Why cant I bend sides?

[Truckjohn]

A lot of good advice so far.

One big thing for me was learning to ignore the "Temperature" on the readout and observe the wood. I was bending too cold and too slowly because I was trying to follow the proscribed temperatures and times...

This is where bending over a hot pipe iron can be so useful - as you have the tactile feedback of the wood becoming flexible in your hands or stiffening up. You pretty quickly figure out that if the wood isn't flexible - it just breaks...

I still use the bending blankets and forms - but now I just run the blanket at 100% and start bending as the wood softens.

Oak, cherry, maple, and hickory are all good learning woods. I love Quartersawn oak as a tonewood and have used it in sides approaching 1/4" thick with no trouble bending.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by David Bundrick

...a guy trying to make ukuleles...

Oh, well there is the problem.


Just kidding. Actually 2 mm might be a little thick for a ukulele, some do 1.5-1.75mm. When I bend on a pipe I get a rag damp and drape it on the pipe then rock the wood over it. Might be a little slower than if you have the wood directly on the pipe but it works for me. Shows you can work wood at about the boiling point of water. I move the rag over when it stops steaming, leather gloves a good idea.

[Skarsaune]

Originally Posted by Truckjohn

Oak, cherry, maple, and hickory are all good learning woods. I love Quartersawn oak as a tonewood and have used it in sides approaching 1/4" thick with no trouble bending.

I bent my first set of sides this weekend out of quartersawn oak. It bent very well for me. I did a couple strips of walnut binding first to get the feel, then a couple strips of the oak, then the sides. It worked out better than I expected.