Hot pipe bending of guitar sides with Luthier Chuck Morrison

[@davidjennings9253]

Thats the best live demonstration of hand bending I have ever watched - Brilliant!!!

[@jonahguitarguy]

You sir are the guy to watch concerning side bending and I'll guess I'll see what else. Great video, thanks much!

[@patriozeb]

I’m sure you have the touch watching your video. I put a stove thermometer on my bending pipe it takes about 400 degrees before wood will ignite. I used this method and reduced my scorched pieces 100% still got a few but I found the stove thermometer really eliminated alot of the guess work for me! Hope this helps. Your video shows you are a very accomplished luthier and I did not mean any disrespect! Thanks, Patrick Nole

[@patriozeb]

Also the thermometer has a magnet that allows it to stick to the pipe.

[@chuckmorrison]

Good information. Thanks for the comment !

[@hereasafanofallsorts5164]

Hi Chuck - Great video - I love the way you've added the mortice Routing Template to your mould - I've never seen that before - having watched hundreds of "Experts"- Its such a great and simple Idea and must save alot of messing around with seperate jigs - I mean the Neck block is right there ready to go - Good Stuff

[@chuckmorrison]

Thanks. A lot of the fun of building guitars is coming up with different ways of doing things.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

Thank, you I was about to order the side bender from Stewmac. I had been building Mountain Dulcimers in the Muleshoe shape or Wythe County Virginia styles. I want to branch out to guitars and maybe a couple of other instruments and shapes. Your pipe is perfect for my needs. I will start on it Saturday as a Tropical Storm is coming through here tomorrow and Friday. I will need to get some pipe from ACE. I will trace some Instruments I have and start on patterns tomorrow morning while making a couple of changes to the designs to fit my ideas ie maple and spruce for a brighter sound.

[@chuckmorrison]

A couple things. If you go this route it's probably better to use black pipe rather than galvanized to avoid any zinc inhalation issues. Also, it's easy to get the pipe much too hot using propane. You want it just hot enough to boil water, but not so hot that water spits off the pipe. Maple generally does not require a very hot pipe and will burn easily. Keep the wood moving back and forth to keep from scorching it. I usually get the pipe hot enough and then turn the torch down very low to keep it there. Good luck !

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@chuckmorrison thanks for the tip

[@chrishopkins1903]

I watched expecting chuck Norris to roundhouse wood and shape the guitar sides........ but my reading is bad I guess. still worth a watch

[@aBluegrassPicker]

Great video. Thank you.

[@sandervandervoor9238]

Great video, thank you for sharing this. I will make the same set-up, and hope to be succesfull in bending the sides of the archtop guitar i am building ai this moment, my first home made guitar. Regards and thanks again. Sander van der Voort from the Netherlands

[@chuckmorrison]

Practice on some scrap wood first, and take your time to get some skill before trying on expensive woods, especially if they are figured, like tiger maple.

[@jimeguilos3523]

ilove your guitar build ❤️

[@scaira60]

Good vidieo, Iam about too attempt my first really hard wood bend Bubinga that I have had in my shop for 20yrs. How thin do you suggest I get the sides before I attempt to bend? Iam making 2 guitars & I do not have any extra bubinga so I have to make the first time right. Thank you & God Bless 🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🎸🎸👨🏻‍🦯

[@chuckmorrison]

Bubinga can be a bear to bend smoothly, especially if it has a deep curl or Pomelle figure. I've only used it a few times about 40 years ago and gave it up because I didn't like the look of it. Like all very dense tropical hardwoods, I'd be bending it at 1.6 - 1.8 mm. I'd also soak it for at least an hour before trying to bend it over a pipe.

[@youtubecommentor4480]

Hi Chuck, looking for a decent pipe rig has been a chore. A few questions please: 1) Where did you purchase all the threaded pipe parts and what size pipe (I.D., O.D. and length)? 2) What is your opinion on using ovoid/oval pipe where the cross-section looks like either oval or a tear-drop? Some luthiers choose to use this shape pipe. 3) Curious why luthiers choose different pipe shapes and thicknesses when choosing to bend sides? Thanks Chuck! Very informative video!

[@chuckmorrison]

1. The size of the pipe is up to you and what you need. I use a standard 2" or 1 1/2" depending on the radius of the curve I'm trying to bend. I've even used 1" when bending cutaways. I usually have bought the pipes at a hardware store. 2. I like the tear drop shape and think it's a great all in one solution, although It doesn't allow for getting inside a sharp cutaway. 3. Different instrument shapes will require different pipe sizes. You don't want a pipe that's too small or you may have a bumpy side since you can't heat a large enough area to get a smooth bend. As I mentioned, a cutaway will require a smaller pipe size to get all the way around it.

[@youtubecommentor4480]

@@chuckmorrison Thank you Chuck for replying to my questions. All very helpful and informative. I am going to purchase threaded pipe (like your bending iron) so I can simply screw the pipe to the base instead of having to have someone weld the two pieces together. Yes, I figured I would need various pipe sizes for different bends. Thanks again.

[@chuckmorrison]

@@youtubecommentor4480 It all screws together. There's no point to welding. If you are using a torch to heat it, make sure you have holes along the bottom of the pipe or it will put itself out.

[@youtubecommentor4480]

@@chuckmorrison Ok, thanks. Instead of drilling holes in the bottom of the pipe can I simply purchase a 90° elbow and screw it to the end pointing down (like where you have your end cap installed) ?

[@chuckmorrison]

Probably would work but be careful of where the exhaust goes. It could get pretty uncomfortable if you get in the way.

[@willmorrison1022]

You know, in all these years and all the guitars I've played of yours, other than the first one where you bent the sides over the form (as you mentioned, in Sloane style), I've never watched you bend sides. How funny. Interesting to see it after all this time. I'd like to see you do some hard woods, like padauk, or rosewood. Those are more work. Cool to see this one, though.

[@chuckmorrison]

Yes, they are more work, although it's really about; 1. getting used to the amount of pressure you need to apply (before cracking occurs) 2. the amount of wetting required 3. how high the heat needs to be 4. how thin the wood has to be All of these things vary by type of wood. East Indian rosewood is actually pretty easy to bend, assuming it's under 2mm thick. African blackwood is the hardest I've ever bent. It doesn't absorb water and needs a lot of heat.

[@andersoninstruments]

Hi. Thanks for the great reat video 😊👍 what was the sides thiknessed to?

[@chuckmorrison]

It depends on the wood. Usually less than 2mm. Very hard woods, like some rosewoods can be as thin as 1.6mm. Softer woods like maple can be thicker, but generally not more than 2mm. Maple and oak bend very easily and can be thicker, but care should be taken not to singe the wood, especially at the waist.

[@andersoninstruments]

@@chuckmorrison thanks for replying. Im using Utile as a mahogany substitute. I had it at 2.65mm and had trouble getting it bent. But was scared to go much thinner. But with your info. I'll definitely go thinner next time 😊👍

[@bobsegar1242]

Gonna build me one of these Been trying with a heat gun and a pipe but just not ideal the heat just spreads and bad times I’ve had a bad time

[@ejd53]

I use a pipe also but I use a heat gun to heat it. No open flame and more control.

[@jonathantownes]

What size pipe are you usingfor your bending iron?

[@chuckmorrison]

Pipes are sized strangely. I measure the inside diameter at about 1 5/8", so I'm going to assume that's sold as 1 1/2". You might be able to use 2" if you don't have a tight waist or cutaway to deal with.

[@jonathantownes]

@@chuckmorrison, thanks a lot! I'm going to also see how far I can get with a 1/2" pipe. I'm interested to know how small a radius I'm able to successfully get.

[@chuckmorrison]

@@jonathantownes Good luck with that. I'd be concerned about overheating such a small pipe unless you have a very small torch.

[@jonathantownes]

@@chuckmorrison, I made sure I got a torch with an adjustable flame. I'm awaiting some practice sides from Stew Mac to test everything. I'm also concerned about the size of the pipe. Thanks, again!

[@markforsellhaveyouheardasc4224]

How hard is Burley Cherry wood, I’m in the process of building an acoustic guitar, and i found some really nice burley cherry.

[@chuckmorrison]

Cherry is between hard and soft maple in hardness. It also bends similarly to a hard-ish maple. Burl in a wood can make it a challenge for bending without breaking.

[@kren1101]

Soak your pipe parts in muriatic acid for a couple hours to remove the galvanized coating and you won't have to worry about it

[@roar8283]

I used vinegar on mine took a couple days but worked fine.

[@johnautry6851]

Muriatic acid works great! Fast, too.