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Does anybody here precut their sides before bending them?, what I mean is the angle of the back. Do you make a templet for this or what?

                                 Red

I do.
I just cut mine to taper. Meaning that I trim them to the height of the tailblock and the other end being the height of the neck block. I know there are several folks out there that pre-shape the sides (to the contour that is created when you raduis the back/top) before bending but I still haven't developed a system to ensure they are perfectly straight in the bender.
To taper I just measure and cut them on a table saw.

I attached a couple of metal tabs on the side of my bender. This allows me to butt the straight top edge up against them to keep the sides straight.

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[QUOTE=Hesh1956] I use a method that Colin told us about to capture the back's radius on the sides and then pre-cut it. The front's edge of the sides I still leave straight to help me keep the sides straight in the bender.

So far the 2 times that I have used this method have cut down on dish sanding time for the back probably something like 75%. Both times they came out near perfect.[/QUOTE]

Ditto

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[QUOTE=Bill Greene] [QUOTE=Hesh1956] I use a method that Colin told us about to capture the back's radius on the sides and then pre-cut it. The front's edge of the sides I still leave straight to help me keep the sides straight in the bender.

So far the 2 times that I have used this method have cut down on dish sanding time for the back probably something like 75%. Both times they came out near perfect.[/QUOTE]

Ditto[/QUOTE]


Double Ditto.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Also, like BobC said. I have tabs on each side of the bender to keep the "sandwich" lined up. You just have to remember to line one side on the left of the bender and the other on the right of the bender. I've bent 8 sides, pre cut & tapered, this way and have no problem keeping things straight. Works great.

Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

[QUOTE=old man] [QUOTE=Bill Greene] [QUOTE=Hesh1956] I use a method that Colin told us about to capture the back's radius on the sides and then pre-cut it. The front's edge of the sides I still leave straight to help me keep the sides straight in the bender.

So far the 2 times that I have used this method have cut down on dish sanding time for the back probably something like 75%. Both times they came out near perfect.[/QUOTE]

Ditto[/QUOTE]


Double Ditto.

Ron[/QUOTE]


TRIPLE DITTO- Cuts down dramatically on the amount of sanding on the back

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

I'm having trouble visualizing the tabs you guys are talking about. Can you post a photo please? Sounds like a good solution to the alignment problem.

[QUOTE=BarryDaniels] I'm having trouble visualizing the tabs you guys are talking about. Can you post a photo please? Sounds like a good solution to the alignment problem.[/QUOTE]


Barry, here's a pic of my bender:




Ron

_________________
OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

    If you don't cut at least a taper on the sides prior to bending and then
rely on your radius sanding dishes to cut the entire relief for the top and
back arches, you're going to spend much more time getting it cut.

    I cut to within .060" of the finished side profile and then spend only ten
minutes tops sanding the radius on the top and back combined.

   Cutting the taper on the shaper and then sanding the final dimenions
after the blocks are in and the rim is locked into its mold takes a total of
about 15 minutes and i'm truning only about .060" of the sides into dust.

    Leaving them with paralel edges and then doing the entire taper in the
mold leaves in excess of .375" and can take an hour, fill the shop with a
cloud of dust, and wear out a shoulder or two.

    My side taper templates are made from .040" plasic sheets that plastic
purflings are cut from in the big houses. They're flexible and easy to hang
in a bunch on a single peg in the wall.

    The flexible plastic sheets are initially cut to a close approximation of
the finished side taper and then held along the entire length of a finished
guitar and the tape of the side is tansferred onto the white side. I then cut
the plastic carefully and smooth the edges with a sanding block to allow
for smooth tracing of that taper onto the new unbent sides.

    I've just taken this route in order to minimize dust created by the
process and time needed to complete it.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Why coulnd't you bend the sides, then using a plastic template with the side profile, transfer to the bent side and then cut on the bandsaw?

Ron, Thanks for the pic.

Thanks Guys for all the input but I must have missed Colin's method, could someone refresh me

                            Red

I bend them straight, prop them up on the dish to transfer the taper onto them, and use a small japanese dovetail saw to cut away the majority, 5 minutes with a sharp block plane (any excuse to use a plane is a good excuse), and then the sanding dishes. Total time before sanding dish: maybe 15 minutes, tops. Since I haven't 'zoned in' on a specific model or side depth yet, and don't plan to make any exact copies any time soon, working out the taper in advance seems like too much hard work for no saved time at all.