Official Luthiers Forum!

My bender came from Blues Creek a week or so ago and I finally got to try it out on the weekend.

I didn't have any spare sides to test on so I jumped right in on my good sides. Walnut. And man, what a pleasure to use this thing. Bends the sides in about 10 minutes each and they came out square and straight. They're in the mold now with the neck and end block glued up. It is so much easier working with well bent sides I can't tell you...

It's a very well made machine that works great.

I would highly recommend.

Neil

Hey Neil,

Allow me to concur - after struggling through 5 sets with the pipe bender I sprung for the Blues Creek bender with the cutaway option.
My first set of EIR bent like a dream!
The next few tries turned into firewood....Sapele and Ovankol.
I was wrapping the sides in tin foil to avoid discoloring on the spring steel slats.
I went back to John's excellent video tutorials and the scrapped the foil - the next set bent like a champ.
I tape the binding (and marquetry purfling) to the straight edge of the side and bend them all together.
Works great! No springback.

Rob

Hey Rob

That's a great idea about bending the binding at the same time as the sides. I'll have to give that a try.

Neil

I have bent literally hundreds of sides using John's benders and can vouch for them! Two thumbs up!

thanks for all the kind words. I use them to so I need them to work .

_________________
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

I've got one of John's Bending Machines as well and it's definitely one of my favorite tools in the shop.

_________________
Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."