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Hi all,

First let me say thanks for all the wonderful advice folks in this forum have provided on the other questions I asked.

This time around its about side thickness.

I've built one dreadnought so far.  The side thickness was about 3mm.

I'm trying an orchestra model now.  The first attempt at bending I sanded my sides down to 2.2 mm.  One side turned out great.  The other side I must have flexed in my grip so as to bend them in a longtitudinal sense.  Trying to get that out, I ruined it! 

This time around I went back to the 3mm thickness.  The waist bend though proved difficult.  I got a crease, (like you'd get if you folded a piece of poster card board)  and still haven't got it bent enough.  I'll keep going on it because I might as well, but have a feeling that another set is toast. Doh!

The wood is mahogany, btw.

Question:  What is a good thickness for mahogany?

Thanks for any advice

Stefan

I bend Mahogany sides at around .08"-.085". I think 3mm is too thick.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

There is no good thickness for mahogany !!
The stuff just doesn't bend well.
A standard dread isn't too bad, but cutaways on any shape are a nightmare !! If it's figured mahogany with a cutaway, be prepared to shed tears.

I bend most woods at about .090" (2.3mm)
3mm is to thick.

Mark

i would agree that 3mm, ~0.11" is too thick for bending mahogany, and most other woods, particularly if there is any figure or if the bends are tight.

2.2mm, ~0.086 is about what might be considered a medium thick side in general, a probably a bit thickish for mahogany, whilst being quite ok for eir, for example.

i generally take mahogany down to 0.075-0.080" for simple shapes like a dreadnaught. if the bends are tight, or complex,say a venetian cutaway, i'll go down to 0.060-0.070", dependent upon complicating factors such as the species, figure, etc.

Rosewood, Maple and Koa I've bent quite easily at 2.0 mm. On a cutaway, down to 1.0 mm on the horn. Generally I will go to 2.0 mm on most woods or less depending on the bend.

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Michael Lloyd

“I was born to ignorance, yes, and lesser poverties ...
I was born to privilege that I did not see ... I didn’t know it, but my way was paved” – John Gorka

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]I have had good luck bending highly figured Mahogany at .080.[/QUOTE]That would be 2.032 mm - so it seems to be a good thickness, generally.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Some mahogany just refuses to bend, and spring back can be ridiculous. I thin it to about 2 mm and hope for the best. My first guitars were mahogany, and I only had a hot pipe to bend the sides, yikes! I found that one piece of wood could act very diffrently from the next because some times it was OK, other times...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin