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I was bending the sides for my #10 last night. When I bend, I bend on the pipe, then fit to a form as I bend. Saves me time, and it's easier than working from the pipe to the side on the initial bend. I do usually have to do a little touch up when fitting to the sides, but usually it's pretty easy. Anyway, I was bending some Sycamore sides, thinned to about 2.2 mm. I was putting a wet paper towel on the iron to keep from scorching the light colored wood. Well I bent the wood, clamped it to the form for about 30 minutes while I bent the other side. Then I set it on my drill press table after bending to put the other side on it. Went back to compare the bends, and saw this.



I figured it was an anomaly, so I put the other side up there and wen about my business gluing the tail block and the neck in place. Came back and found the second side had done this!



Maybe I should have just warmed them up and set them aside. Maybe they would have bent themselves! I had to adjust every bend to make them fit, but fit they did. I mostly just had to rub the reverse side over the hot iron, pulling out on the bend to soften it. Worked fine, but even the waist bends had tightened. Best waist bends I've ever had. This stuff bends like butter!

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Interesting. . . That sycamore is beautiful. I bought some a couple of months ago and set it aside to season. Perhaps I should resaw it now then put it away. By the time I am ready to use it, it might already be a guitar.

Any Idea what was going on?

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I can only figure that it was the moisture that was introduced into the bent sides when bending on the wet paper towel over the iron. When it dried out fully it pulled the sides in.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Waddy,

I'd say it bends like potato chips!

Pat

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

Much better choice of words, Pat!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

That wood, faced with many other alternatives, was obviously quite excited to become a guitar.

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Jim Hansen

I just closed the box on a sycamore dread. I didn't have an issue with spring back (or spring forward!)

Now that's some guitar friendly wood! Recently I tried to bend a quilted mahogany strip, even at 0.055 it broke every 3" or so because of the extreme runout. When I will bend the actual sides I will probably have to thin to 0.04 !

In general, my paranoia tells me to wait about 3 days after bending, then touch them up again and only then glue the side braces or assembly it.

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Build log

Wood does the funniest things sometime.
I can't wait to hear that one, Waddy!
I am going to get some of that sycamore.
I really like it.

Thing is I am starting to trust wood less and less.

For example, on a good day one might be able to thin, slot and glue an ebony fingerboard. Or over a couple days.

On my current build, in a planing madness moment I thinned a couple ebony FB blanks (same log) at an early stage, maybe about 1 month ago. I made them 6.5mm thick and put them aside. Today i grabbed one to slot it as the binding is done, and surprise, it has cupped along the entire length. The crown/dip is noticeable and I don't think I will be able to plane it flat. Actually I don't even want to use the thing anymore. But the other one has staid flat (same log!). Some wood has the Evil inside it...

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Build log