pariah223 Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 I am interested in using some nice quilted maple for my back and sides on my next acoustic. I know that tiger maple is supposed to be a real pain to bend.. is quilted any easier or harder? I may be completely off by even thinking there is a difference but i imagine there is some kind of difference. I have never tried to bend tiger maple but have heard it is tough to do without damaging the wood. I had little trouble bending mahogany and bubinga if that is any indicator. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I am interested in using some nice quilted maple for my back and sides on my next acoustic. I know that tiger maple is supposed to be a real pain to bend.. is quilted any easier or harder? I may be completely off by even thinking there is a difference but i imagine there is some kind of difference. I have never tried to bend tiger maple but have heard it is tough to do without damaging the wood. I had little trouble bending mahogany and bubinga if that is any indicator. Thanks! I have never bent Maple but have bent several less than friendly woods. It depends on if you are using a heating blanked and jig or pipe bending. If it is the latter buy a heating blanket it will make any bending job easier. The maple will probably need a bit of moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted May 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 yeah i should just break down and build the jig and buy the blankets, but i feel like if i get good at pipe bending, i will be better off in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 yeah i should just break down and build the jig and buy the blankets, but i feel like if i get good at pipe bending, i will be better off in the long run. Nope, get a blanket. it will improve your success, TRUST ME ON THIS ONE. Maple is easy with a blanket. Curly and Quilted take a little more effort, but VERY doable. MK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDub Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I haven't bent any figured wood yet, but I've read plenty on it. The problem with figured woods, not just figured maples, is run out. All that figure is where the grain is shifting. What happens is when you bend, the wood trys to split along the grain lines in figured wood. One thing you MUST do when bending any figured wood, is to use backing straps when bending on a pipe. I'm curious as to whether the metal slats in a fox style bender offer enough support for figured woods? Anybody have experience? Might also check out Super Soft II. Its a product to soften wood for bending, but I don't know how it would be on figured wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted May 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I am a little confused on the fox bender. does it use both lightbulbs and blankets? or are there just 2 different ways of skinning the cat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 (edited) I haven't bent any figured wood yet, but I've read plenty on it. The problem with figured woods, not just figured maples, is run out. All that figure is where the grain is shifting. What happens is when you bend, the wood trys to split along the grain lines in figured wood. One thing you MUST do when bending any figured wood, is to use backing straps when bending on a pipe. I'm curious as to whether the metal slats in a fox style bender offer enough support for figured woods? Anybody have experience? Might also check out Super Soft II. Its a product to soften wood for bending, but I don't know how it would be on figured wood. The Fox style bender is the method I use. and yes the slats offer support. supersoft II is a great product and really does help with bending figured wood. I am a little confused on the fox bender. does it use both lightbulbs and blankets? or are there just 2 different ways of skinning the cat? They can be bulbs or blankets or both. I use a combination of bulbs and one blanket. Just my way of doing it. Edited May 9, 2009 by MiKro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDub Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 I made my own bender and just use the blanket. So far no problems. I've heard the bulbs don't give a consistent heat over the entire slat, so I got a blanket. Bought mine direct from the manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 (edited) i thinki might just break down and build a fox style bender. What blankets do you guys use, whats the right size to get, and where can i find em? Thanks! Also, do you need 1 or 2 blankets? I have noticed some people seem to use 2 by looking at older threads.. but is that required? Edited May 10, 2009 by pariah223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDub Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 My blanket's 6x36" I got it online from the manufacturer, but can't remember the name, maybe omega???. If you get it from the manufacturer, yoiu'll need to put a plug on it yourself. Might also try John Hall at Blues Creek. They sell them there, and that's where I got my spring steel slats too. I use one blanket, and a router speed control to run it. There's plenty of pics of peoples setups around. I took ideas from different ones, and made my own design. The base has the springs on it, and I made it so I can change the forms for different body shapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 i thinki might just break down and build a fox style bender. What blankets do you guys use, whats the right size to get, and where can i find em? Thanks! Also, do you need 1 or 2 blankets? I have noticed some people seem to use 2 by looking at older threads.. but is that required? Not really, but you will need some stainless or spring steel slats for support as well. I have to look into super soft II. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 My blanket's 6x36" Might also try John Hall at Blues Creek. +1 got mine from John, same size. MK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 I agree with what everyone is mentioning. A few thoughts that come to mind when I am bending quilted figure. I prefer a very solid form foundation, as smooth an supportive as possible. I build side forms with rectangular aluminum bar 1/8" or 3/16" is fine(about 1/2" tall, frequently placed) then cover with steel sheet. I use flexible sheet slats because I want to avoid extra tension from heavy slats while I pull the wood to the form. I use paper between the wood and slats and distilled water then seal the whole thing up with tape(masking tape works just fine for me). The idea, reduce the chances of staining(especially with maple), contain a small amount of water(too much water, creates puddles and doesn't really generate the steam your after, which seems to lead to uneven heating) and promote even steam contained until your finished heating the wood(you slice the tape when your locked down, give the blankets a quick warm up and your steam escapes quickly), keeping moisture evenly contained also reduces the chances of spot scortching. I prefer two blankets for better control, even heating, and I believe it is a good investment if your using expensive wood like quilted maple. Maintaining even pressure against the form is important, and you want to make sure you work to the outsides from the waist to avoid bunching or pinching the slats to create a bulge or distrotion(lock the middle and clamp the ends, then work the areas between would be a disaster* pretty obvious, but think about it when your bending to keep it extra smooth). Thickness of these types of figured woods, especially when your making sharper bends, and your ability to heat and make the wood flexible enough is tricky. These figured woods have very focused areas of weakness and strength because the grain runs so oddly. You need to be sure you are not too thick and will have trouble getting the heat up evenly. Supersoft, is a very sensible investment. Also take your time when removing the bent side from the clamps and form. You don't want the tension stored in your slats to crack the sides because you released the clamps too unevenly. Plan very well, do a practice run and make sure nothing will get in your way or make your life difficult while you should be focused totally on monitoring heating and a smooth bending process. A smooth bend is really important with quilted maple, because you will get some faceting that you will have to deal with when you are leveling and prepping the surfaces for finish. Extra distortion will only make the chances greater you will have to thin the sides a bunch(hopefully a bunch doesn't turn into too much) to get them leveled and smooth. Good Luck with your project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 i thinki might just break down and build a fox style bender. What blankets do you guys use, whats the right size to get, and where can i find em? Thanks! Also, do you need 1 or 2 blankets? I have noticed some people seem to use 2 by looking at older threads.. but is that required? Not really, but you will need some stainless or spring steel slats for support as well. I have to look into super soft II. I should read what I wrote? Anyway what I ment to say is. One blanket is plenty, a heat control is suggested as well as a timer, I got mine from LMI. Both pipe bending and a fox bender use metal slats to support the grain so it does not split, two is recommended for the heating blanket/fox bender, you only need one for the pipe. I built my own bender from the LMI plans. It was easy. The hardest part was the body template, getting it right. buying a body template made it much easier. I do not use bulbs as the heating blanket is enough. Their are some U Tube videos of people using a side bender, worth looking for. Also taylor guitars has a shop tour with bending sides as one of the videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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