Official Luthiers Forum!

Greetings,
I'm building my first archtop. (17" Benedetto copy) I need to bend some Maple for the tight cutaway. I made the pattern and have a cutaway attachment for my bender that I've used successfully with other woods. Any tips from you archtop guys? Maple looks tough!
Terry

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I just started my first maple guitar and cut a 1" wide bit off a side and tested it a couple days ago - it bent like butter at 0.08. Just as easy as Indian rosewood.
Don't use water, you will get cupping and ripples. I used same temp as I do for RW. For a tight cutaway you can thin it more and it should be fine.

You can also search about in older threads, there have been several discussions on bending curly maple. The general tone seems to be that it is a difficult wood, that you must avoid water and crank up the heat. I'm not so sure on the heat, white wood gets scorched easily. Rosewood temp was fine. Next step would be ebony, that is definite scorching.

What I did have a trouble with every time has been curly sycamore and maple veneers for purfling. When bending it gets rippled and distorted even when doing it very carefully, so I am now avoiding the stuff like the plague. Didn't get any of that with the thicker wood though.

_________________
Build log

Thanks
TJK

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I agree with little to no water on Maple and Mahogany . Also I use heat in the 375 range

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Be careful with the high heat and scorching maple. If you run it up that high, don't leave it there for too long.

_________________
http://www.casperguitar.com