Bending the sides

[P Josey]

I am about to start my 1st F5 from scratch. One of my plans shows the rim set at .125 in. thick and the other at .075 in. I realize there will be a final sanding and the sides will get thinner as I go along. I'm interested in getting some feedback on how thick others make them for the actual bending stage and what you aim for in the final product, after all sanding. I'll warn you all now, I'm going to be asking a lot of questions over the next while. I might add, " I couldn't be asking them in a better place". Thanks

Paul Josey

[sunburst]

Different builders use different thicknesses, I think this has been discussed before.
It depends a little on what wood you're using, how hard it is, how strong it is, and how much figure it has.
I use either Sugar maple (hard) or Red maple (fairly soft) and choose the figure carefully so it is not too extreem.
I sand the sides pretty smooth before bending because it is easier to bend smooth wood without cracking it or breaking it.
Because of this, I don't plan for much, if any additional wood removal from sanding the instrument after assembly.
I use wood .080 in. thick or so, sometimes thinner in the tight bends if the wood is particularly hard to bend.

[Chris Baird]

I start with .085 for quartered wood and go .100+ for slab cut sides.