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Or to actual size? Does it vary with large and small guitars? If smaller by how much?

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Build your form smaller - smaller by the thickness of your side plus blanket and slats if you are using them.
In my case I build my form approximately 1/8" smaller than the desired shape of my side.

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i go smaller as well plus taper the ends inboard about 3 deg or so for spring back. i also pull the waist in tighter with a slightly smaller radius -again to deal with spring back. when all is bent up things pretty much relax to near net shape with very little tweaking needed. i also have some adjustable setting forms as well to place the sides into after they come off the bender.

I do mine the same size as the template and haven't had any problems, even with OM and smaller sizes.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I draw the outline of 1/2 the body on some plywood, then I draw another line about 1/8" inside of that. At the bandsaw I cut out the space in between the lines. Finally I clean up the curves on a spindle sander. The outside becomes a mould template if I need it and the inside becomes a bending form template.

I do mine same as James. I make the outside mold and the bending form from the mating pieces of plywood. I use my scroll saw to cut 3/4 inch birch plywood and then spindle sand each piece. Hadn't really given any thought to purposely making the bending form slightly smaller, I'm just cheap.

Yup. I make my outside mold first, then trace inside it with a 1/8" sharpie, then sand the sharpie line til it's gone. More or less accounts for side width.

Same here, but I usually go for .125 - .150 or so.

Thickness of side + heat blanket + slat, so it depends on what I'm building and how thick the sides are going to be.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I have a washer like Todd's but at about .150" so my bending form is that much smaller. I have never had issues with spring back that was excessive but sometimes have to touch up the waist and cutaway by hand. I really like Dreadnoughts as bending is so easy.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
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