Side waves

[ethanreyn]

Any ideas how to get side waves out of the side? There is a few and are about 1mm deep. the top and back have been glued on.

[Mark McLean]

Hi Ethan (I am assuming Ethan? - apologies if incorrect, but we like to use a name around here). There was a thread about this topic not long ago. Take a look here first:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8653

Two questions arise. 1. Why does this happen? 2. What can you do about it? Answers: 1. It is usually attributed to moisture added during the bending process. You don’t tend to see this happening in the back or soundboard. The more you wet the wood during bending the more likely it is to show some cupping or wave formation. I guess there could be other causes sometimes - but this is the biggie
2. If you notice it shortly after bending you might be able to flatten it out with dry heat, such as with a clothes iron. If your box is closed and bindings are attached it is probably too late to iron out. Minor waves can be sanded out, but the timber will end up thinner. If that is impossible, you are going to have to live with it. It is purely cosmetic. It won’t cause structural problems or affect the sound. Most people would never notice it.
Cheers
Mark

[ethanreyn]

Hi Mark, (yes it is ethan haha)
Thanks for the link and advice I'm think I may need to take the back and top off as I haven't bound the guitar yet and try adding some more side braces to the waved areas. Do you think this would work ?

[seeaxe]

Been there made that mistake

I would be worried that if you try to correct that with a side splint and a clamp you might actually break or split the side. At least you would want to get it pretty hot before you try.

If i was happy with the top and back I would find it hard to sacrifice them to fix that. You are almost starting again on the body so maybe chalk this up to experience and try to avoid it on the next one? As Mark says you're probably the only person who will notice it.

[Allen]

I had some Blackwood that would do that no matter what I did while bending. Sometimes wood will just do what it wants to do and we have to either walk away from using it, or learn to live with it.

If you are going forward with it as is then using a low gloss / satin finish will help disguise the waves.

[lamanoditrento]

We've had some limited success with using veneer softener and clamping the sides with a steel plate to an external mould. It helped reduce the waves but didn't remove them

[kiwigeo]

How thick are your sides?

[ethanreyn]

Thanks everyone for the advice unfortunately I attempted to take the back off and it didn't go well so the guitar has been trashed

Cheers ethan

[stevemc32]

Sorry to hear that Ethan.

I was interested in a fix for this as I saw it with my last build and just decided to live with it.

[seeaxe]

That was the universe telling you that something else was going to go horribly wrong later anyway so better you start again now.

Hopefully you can start again.
Better luck next time.

[ethanreyn]

Hey everyone there may be signs of life hahah I didn't want to waste the timber so Iv successfully disassembled the whole body and as I was making a drednaught there is still a bit of timber in it enough that in decided to attempt a parlor guitar. So far Iv managed to get the sides re bent and in the mold. Dose anyone have and advice or experience in doing something like this ??

Cheers ethan

[Mark McLean]

That should be fine. Good save. If you managed to rebend the sides in the right shape for a parlor, and if it is thinner so you can trim off the wavy bits or flatten them - well you should be back in business. One of the good things about luthiery is that most stuff-ups are fixable, and most materials can be reused for something else. Keep us informed of your progress.
m

[kiwigeo]

The hardest part will be agonizing over whether to do a conventional or pyramid bridge

Hey everyone there may be signs of life hahah I didn't want to waste the timber so Iv successfully disassembled the whole body and as I was making a drednaught there is still a bit of timber in it enough that in decided to attempt a parlor guitar. So far Iv managed to get the sides re bent and in the mold. Dose anyone have and advice or experience in doing something like this ??

Cheers ethan

[ethanreyn]

Haha I feel like the bridge is along way down the track.
I'm wondering how thin I can take the sides?as the sides may still need some sanding flat I'm currently at 2mm

[kiwigeo]

I generally wouldn't take my sides thinner than 2mm. The only exception would be where I need to work the side around a sharp radius bend such as on horn of a cutaway. In this case I would put in a reinforcement patch on inside of curve once bent.

Haha I feel like the bridge is along way down the track.
I'm wondering how thin I can take the sides?as the sides may still need some sanding flat I'm currently at 2mm

[Mark McLean]

2mm is getting a bit thin, but a parlor size guitar can be a bit light all round and get away with it. Just be careful with the sanding and you will probably be OK.