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need help.
Making macassar eb. OM type body.
Question: how thin would you go on back, sides, Martin bracing?

Macassar W/ Bear Claw German top.
What would you use for bindings, perf. if toy were building?

Bob,

I happen to be making an OM out of Mac Ebony right now. Sides are .083. They bent very nicely, although I had a slight bit of grain lift at the tight spot of the cutaway. Easily repaired with a bit of CA.

I haven't thicknessed the back yet, I'm anxious to hear people's thoughts on that.

I'm going to use curly Koa bindings. I haven't decided on purfling material yet.

bump

     I like side between .080 to .090. The backs I rough to .110 and that way I have .010 to sand to finish after I have the box togethers.
    Tops will be .100
yours
john hall

John nailed it....08-.09 sides .110 back. There is nothing in these specs that is individual to Mad. Ebony. this is what I use an most any back and side set. If there is quilt or curl in the wood I am using I go to the low end on sides to make bending a bit easier. If not I lean toward the high end on sides for the addition material to work with.

I have not bent any figured wood to speak of but I am in total agreement on the previous posts. I especially like the .11 on the back because I always seem to sand more down as I level bindings and clean up the random marks from less than perfect care during the build. The extra .01 helps.

Donovan

I like to thin my backs to around .090 or less and my sides to around .080 to .085 before bending.

Just me I guess

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I with Lance, I like to go down to 0.90 or nelow on backs, thinner on stronger woods, and thicker on things that are soft like walnut.

   My sides go to .080" before bending and my backs are .125" before they are installed onto the sides. I taper the outside edge before bondong so that the back measures about .110" at the outer 2 inches. This emulates the thinner edge or recurve area of a violin or archtop plate and can allow for much more vibrational freedom while still maintaining enough mass in the center for the woods being used to contribute powerfully to the tone and voice of the guitar.

   Tops are .125" as I install them to the body. I do much the same with the top edges and for the same reasons.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

[QUOTE=bob J] bump[/QUOTE]

What is "bump"?

a way to get a topic back to the top of the list of topics.

Hi everyone !
                I've bent my sides on my current S.J./Auditorium build at .1" , and installed C.Fox style 2 piece liners (walnut with tasmanian Sassafras capping ) .

I don't have a blanket ,but all is well ! ( Warning : Don't try this at home folks ! )

My very sturdy rim set will help isolate the top's energy and not be absorbed by floppy sides.

I intend my back to be around .095 as I want some movement here

Cheers KiwiCraig

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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[QUOTE=KiwiCraig]
                  I've bent my sides on my current S.J./Auditorium build at .1" [/QUOTE]
Whoa, Craig! What wood is this--Brazilian Rubber Tree?!

Thankl to all for great info.
However, I'm curious. It seems to me(no emperical evidence) that the heavier, denser woods shoyld be thinned more to improve vibration and tonal aspects than woods that are softer. True, semi- true, I should stop listening to gossip and old wives tales.

That's a good one Carlton ! ,and the answer is no. They are however ,a genuine 2.5 m.m. thick.
I used Myrtle ,as it's a good bender. It's one wood I thought could handle .1 "

Bob J, My plan with this build is to have a light responsive top and very sturdy sides ,so that the top's energy isn't lost or absorbed by a thinner rim .Imagine a speaker mounted in a cardboard box ,as opposed to a rigid box . Please don't get me wrong here,, My first guitar is very light weighing just over 4 pound ( with D'Addario strings ). I really like it !. The whole guitar vibrates , including the sides . I'm drawing on my piano background for this build , which have a very solid rim . It's just something I wanted to try. There are others who build in this style . The back will have plenty of movement to work with the soundboard .
I'll post some pics when I have the rim set finally complete.

Cheers, Craig Lawrence

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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Thanks to all!
I couldn't buy so much great info.
Im going to start a new post for second part of question.