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I was watching the flamenco guitarist Ben Woods playing a Cordoba guitar which had 2 different woods on the sides. One was very dark and one quite light in color maybe lacewood. I recently cut up some peach wood and sumac. and the material for the sides is not wide enough. Would you recommend bending both pieces separately and then gluing together or do you think I could glue them first and then bend. If so what kind of glue and what method of heating the sides would not result in the glue joint giving way

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Mike McNerney

Hot hide glue would probably do it. I've never tried two-piece sides, but I have done side purfling (single veneer strip) and bent on a hot pipe, and they're amazingly tolerant to the heat and moisture. They will fall apart eventually if you spend a long time at it, but until then, whatever portion of the joint does get wet should theoretically be reactivated by the heat so it should return to full strength when dry.

I also have glued purfling to binding and then bent it but in a bender. Found that Titebond 3 worked best on holding it together. That's about the only thing I've used it for on guitars.

Why not three pieces with two joined exterior pieces and a backer board. Double/laminated sides are used by some of the best Luthiers in the world such as Somogyi.

In the guitar repair business the word/name Cordoba is Spanish for bridge reglue.

Check out Howard Klepper's work and more specifically Dovetail Madness and Son of Dovetail Madness as well.

If I am not mistaken I think Fish glue has the highest temperature release of any of the normal glues we used. I used it on Slemer type guitar tops to bend the pliage on the top and had no problems but that is not as intense as bending sides too. The moisture might be an issue with either hide or fish.

I use titebond 3 when I glue up binding and purfling logs. They seem to bend fine without delaminating. For some reason, it feels different to me putting that joint in the middle log a side width but I have nothing to base that on.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I built a pine guitar a decade or so ago out of a pine 2" x 4" (different story). I needed wider sides than 3 1/2 inches and edge glued more material to make them wider. Titebond 3. Everything bent on a pipe and is still holding well.

Might be interesting to have some purfling separating the two pieces.

Bonjour mike . I/ve done quite a bit of gluing 2 sides together, and as others have mentioned, then laminating them with a thin veneer. The product that has worked for me is UF glue made by dap ? I get it from walmart ace hdware,and amazon it is a 2 part glue that is mixed with water . Toxic stuff, I like to use it above 85 deg F or let it sit in an insulated large box when its cold e. g. ottawa. The glue dries hard an brittle. tough on knives, and jointers . I resaw it on a carbide BS blade and sand to thickness on a thickness sanders. I dont like to heat it past 350 deg on my silicone heating blankets . I/ve tried all the other glues including fish and this one worked best for me. It is a powder, and needs to be mixed to the consistency of heavy cream, and you need to wait before applying., A heavy glue coat ensures good coverage for the exotics I use. Bon chance.

Thanks all. that gives me some encouragement it's possible.

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Mike McNerney