Buckled side

[Pat.Hawkins]

Hi Folks,
my son has just closed up his first tenor uke body and after removing the clamps we've found that the side has caved in on the lower bout close to the waist.
I recon we had too much clamping pressure while fixing on the soundboard.
We managed to get some of the curve out with a wet cloth and a clothes iron.

We backed out about half-way through as we weren't confident in what we were doing and didn't want to tempt a disaster.

Should we keep going with it or just put up with the inward buckle?
Cheers

[kiwigeo]

A few reinforcing strips added to the sides?

[jeffhigh]

First check how much inwards bow you have with a straight edge and feeler guage.
If it's under 1/2 a mm and you have 2mm sides you can safely level it since the material removed will mostly be over the top of the linings.

[lamanoditrento]

If it's under 1/2 a mm and you have 2mm sides you can safely level it since the material removed will mostly be over the top of the linings.

Be careful not to over do it like I did