Official Luthiers Forum!

james, sorry to get back to you so slowly.

the last one i got was an omega srm 050636. it is a 5w/s.i., 6" x 36". you can easily look them up on omega's web site.

Anyone still use a pipe to bend wood, like me?   

I would love to build a bending form jig with blanket, but I work in a very small shop. At least my bending setup can be packed away.

Sam, I use it a little. I have an electric bending iron similar to a pipe, but it's somewhat teardrop.

I now bend the waist of my sides by hand over the electric bender, then I switch to the bending form and blanket. The purpose is to keep from over cooking the waist during the bending process.

Woods like sapele and maple tend to scorch if heated too long. By bending the waist and allowing it to cool during the switch to the bending form, no more scorched sides at the waist.

I did a number of my first guitars on the pipe, and could feel incremental bends all along the curves. That convinced me to switch. The bending form just gives such a nice gentle curve all around. Anyone besides me have that problem on the pipe? bd

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

/\ from my experience (disclaimer*limited as that is compared to others*disclaimer), I found that the wider curves needed the uniform heat distribution by faster feeding repeatedly on the same area and only bending when that heat spread is achieved across that section of wood.

I broke a few sides/had terrible kinks with my pipe attempts, and have managed to figure that one out at least.

I know that the blanket is an easier and more efficient way, and I long to switch to that technique when I get an outdoor shed to store those larger jigs. However, being an artist, I have sculpted with various media and find enjoyable comparisons with bending wood on a pipe. I'm just too tactile, I guess.

I use lightbulbs 2 x 200W and 1 X 150 Watt in the middle. I use a bathroon fan timer so it can never run more than the time I set. The same " base fits under four molds so far.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/