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Is there a way to get around it? It seems some does, some doesn't.

I bent the tight curves on the cutaway at .070 and still got visible compression on the inside curves. It's unsightly...

Some times it does and sometimes it doesn't. Mahogany can be a dream to bend or a nightmare. The times it has happened to me the supplier sent an extra set of sides


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did you sand on it to see if it cleans up? You must be careful on the ram if you use a machine too much pressure is too much. I take the ram to the pattern and that is it. No need to squeeze it. Just shape it

_________________
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

Hmmm....

I do have a tendency to push fairly hard there. We're going to make custom shoes that perfectly conform with the inside of the cutaway so that simply snugging it up will do the trick. OTOH, I've seen it happen in the waists of dreadnaughts too, so I think there is more than just pressure from the outside going on...

I haven't had any compression problems since I changed to bending on the hot pipe. 3 mahogany ukuleles with tight waist bends so far and no troubles. I can't say that's the cure for certain yet. Seems reasonable to me though....The pipe is the hottest part so the wood is at full steam where you're bending. On a bending machine, the waist ram is cold at first. Maybe the friction from the forms binds up the wood so it can't slip when bending.

I too bend on a pipe rather than a machine. Mahogany bends better with less water and tends to prefer to be worked almost dry.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

the compress happens from too much pressure on the waist or the cutaway . Best result touch the pattern and back off a 1/4 turn. Don't bottom out just get to the pattern. If you snug you are squeezing.

_________________
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