Uke Side Bender
Uke Side Bender
I had a spare veneer press screw, and some scrap plywood, and mdf laying about, so decided to build a uke side bender, as the one I have for guitars is just too big to handle these small instruments.
It still uses my 6" wide heating blanket, and the body forms are interchangeable. I drilled a couple 8 mm holes in the base of the bender. Put the body form in place and crank down on the screw press. This aligns the form with the press and holds it in place. I then use the pre-drilled holes in the base to further drill into the body form. Remove the body form from the bender, then glue a couple of 8 mm dowels used as locating pins that will hold the form in place durning the bending process.
I used the same design as my larger bender, just shrank it a bit. Still registering the sides off the butt seam.
The bending slats are some Alloy flashing that I got from Bunnings. 10 meter roll, so I'll have heaps for years to come.
The first set of New Guinea Rosewood went in this afternoon, and 2 1/2 minutes later I had a side bent. No worries at all. They need a little touch up on the bending iron in order to go into the mold without stress, but not a big deal. It's the first time I've bend NGR, and I think that it could take a bit more heat in order to set the shape a bit more. I've got another set read to go, so will try that on them.
It still uses my 6" wide heating blanket, and the body forms are interchangeable. I drilled a couple 8 mm holes in the base of the bender. Put the body form in place and crank down on the screw press. This aligns the form with the press and holds it in place. I then use the pre-drilled holes in the base to further drill into the body form. Remove the body form from the bender, then glue a couple of 8 mm dowels used as locating pins that will hold the form in place durning the bending process.
I used the same design as my larger bender, just shrank it a bit. Still registering the sides off the butt seam.
The bending slats are some Alloy flashing that I got from Bunnings. 10 meter roll, so I'll have heaps for years to come.
The first set of New Guinea Rosewood went in this afternoon, and 2 1/2 minutes later I had a side bent. No worries at all. They need a little touch up on the bending iron in order to go into the mold without stress, but not a big deal. It's the first time I've bend NGR, and I think that it could take a bit more heat in order to set the shape a bit more. I've got another set read to go, so will try that on them.
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- Blackwood
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:22 am
- Location: Santa Cruz, Ca.
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You may want to tweak your forms for an overbend. How much is a guesstimate, but if you get it right on, you'll not have to rebend by hand. I'd look at a bit of exaggeration in the waist, and then an overbend at both neck and end block spots. It doesn't take much.
Also if you use a heating blanket on the outside plus a light bulb on the inside, you'll really nail it.
Also if you use a heating blanket on the outside plus a light bulb on the inside, you'll really nail it.
Rick Turner
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
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- Blackwood
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:22 am
- Location: Santa Cruz, Ca.
- Contact:
Allen, you can probably just modify the form you've already made rather than build a-new. It will really pay off for you. I've got to do that myself now on my pineapple soprano uke kit. No waist, of course, but it could be easier to assemble for my students with the neck and butt ends slightly overbent.
Rick Turner
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
-
- Blackwood
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:22 am
- Location: Santa Cruz, Ca.
- Contact:
Allen, you could take those down closer to 1.5 mm and be fine; we take ours to about 1.8 or so. You wouldn't believe how thin the top, back, and sides are on a lot of vintage Hawaiian ukes. 1.25 to 1.5 is very common. Of course they wind up looking like potato chips after 75 years, too, but they sure sound good.
Rick Turner
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
Guitar Maker, Experimenter, Diviner
www.renaissanceguitars.com
www.d-tar.com
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