advice please on cutaway

[DaveW]

Hi Guys
probably a simple question but I am about to try my first cutaway
its an OM size and I have some fairly "cranky grained" blackwood that looks amazing that I want to use
pictures are attached
the cutaway isnt anything radical .again a pici attached of the mould
I have an LMI bender and the body shape is my own design with my own design cutaway clamp thingy that looks like it should work ,its based on the fox style that Ive seen picis of .
Anyway to the point ,I havent used blackwood before and was wanting to know if anyone could give me advice on what temp it likes to bend at and if maybe I should make the sides thinner ,basically any advice / tips that anyone could impart would be appreciated before I make pretty kindling ???
Dave

[Allen]

Can't help with the temp, as for cutaways I always bend them by hand on the pipe set on high. Far more feel that way.

I thin the cutaway part down to 1.8 - 1.6mm if it looks like it's going to be cranky. Bends soooooo much easier that way.

[curly]

Yeah I'd have to agree . Thin really helps .
For truly difficult timbers ( try ringed Gidgee ! ) , I thin down to about 1mm and then laminate another piece to the inside , whether across the whole side or just in the difficult area . This also helps to stabilise against fiddleback release or other wobbles than can come out when you steam figured timber .
Nice Blackwood .
Pete

[DaveW]

what the hell is fiddleback release .............sounds terminal!!!
now I am worried LoL

[nnickusa]

I bent a 12mm radius from blackwood at 1.5mm. albeit, not so crazy grained as that. Use the pipe, as Alan says, and let the wood tell you when and how far it's willing to go.....Then have another go. It'll move more each time....easy does it.....

That set is gonna look awesome....can't wait to see it under finish....

[liam_fnq]

I wouldn't use that top piece of Blackwwod in the cutaway area either.

[Jeremy D]

I just bent some blackwood sides with a bit of figure in them. I haven't done a cutaway though. I started the bend at 100c and turned the blanket off at 150c. It bent easily and didn't scorch so I would say that 150 is about the temp to go to, although I am about as far from an expert as it gets .

[Nick]

As with Allen & Pete, and others, personally I bend on a pipe (you have better control over the whole process as you can see what's happening) and thin the area down some.
Also, with highly figured Blackwood, I don't get the wood too wet! If you do you will get the curl figure 'seperating' from the ordinary straight grain sections between the curls/fiddleback (What Pete refers to as fiddleback release I believe?) and end up with "cracks" or splits that have to be repaired. I just lightly spritz the surface that is going against the iron and I bend a small amounts, that is I don't try to form the complete curve/bend in one go. I bend a bit then let it cool then repeat to give the internal cell structure time to normalise and reform the bonds between cells each time.

[curly]

Fiddleback release ,
Not heard of it . Careful I might get all Michael Thames and get the hurty feelings .
Seriously , It's when the corrugations in fiddleback timber "release' , either through wet bending or moisture cycling in service producing an undulating surface . Not the end of the world in an unfinished piece but annoying when your perfectly flat finished surface goes wobbly . Also it's a problem when the component is ready thicknessed and you have to go thinner to re flatten .Even worse in a finished piece . The same goes for generally cranky grain , it's all the same really , the fibres deviating from a linear pattern . It can also cause that annoying thing you get where there are dips and hollows in your sides so they don't want to allign square to the soundboard . Not surprising really if saw some of the crazy gnarly mosterous trees we chase figured timber out of as sawmillers . What is crucial is that the timber was properly dried to begin with . Poorly dried timber is a lot more prone to releasing it's figure .
Pete

[DaveW]

Thanks guys
for all the input
I didnt get to bend it today as I wanted to as the cutaway mold I made seemed to be for a different guitar than I was planing so had to make a new one.........dont ask ......must have been one of those moments when I made the mold ,shit I just remembered it was ,god Im a numbnuts !!!!!!! oh well now I have molds for cutaways for 2 different shapes
just as well I didnt try to bend it the way my day has been going ,at least it wasnt all in vain???
and as for Michael Thames ........I have been dying to know ,I work in remote locations and the internet is incredibly slow at best so when Im away I dont go on this site very often and when I got back I was reading about how his account was cancelled etc etc ........drama and I missed it,blood on the tracks ,it all sounded ...................like he was a tosser,especially after I read some of his other stuff.............obviously people on this forum didnt pander to his ego enough ???
oh well just pissed I missed it
Dave

[curly]

Another thing I noticed is that the Blackwood is running off the quarter . That's a good thing in terms of bending as it is less likely to part out on the fiddleback as the curls are effectively shallower . I'd place the less fiddleback , more crown or wash figured wood over the cutaway .
Pete