Official Luthiers Forum!

hi to all
got the SPRINGS from a trampoline (large ones)
and from a pull out couch bed (small ones)

anyone know where you,d get spring steel ..giant bandsaw blade?

whats the small springs for on the caul ?

and i was wondering if anyone from the UK got a
voltage converter from anything
thanks again guys

I got my spring steel from McMaster Carr. 0.010" blue spring steel in 6"x36" size.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I get my spring steel from John at Blues Creek Guitars - there's a link for his website up there in the header of the forum.

Cheapest Fox-style bending machine is the one you make yourself....

Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Wolfsearcher, get in touch with Martin Edwards. He's a member that lives in your neck of the woods. He should be able to point you towards more local sources. Or tell you that there aren't local sources and were to go to get the most for your pound.

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Aoibeann

many thanks ill get onto that stright away
tomas

Heat blanket, router controller, spring steel will still run over L250.00

I use aluminum flashing for the main body, got 50' for $11.00 though.

Also, you don't need a huge screw-like thing for the center waist-bend, thats the easiest bend to make, its way over-engineered.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

dare i suggest on a budget go with the light bulb heated fox style bender? that's what i was planning on doing eventually. heat blankets are too damned expensive! and the one i used for my first build worked great.

There are good plans out there. They really are not that hard to build.

thanks for the replys again everyone
does anyone know a page where you an get a 360 view of one ?
it all seems to be one sided pictures of them
id like to do that (guillotene) style waist press one ....and make a nice caul for it too
if no good pictures exist ...... i have a question or two. a simple yes /no will do please.

Q.1 Is the springs on the guillotene for keeping the caul suspended so the
threadbar can turn without twisting the caul ?
Q.2 why is that metal piece that attaches to the spring seem to be
down in the waist of the horse ..is it ?

I was also wondering how much do you guys take off on the tail side of the mould
for countering springback?
does different body shapes or woods differ your opinion much

thanks a lot again for all your quality knowledge
oh ya about those springs. I think ive to heat them up red hot
because there too stiff but their a perfect length
Tomas

Tomas,

If you haven't already done so have a look in this thread. Colin Symonds (Colin S) shows the simple bender that he uses that doesn't require any springs and is very simple to make. Give him a pm if you have any questions.

If you are planning to make a lot of instruments with woods other than say walnut then go for a heating blanket. By the time you add up the costs of the ceramic light bulb fittings, broken side sets to replace and anger management pills it will definitely cost in.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

THANKS dave thats exactly what im looking for
i bought a heat blanket ,controller and thermometer off ebay allready because
ive read bad things about that lighting method .
I didnt buy the voltage converter yet though it wont be long
just waiting for my beltsander to arrive to make the fox bender
Finally no more flakey fingers yeeaaahh

Tomas,

The cheapest voltage converter/transformers are the ones used in the building trade where they have to use the low voltage tools. They aren't that expensive new and you should find them second hand to in Ireland. Where in Ireland do you live?

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Luthiers mercantile do heating blankets at 240v so no need for converters. I bought two and use the John Mayes method which has worked perfectly every time. It works so well I have also bought two mandolin sized ones which I've only used once so far, but they make side bending really easy.
Charles.

wolfsearcher,

Here's a simple style that I use for all my bending forms. Saw a similar one that Cumpiano uses.



I use 3/4" birch ply, glued-then-screwed wooden crosspieces, and roof flashing. I also use a blanket and router speed controller. To read temps, I took the guts out of a cooking thermometer so I can stick the thermocouple into the sandwich.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Mine is very similar to Pat's.

I traced the shape off of my body template onto 1/2" plywood.

For hold downs -- I used screen door springs bought at Ace Hardware.

I think the whole form, springs and all cost me <$40.00

I also used Aluminum roofing flashing for the shim... Cheap stuff.

I am sure the spring steel would work better, though.

Good luck

John

I have to reply to a statement about the heating blankets , Yes they do cost more than light bulbs , but when you consider that your scrap rate will drop from about 15% to less than 1 % there is a big savings. Also how much will it cost to replace a burned building. I had to stop making a light bulb unit for insurance reasons. While none of mine have burnt down there are records of these things bursting into flames.
Light bulbs are indeed a safety issue. I don't want to see anyone loose property because of bad engineering.
If you are making this yourself , be aware that safety has to be your #1 concern. Never leave a unit unattended and use a timer. Have an extinguisher available at all times and please , think of what can happen. I know of 3 people that lost shops in fires from the light bulb unit.
Be safe

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it