Looking For Instructions On Creating A Side Bender

[garrycs69]

Hi All

I am looking for instructions on making a good side bender, something that

is quick and safe to bend my guitar sides.

Websites are welcome.

Thanks

Garry

[Mattia]

Um, googling will get you all of this in about 3 minutes flat, but here goes anyway, because we don't get a lot of acoustic builders 'round here :-)

LMI sells plans for the 'traditional' Fox-type side bender, Allied Lutherie also sells the full machine (and has a picture on the website). It's fairly self explanatory: guitar shape, cranky clampy bits to hold things in place. The MIMF.com (register for free) library has countless discussions on fox style side benders, how to bend with bulbs, heat blankets (GET ONE, really, really worth the 100 or so dollars. John Hall at Blues Creek Guitars sells 'em including temp controllers), general operation of the thing.

Mine's idiotically simple: make shape of guitar, minus side thickness, add perhaps a tiny amount of 'overbend' to compensate for springback (not strictly necessary), make some appropriate sized cauls. I prefer a 'solid' surface for the sides to move up against, none of this 'bar' structure you see in many benders. Mine:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~mvalente/guitarpics/sidebender_04.jpg

I'm thinking of building my next ones/rebuilding this design's one following Mike Doolin's design:

http://www.doolinguitars.com/articles/bender/

David Hurd's bender:

http://www.ukuleles.com/BuildingHowTo/sidebend.html

JC Jones' version:

http://jcjonesguitars.netfirms.com/sidebend.htm

Kathy Matsushita's simple side bender:

http://pweb.jps.net/~msm/htmlpages/gcsbform.html

There's really not a whole lot of mytery to the darn things, and if you want more versions and pictures, google.

[Recursion]

Nice Links mattia!

[garrycs69]

Hi Mattia

Thanks for the links, most i have not seen before. I am going to try to make a copy of one over the holidays if i have the material.

Thanks

Garry