Official Luthiers Forum!

CAn anyone show me how the bottom steel slat is held down on the bender?  I assume that if all (slats, wood, blanket) were released at once the spring steel would break the bent side.  Till now I have only used a piece of flashing.  I will do my first bend with spring steel today once I have the logistics figured out. Thanks

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Ricardo - IMO only if the steel is too thick can this happen - I use ten thou spring steel and dont even worry about that - it has never happened when releasing the side. even on a cutaway, or with just some bidnings in there - I jsut did 4 cutaway piece sthe other day, no probelms taking it out.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I ordered two stainless slats that LMI sell.  They are 24 gauge so I'm a bit worried that if I use one of these below my slat it will spring back up and break the wood.  I am using a guitar sized slat and blanket to bend uke sides on a small version of the fox bender.  Hesh I think I'll try your stack sans the top layer of steel.  In the past I have used (from bottom to top) galvanized steel, blanket and then wood. This way I could mist the wood while bending.  My blanket is the 2.5 watt Omega.  I would get some breaking in the waist area so I need to change my technique somehow.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

    I have been bending wood a long time , the slats won't break the wood unless it was already broken. With cutaways I haven't had any issues with them.
     I agree you don't want to spring board them but the wood is amazingly strong and resilient
john hall
blues creek guitars

Hesh (and all), there is indeed stainless spring steel. We get it from McMaster-Carr in rolls. We use the .012" x 6" wide stuff and don't have any problem getting sides out.

   Hesh buddy, spring steel is a property of acting like a spring, having to do with heat treatment/temper and chemical make up of the steel.

    There's all kinds of stainless steels, for many different applications, though I've mostly use 300 and 400 series.

    Spring steel refers more to a use than a type of specific composition of the steel.

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Wish some bright spark would invent stainless wood

Well my experience with it hasn't been great. Now I have a cracked side at the waist.  The crack is on the inside and is not visible from the outside.  Is there any way of salvaging the side at this point?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Rick is right McMaster does sell stainless spring steel slats, but they are pricey and they only come in 20ft lengths(I think). I asked customer service about cutting them into small lengths and they said it would still come out to about the same cost, they have to get it cut from the supplier. I guess you'll have to do the cost vs. benefit analysis

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Matt Jacobs

"Don't tase me bro"

Actually, I was wrong my slats are stainless not spring, but they are 24 gauge which tend to spring back some.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

McMaster Carr has spring steel available in varying thickness x varying width at common use lengths. Not just rolls. But if you live in an area with any kind of manufacturing going on there will be a steel vendor that will have 6" wide by desired thickness spring steel available cut to your required length much less than MMC's price. This material is common in the manufacturing industry as precision shim stock and many other usage

[quote]The picture clearly illustrates that the stainless slat is more in need of Viagra..... [/quote]

    Forget that! Look at that carpet! Even under the bench! Clean shop...sick mind! "The picture clearly illustrates" a pervertion, I tell you!

Have you no shame?    

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)