Official Luthiers Forum!

For all you folks that have built your own Fox style bender.Where did you get your hardware?I saw a press screw in Lee Valley , I think it was a 9" that looked like it would work.Is this correct?Also it`s about those big springs.Haven`t found any of those yet.Any help is always appreciated, you guys are top notch.Hey I noticed I finally made it past Walnut.I hope nobody thinks I know anything.
                  James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

James,

Just cause it was fun, I made wooden threads for mine with a Beal thread making stuff from Lee Valley. I also did this because I felt that the press screw was a bit short. Looking back now that I have built my bender, I know that the press screw will work fine. For the springs, the big box stores like Home Depot have them. You may have to adjust anchor points and re-bend the spring ends to make everything work. Just make sure that you get all of your stuff together before you start building so taht you can make appropriate adjustments

Good Luck and keep us posted James.....we like seeing tools and jigs nearly as much as guitars

Shane

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Canada

Thanks guys.And yeah the tools and jigs and all that stuff are a ton of fun.I just wish I had more time to spend on everything about guitars.I`ll try and keep you posted,but I`ll be out of pocket for a couple of weeks.So keep building and having fun and I`ll catch up when I can.
               James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

woodworkers supply also carries press screws. the springs are available from many hardware stores. the spring steel slat material can often be obtained quite cheaply on ebay, or through msc. 1" x 1/4" aluminium bar stock is available from hardware or the home centers.crazymanmichael39110.001712963

I'm using aluminum instead of spring steel (for 'slats') and it seems to work fine- a roll of 6-inch flashing from HD or building supply is a lot cheaper than steel and useful for other things like sanding guards as well. You can also cut it by scoring with a utility knife.
John

BTW, you don't really need the springs and cauls if you like bending by hand. A thick glove/oven mitt and pressure on the caul will let you bend by hand, and then you can just clamp the ends with a cleat (like the Doolin bender uses on the neck end).
I actually like to 'feel' when the wood is ready to bend. When I had a spring bender it was tempting to just 'crank' on it instead of waiting for the wood to relax.

John

   I do have parts available for those that want to build your own machine. I don't recommend alum. There are a few reasons for this.
1 it can react with the resins in wood and cause staining
2   it has limited strength. The slats are there to Press the wood . Alum isn't strong enough to suppport the wood to keep it from warping.
   The 12 inch press screw is too long and will work but it very akward. I use a shorter on.
   The inportant thing is to have fun . I have all the parts from press screws to springs and slats
good luck
john

I built a Fox type bender without the springs etc. I use my gloved hands to bend the aluminum slats down on the form heated by three light bulbs. I got the .025" thick T-6 aluminum from Wicks Aircraft Supply. The T-6 aluminum, is very tough and springy, and the slats return to "flat" after the bending process. I found that the aluminum flashing material was too thin and soft for my use.

Ray Pepalis

I just used a 3/4" threaded rod and a nut, of course I had to weld a handle on and make a swivel flange for the other end as well as the attaching nut.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

[QUOTE=tippie53]    I don't recommend alum. There are a few reasons for this.
1 it can react with the resins in wood and cause staining
2   it has limited strength. The slats are there to Press the wood . Alum isn't strong enough to suppport the wood to keep it from warping.
[/QUOTE]
I should have mentioned that I use a solid form with a heating blanket-not really a Fox bender. Sorry if I misled anybody!. Using the forms with the metal rods/bars is only necessary if you are heating with bulbs (but they are more compact to store), and you will need stiffer/thicker slats to span the 'gaps'.
With a solid form, the metal sheets function solely to prevent tension breaks in the wood on the outside of the curves. The .020 aluminum I use is strong enough for this function- I hang a 30lb weight on the end of the slats to maintain tension with no problems. BTW, slats clamped on the wood are useful for hand bending as well.
I haven't found any staining problems, but I may have been lucky with the few sets I've bent. I did have some rust problems with my Fox bender spring-steel slats years ago.
Obviously if you have lots of cash, buying a pre-tested unit from a commercial supplier is a good option (but not nearly as much fun,IMO).
John

I`ve used Robbie`s method,just building a form and using a blanket to push the wood down by hand I guess kind of like John`s doing.I was thinking about the bender,thought it might be easier.I`m a little concerned about using excess force with the screw press and springs.I`ve also worried about trying to bend the wood at exactly a certain temperature.It seems to me if a person can push the wood by hand into the proper shape without too much force,why do I need to know the temp?The reason I was asking is because I`m going to try and bend a cut-away and thought it may be more difficult?Also ,why do some folks bend twice?I also kind of figure if it`s bent to the proper shape and I`m gonna be gluing it up in a mold within a few minutes.Why do I want to risk screwing it up by trying to bend it again.I mean if it isn`t bent correctly that`s a different story.Any thoughts on this?Is it really that much easier to use a bender?I`m not sure it`s worth the effort to build a bender if I`m not having trouble with the current method.Someone convince me.Other than it`s just plain fun to build a bender.Which that in itself may be reason enough.
                               James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

[QUOTE=James W B] I also kind of figure if it`s bent to the proper shape and I`m gonna be gluing it up in a mold within a few minutes.
                                    James W B[/QUOTE]

James-
I 're-bake' just to get the excess moisture (added if you wet the sides before bending) out of the wood. I actually remove the wood from the slats and put it back on the bender 'bare' with the heating blanket set to about 50%- hot to the touch but not burning for about 10 min for a couple of cycles as I'm working on other things. (Not a production setup, for sure!). I wouldn't glue up the bent sides to the blocks for a day or so-till they're good and dry. I split my mold and clamp the sides separately to the mold until I'm ready to glue blocks.
Otherwise, I'm of a like mind with you- there are lots of ways to get the job done, particularly if you are just producing some instruments for fun.
John

I also bought my side bender from John and am very happy with it in all aspects. John is a terrific guy to do business with and is happy to answer any questions that you have. I'm sure he could set you up with heating blankets or the steel slats or even all variety of molds if you're doing the actual building on your own. You won't regret buying anything from John.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Thanks for all the good info.I have done business with John before,And he was great.I do think I`d have more fun building my own bender,not to mention cost.Cook em again without removing from the bender and no more water.Intersesting.As usual Hesh, you are very informative and explain things well.Much appreciated.                          James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I built mine with scrap plywood and some hardware store parts. The screw is some 5/8 all thread with a handle welded on the end like John H. I don't use springs, just hand pressure after the waist is clamped. When the wood conforms to the form, I lock down the anodized aluminum flashing which is supported by extra cross bars to prevent deformation. Works great!

Kurt

contrary to the opinions stated above, 12" press screws are available from a number of sources, including woodworkers supply, grizzly, highland hardware, and no doubt others.

making a bender is easy. i don't know if they still do but lmi used to sell a plan for it years ago. i may still have one in my plan bucket. if you have troubles let me know and i will try to get a copy run off for you.

Thanks crazy, I do have that plan.I`m not sure why aluminum slats are needed when you have a blanket.All I`ve ever done is build a solid form wrap the top of it with heat resistant tape,lay my side on there then a heat blanket,when it starts cooking push it in place and clamp it down.Seems simple to me .I just figured it would even be easier with the bolt and springs.
                James W B

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

aluminium is not my choice. i've used stainless, and now spring steel. prefer the spring, even though you have to be careful to prevent staining.

since in the classic fox bender there is no solid top on the bending form, only steel bars, the slats provide the support necessary to prevent the side from rippling.

some use a solid form in a fox bender but it increases your storage requirements markedly if you build a number of different body shapes.

lots of ways to skin that poor old cat!!! crazymanmichael39110.9526041667