBG's are at least 2 years old and the necks are still true. Play loud, rock hard, stay primal!

Permalink Reply by Greg Francis on March 14, 2012 at 3:42pm

Thanks for the input everyone. I think before I scrap the wood and rebuy I'll give the soaking and clamping method a shot. Otherwise I'll go with using the bowed sides up and call it a natural scarf joint!