Let's imagine that I was vaguely considering making a hollowbody-esque but wanted to avoid the excitement of an @JamesBisset vacuuming-bending-splitting (repeat) saga.
Let's also imagine that I had the opportunity to acquire a rosewood top & back set of ~3mm thickness.
Could I ....
- Make some shaped internal braces of appropriate widths (top side of brace is curved, bottom side is flat)
- Gradually, encourage the top/back to adopt the curved shape of the braces (wet, heat, weight)
- Avoid the JamesBisseting (now Scottish rhyming slang for splitting)
- Once the shape is formed in the top/back, then glue the top/back to the braces
- Then fit the braces into some central supports and the sides (not fully worked that bit out yet)
- = One shaped top/back guitar body.
?
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Steam box would be the best way to soften wood to make a difficult shape but I think 3 mm will be a bit thick. Some makers only use a steam box to shape the ribs, them clamp to a dry form and leave for a few days.
Alternatively you could try a lute style construction which is used for bowl back instruments. A former is made which is a bit like roof trusses with a curve instead of an apex. The pieces are put together long ways and fixed to top/bottom blocks.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Question though: if it has never been done before, why not?
Said James Bisset, watching the Wright brothers' inaugural flight .... 🤣
Alternatively you could try a lute style construction which is used for bowl back instruments. A former is made which is a bit like roof trusses with a curve instead of an apex. The pieces are put together long ways and fixed to top/bottom blocks.
That's what I have, vaguely in mind, @rocknroller912. I thought I'd try to make a frame, like an aircraft wing, with shaped top & back but with the addition of some vertical side pieces too. Then gradually encourage the top & back to adopt the curved shape of the frame. The vertical side pieces would then fix to the (also bent) sides of the guitar.
Maybe.
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Will you use your cnc to make the frame. Flat sawn wood will take a curve more that quarter sawn i think as it warps naturally to a curve over time so you will just be accelerating the process.
Some people call me a tool, others are less complimentary. Tools being useful things.
Will you use your cnc to make the frame.
Probably @rocknroller912 - just because I've got one to use 😉
I should design it properly. Get the span dimensions and curves properly modelled, for maybe 3 or 4 horizontals and maybe a centre line too. Sort of like an aircraft wing.
Probably be quicker to do it the Bisset-way ...
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I should design it properly. Get the span dimensions and curves properly modelled, for maybe 3 or 4 horizontals and maybe a centre line too.
I could probably model that on SolidWorks for you, given a sketch and some dimensions. I don't know how the model translates into your CNC program though, what format would you need the model saved as.
Hi @Robin - that is (a) most kind and (b) would probably save me weeks of trying to understand 3D modelling!
Apparently, the application I use to generate the toolpaths (and do the design work, though I've really only done 2D stuff), says that it can import STL or DXF files - and a whole load more besides, but I think those are standard formats? I suppose the spans would only need to be 2D anyway - the "3D" aspect would come from the thickness of the material that I cut them out of.
I was thinking of making a hollow body Bandsman style guitar, though my thinking hadn't got a lot further than that. Maybe I'll try some rough sketching next.
Online guitar making courses – guitarmaking.co.uk
Apparently, the application I use to generate the toolpaths (and do the design work, though I've really only done 2D stuff), says that it can import STL or DXF files - and a whole load more besides, but I think those are standard formats?
Yes, I can export either SDL or DXF, there's settings for tolerances, the tighter the tolerance then the bigger the file. It might need a little experimentation.