GoodWood Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Ok, I have a Honuran MAhogany, Paduak, and Ziricote set that I will be working on, - I will be using mainly Mahogany and Indian Rosewood though. What are the best thicknesses for these types of wood, what is too thick, what is too thin, etc... Honduran MAhogany Paduak Ziricote (very hard) Indian Rosewood Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 No set in stone rules for this as each piece can be different. For sides generally between .09(very light flexable wood) to .07"(very hard stiff woods). Mahogany probably closer to .085 to .09. EIR or Paduak around .08 +/- .005". Zircote closer to .07-.075". That is just my numbers some go a bit thinner some a bit thicker. For sides I have to gauge it by the stiffness of each set. Generally though it will be about .01" thicker than the sides. That can vary with body size, your design intent, bracing and what have ya. Again just my general rule of thumb. Peace,Rich P.S. See if some of the other fellas drop there 2 cents worth. As everyone kinda shoots for slightly different numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodWood Posted January 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 No set in stone rules for this as each piece can be different. For sides generally between .09(very light flexable wood) to .07"(very hard stiff woods). Mahogany probably closer to .085 to .09. EIR or Paduak around .08 +/- .005". Zircote closer to .07-.075". That is just my numbers some go a bit thinner some a bit thicker. For sides I have to gauge it by the stiffness of each set. Generally though it will be about .01" thicker than the sides. That can vary with body size, your design intent, bracing and what have ya. Again just my general rule of thumb. Peace,Rich P.S. See if some of the other fellas drop there 2 cents worth. As everyone kinda shoots for slightly different numbers. Cool, Thanks- Did you mean backs will be .01 thicker than sides as a rule? I need some basic 'rules' as these are my first. So a little thicker is probably better. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 No set in stone rules for this as each piece can be different. For sides generally between .09(very light flexable wood) to .07"(very hard stiff woods). Mahogany probably closer to .085 to .09. EIR or Paduak around .08 +/- .005". Zircote closer to .07-.075". That is just my numbers some go a bit thinner some a bit thicker. For BACKS I have to gauge it by the stiffness of each set. Generally though it will be about .01" thicker than the sides. That can vary with body size, your design intent, bracing and what have ya. Again just my general rule of thumb. Peace,Rich P.S. See if some of the other fellas drop there 2 cents worth. As everyone kinda shoots for slightly different numbers. Cool, Thanks- Did you mean backs will be .01 thicker than sides as a rule? I need some basic 'rules' as these are my first. So a little thicker is probably better. Thanks Yes, I meant backs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodWood Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Is Paduak always excessively brittle? I suppose bending needs care, and good heat distribution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Is Paduak always excessively brittle? I suppose bending needs care, and good heat distribution. I don't know what you mean by excessive, but it is kinda brittle(not as bad as ebony to me). Zircote is not super brittle, but likes to split. EIR is pretty good to work with. Black Limba is a joy. As far as heat. Any wood needs good heat distribution if you want it to bend well. I just take my time. Try to feel the wood softening as you bend to get a feel for how it is heating(On my bending machine I can test on the lower bout by heating and applying slight pressure with one finger to tell when it is softening). A little moisture on the wood sandwiched between sealed sheet metal will keep the steam rolling and prevent burning(pretty forgiving method). I have found as long as the thickness is close to what it should be and you have heated the wood high enough you shouldn't have problems. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodWood Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Thanks, maybe for splitting wood, you could glue on some cross stringers, to be sanded off. Thats what Im thinking, but you would need a heat resistant glue, unless you just glue the ends and stay away from it with the heat. What is the best metal to use? I called a gutter place and they are a bit expensive for even a 36" piece of gutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Thanks, maybe for splitting wood, you could glue on some cross stringers, to be sanded off. Thats what Im thinking, but you would need a heat resistant glue, unless you just glue the ends and stay away from it with the heat. What is the best metal to use? I called a gutter place and they are a bit expensive for even a 36" piece of gutter. I wouldn't glue anything on the sides before you bend them. If the wood does split you can usually just us a bit of CA to repair the crack(works just fine as long as it is a fresh fracture). As far as the best metal to use. Stainless steel is best, but I have used other types without issue. I prefer very thin(flexable sheets for sandwiching the wood). When you use very thin sheet, you need to be sure you side bender has very even solid support for the material. I used metal slats for a while. Then I added med guage sheet metal over the slats and find it makes heating and bending much smoother. If you are in a pinch for a source for steel. You could go to home depot's gutter section. They sell rolls of flashing (different guages and widths, steel and aluminum). You will find the flashing has memory and depending on how tight your bends are you may have to figure on replacing the sheets after a couple sets(the flashing has memory and will distort, but it is cheap and does the job just fine). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodWood Posted January 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Ok, saw the sheet metal in the hvac dept. 34" x 22 for like $7.00 - cant go wrong, but the bender on blueridge just uses 1/2 round slats, might go with that, and aluminum foil over the wood. Looks good, getting there. My birtch plywood dishes will be ready in 3 weeks for backs and tops. Just need to get the backs glued up and (straitened) out a bit. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Ok, saw the sheet metal in the hvac dept. 34" x 22 for like $7.00 - cant go wrong, but the bender on blueridge just uses 1/2 round slats, might go with that, and aluminum foil over the wood. Looks good, getting there. My birtch plywood dishes will be ready in 3 weeks for backs and tops. Just need to get the backs glued up and (straitened) out a bit. Thanks!! For what it is worth here is a picture of how my bender is set up- The metal over the slats really gives you a nice smooth finished product. The very thin metal that sandwiches the wood also serve to even the heat and provide an even more even surface for the wood. Tinfoil may hold in the steam if you dont rip it, but it will not help maintain or even out the heating. FWIW. Very cool. I wish I was getting some new dishes. My dishes sure do make building more pleasant. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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