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I just got a Luthiers Bench iron in the mail today. A week from the UK. Now. It is made to mount vertically, but could be made to mount horizontally. It seems easier to do horizontally, especially if you have the form laid out that way, like how my cello form is strapped to the bench. You can push down easier with just your hands, instead of pulling on a metal strap. Not a fan of the metal strap, it always seems to get in my way. I like to feel the heat on the fingers.

I watched a guy who wraps his tight curves in foil first, and then takes the foil off to dial in. Sometimes he'd put foil back on, I think. Interesting. Horizontally.

If you use an iron, or pipe; what way is it sitting? I'm leaning to the horizontal.

It has an odd rheostat on it going from off to 300, The iron goes from 80 to 200 degrees f and from 26-93 degrees c. Just a quirk. British humor is a bit different.

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Why be normal?

Hey Ken, I have the same bending iron and I use it horizontally - I just clamp it to my bench. In my case I turn it up all the way then use a double layer of T-shirt material spritzed with water when I bend to keep from scorching the wood.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Horizontal

Same iron, vertical for me. I installed brass threaded inserts in the wooden bottom that match up with dog holes in my workbench, then put jig knobs through the bench to secure the iron to the bench. It's very sturdy, and I can really push or pull on any wood I am bending. I only use the strap every so often, but I am glad I have it.

I have a similar bending iron and I use it in the vertical position. I prefer this because I like looking down on the edge of the side so I can see exactly the shape the bend is taking at the same time I'm bending it. I use outside body molds for my instruments and I have the mold sitting on the bench next to the iron and use that as the reference for the shape of the bends. Also, I push the side against the iron rather than pull. IMO, that gives me more control over the radius of the bend.

That's just what works best for me.

I'm with you on the metal strap. I don't like them.

I'm surprised that bending iron only goes to 200 F. The one I have can go to over 450 F.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I'm pretty sure the Luthiers Bench bending iron that I own goes all the way up to 300C. I know from running it that I can get it to 400F (verified with my own thermometer) with no trouble.

Horizontal has always felt normal to me but then I admit I never tried vertical. I've seen videos of luthiers, mostly violin that I can remember, doing it vertical and it just looks odd to me.

Don, you could be right. I was just looking at the website. It just sounded so strange for the rheostat to not match something close to reality.

The thing I don't like about vertical is I can't see my hands or the wood where it is bending, If I bend way over, and look at the top, I still don't see what I'm doing.

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Why be normal?

As I mentioned above, what I like about having the iron vertical is the clear view I get of the bend looking straight down on the edge of the side while it's in contact with the iron. I don't have to bend over at all. Since I push rather than pull the side, my hands are between me and the wood, so they are clearly visible. And the wood is between me and the iron so it's visible too.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

It’s great how individual this can be. I bend vertically (as mentioned above), and I both pull and push, but I probably pull more than I push. I can look down on where the wood is touching the iron, and I can both see and feel when it loosens up. I can also see when it is getting a bit dry and needs more water. I have my mold flat on the bench, and I can check the bend against the mold. Staying vertical helps me think about the bend and trying to match the mold that is sitting right there. I really enjoy this bending iron. It heats up significantly faster than the Ibex iron.

Jay, pushing makes far more sense. I think I'll try that first. Thanks.

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Why be normal?

Ken - Here's a trick I've found is helpful for some woods that I think is easier to do with the iron mounted vertically. I've run into some highly figured woods that didn't want to bend in smooth curves. Instead, they wanted to bend in facets. If you use two blocks to concentrate the bending force to a small area of the side, the facets can be targeted and made to bend. With the iron mounted vertically, you can really lean into it and apply a lot of force to a small area without breaking the side. It's also useful even for non-figured woods when doing particularly tight bends.

That's not a tight bend or a highly figured piece of wood in the photo, but it shows the method.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

My pipe is horizontal. That just seems logical to me but I have never tried vertical. I've never really thought about it until right now but I suspect the only reason horizontal seems logical to me is because I probably saw a picture of a horizontal pipe first. Might have been in C and N or one of the first websites I stumbled across back in the day and never questioned it beyond that.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.