Alternatives for Radius Dishes?

[AcousticMoose]

Started building a new radius dish and asked myself if there's an easier way. I have a vacuum press, so I don't need a radius dish for clamping the top and bottom. But what other methods are out there for properly matching the radius on the guitar sides?

[printer2]

I made my own, lots of sawdust. I would think you might get away with putting the right curve on your braces, have them flat side down on a flat surface and then curve the top or bottom over it. Glue and put pressure on it.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by AcousticMoose

Started building a new radius dish and asked myself if there's an easier way. I have a vacuum press, so I don't need a radius dish for clamping the top and bottom. But what other methods are out there for properly matching the radius on the guitar sides?

By hand with a plane & sanding block using your eye and measurements to get the contour right.

[John Arnold]

I use radius backer strips that are 1 1/2" wide, which are cut from 2 X 4's. They are about 5/8" thick on the ends, and thinner in the center (obviously). I cut them on a band saw, and sanded them with curved block that was shaped with the convex radius.
The two that I use under the X-braces have a cross-lap joint so that both braces can be glued at once. On my soundboards, only the X-braces have the 25-foot radius. The tone bars and finger braces are flat, and the UTB has a 60-foot radius. That facilitates a straight fingerboard tongue when the neck is set to the proper angle. Because of this design, I glue the top braces in three steps. The flat braces are glued all at once. The UTB and soundhole braces are glued on last, using a 60-foot radius strip.
I have four radius strips to glue back braces all at once. Those have a 15-foot radius.
If you use deep-throat clamps to glue braces instead of a go-bar deck, you can just use a flexible strip of wood on the front side of the top or back. A soft wood like basswood that is about 3/16" to 1/4" thick by 1 1/2" wide works well.

But what other methods are out there for properly matching the radius on the guitar sides?

The Martin way until the early 1990's:
Profile the sides before bending them. The kerfing is glued on about 1/32" above the edge of the sides. With the side assembly in the mold, the kerfing is profiled with a block plane, using a radius strip to check the angle. The strip can also be used with sandpaper on one end, letting the other end ride on the kerfing on the opposite side of the guitar. The good thing about a spherical radius is that any part of the curve is the same, so it does not matter where the radius strip touches. On my guitars, this operation is only done on the back. The top is glued to a flat rim.