O'Brien Guitars - Luthier Tips du Jour - Side bending by hand

Luthier and instructor Robert O'Brien shows how to bend guitar sides by hand on a bending iron

[@jdepp11]

Easily the best tutorial on side bending (and the most helpful guitar building tutorial overall for me). I have been very concerned about this part of the building process. One wrong move and my sides are trash... Thanks for sharing and keep the information coming!

[@SukalyanDas]

It took me 11 years to find this gem. Thank you

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Sure, I used a pipe with charcoal in it for years and it worked great. You can also use a pipe with a propane torch for heat. The commercial bending iron I use in the video is available in European voltage as well.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Those dvd's I did are still shots wih audio overdubbing. This way I could be very precise with the instructions and images. No machine noise or wasted time watching me se up things. They are complete start to finish instrucions for building classical or steel string guitars. The reviews are very positive.

[@arygistonewood6320]

Always loved what are you doing sir, hopefully i could be a professional guitar builder in the future

[@OBrienGuitars]

Thank you and thanks for watching my videos.

[@luthierboy]

I made my bending iron using a 1' piece of pipe, the element from a goodwill waffle iron, a dimmer switch, and some square stock that I made into legs. Total cost: about $8.00

[@OBrienGuitars]

@BuickDoc perhaps because the wood is much thinner. No steam or moisture required. I bent guitar sides dry for years with no problem.

[@declanmurphy729]

Nice tip using the wet rag, id imagine it would drive some steam into the wood as well as avoiding scorch marks, What thickness works well for mahogany sides?

[@OBrienGuitars]

I use a thickness of around 2.1mm give or take.

[@declanmurphy729]

@@OBrienGuitars thanks for your reply, last Christmas my wife bought me one of your guitar kits and had you guys post it here to Ireland, black limba and spruce top, ebony fretboard. It was my first acoustic build so needless to say it has some visual flaws, but the intonation and playability is all good. I was amazed at the quality of sound from real tone woods, you can really feel the sound resonate through the whole guitar, somthing you rarely get even from expensive market made guitars. Its been a huge learning curve and i plan to build alot more acoustics and classical guitars in the future. Thanks for posting all your tutorials they've been extremely helpful.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@@declanmurphy729 Glad to hear it. You can't stop at just one. Happy Building!

[@Shinando57]

Robert, what do you think to make a video building a bending iron? Because here in Brazil, for example, you probably know how hard is to find it available to purchase. If you like the idea I'd be very appreciated. Keep up the good work!

[@HRRLutherie]

I've made a jig from a heat gun held in a drill press vice that heats up a steel pipe in an engineers vice. It works nicely but I'm going to use a narrower pipe. Thankyou

[@newffee]

What temperature are you bending at? Does it matter the temperature for species of wood? I have Black Walnut.

[@Waffle-TH3_C00L3ST]

Is it possible to bend sides with drastic cutaways? Like upper and lower horns on electrics? I want to make a hollow body designed after my solid and semi hollow body, like the one in my profile picture.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Most people would use a Florentine cutaway if the bend gets too pronounced. Life is already hard enough. Make it easy on yourself.

[@olebentzonkjrvik8804]

hello. nice video :) i got just got my bending iron today. but i have one question. when you look at the endgrain of your wood. witch way are the grain going? i mean. Do the sides have to be quartersaw, or can i make the sides with a flat sawn piece of wood ?

[@OBrienGuitars]

you can make the sides with flatsawn wood. It will still work but you might have more trouble bending.

[@olebentzonkjrvik8804]

OBrienGuitars Ah, Thank you so much!

[@jeepnie87]

Hi Robbie, In a comment you mentioned you've bent sides completely dry. I'm going to bend some honduran mahogany and have heard it doesn't like too much water. Should I bend it dry? If I use the wet rag at the waist like you did in the video, will the grain curl? Thanks!

[@OBrienGuitars]

The wet rag at the waist is to keep the heat from scorching the sides. Wood sometimes has a mind of its own so there is never any guarantee against rippling of the grain but bending dry helps avoid this issue. Good luck.

[@OBrienGuitars]

I have not made a DVD of my KZbin videos yet. Perhaps one day I will.

[@iamnorwegian]

Is there anything I can use instead of that iron? any techniques that you can do without special equipment`?

[@OBrienGuitars]

I did it for years while bending by hand. When I started using a bending machine I moisten the sides cause I can no longer feel them but I can certainly hear that water sizzle. Find a way that works for you.

[@Shinando57]

@OBrienGuitars Ah, que pena. Com razão, você já deve possuir vários tipos de curvadores. Vou trabalhar para criar um então. Obrigado pela resposta. Grande abraço do Brasil, Robert.

[@sakthivelv1777]

Where can I find more information about the charcoal based bending pipe that you have used in your early days? Thank you for all videos

[@OBrienGuitars]

I show how to use this in my online classical guitar building course. It is in CH 16 Lesson 1 Basically it is just a pipe mounted on some legs. obrienguitars.com/courses/classical

[@sakthivelv1777]

OBrienGuitars So its just a pipe filled with ignited charcoal with small door for controlling air flow. We can control the temperature by varying oxygen supply required for combustion. I think I am right. Any way I will buy your course when I got enough money. The cost of your course can feed me for at least five month but for your effort its worth. I think I can get more knowledge . thank you much.

[@OBrienGuitars]

You are correct. The pictures are pretty detailed.

[@sakthivelv1777]

OBrienGuitars thank you Robbie you are awesome.

[@OBrienGuitars]

@Shinando57 Nice idea. The problem is I don't know how to make one and probably wouldn't use it if I did. Um abraço

[@edadpops1709]

I have very curly maple,should it be bent as in the video wet,or dry.Ive tried twice and it cracks or buckles along the curl ???

[@OBrienGuitars]

In general, the more figured the grain the drier I bend. I usually bend figured maple dry.

[@edadpops1709]

thanks for the reply,love the vids and all the great teaching you do.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Edad Martin Thank you and good luck with bending the maple.

[@dwilliss]

I use a pipe that I heat up with a blow torch. I must not be getting as much heat as the iron he's using here because it goes a lot slower. Either that or this video is edited down for time. His bending iron also has a flat side which probably transfers heat better. My first build the sides were not quite symmetrical and I cracked the wood at the waist. The second one came out much better.

[@pluckerpick]

Hi Robbie - I don't get the last bit - what is the hardboard for ?

[@peybak]

wow. You make it look so easy! Thanks for the vidoes btw.

[@BuickDoc]

Why do luthiers use this method rather than a steam cabinet like boat builders use?

[@acousticmonk]

Hi Robbie, I am starting a build shortly with Ziricote, a species I have not worked with yet, have you? Does it bend nicely? Wet, Dry, Etc... Any advice would be greatly appreciated! High pucker factor going on in my shop at the moment!

[@OBrienGuitars]

+acousticmonk Just treat it like you do with rosewood and you should be fine.

[@flaviodelisa]

Possível fazer em lâminas,laminado Beck saids,sodboards Lâminas cruzadas

[@laradresden5914]

what temperature should the iron be - mine has a guage?

[@OBrienGuitars]

i get it hot and don't worry about the temperature.

[@bearwoodcarpentry]

no harm in practising on thinned lengths of softwood jdepp11 gives you a good feel for the process with no wasted money go for it

[@221Dw]

I've just been having a go with a home made one. Process works but I can't get the shapes all that precise to what I want them yet. Does anyone know if there's any cheap woods you can practice on? Air dried is quite hard to find here. Could you use maybe construction softwood as I think that has a higher moisture content?

[@giuliolardieri7211]

Hi Robert, at what temperature you set your bending iron?

[@OBrienGuitars]

+Giulio Lardieri I set my temp for as hot as I can get it.

[@Hoopermazing]

That was very informative.

[@HRRLutherie]

I'm using a heat gun at 500C, do you that that's enough heat?

[@4bu53r]

I've built bending iron myself. It isn't that difficult, you only need to make sure you did everything correctly because it is dangerous and can kill you if you mess something up! Find electrician who knows his job well to get it done. I've used ordinary steel tube (use whatever diameter you like) and heater from electric stove and put it inside the tube. Tricky part is wiring - that's where your electrician will do the rest. People also use charcoal starters (from BBQ). Hope it helps

[@OBrienGuitars]

The hardboard is to keep the side from splitting where it is not supported by the form. Believe me, it happens. I had a friend that had this happen once. haha

[@st.apollonius5758]

I noticed the crack in the wood.

[@OBrienGuitars]

Although this video I did in 2008 I don't remember that set of sides cracking during the filming. If you see a crack you have better eyes than me.

[@cornflakesnwater]

awesome.!!..Happy New year... *\o/*

[@romanaangersbach1176]

Woodprix is a good solution for every woodworker.