Official Luthiers Forum!

I don't think you get away with poor bending with a mold, that's not the purpose of a mold really. The mold is useful for aligning and building the box but you still need accurate bends. You may be able to get away with a little bit more but still even in open work board construction you can get away with minimal bending errors.

Interesting Todd, I use a mould but all the operations you describe, I do them outside of the mould! For gluing blocks, side tape and linings I find working with the free sides much easier and certainly less "clunky". When it is time to profile the rim to my 5' lateral arch the mould is almost indispensable, unless one uses stiff laminated sides. It is true that I use a 1/4" bolt to secure the end block to the mould, and a 5/32" screw for the neck block, so it is a no-brainer to take the rim in and out of the mould without registration.

_________________
Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/