Here are three pictures of tools I made to help out on the mando making. This picture is of my side bending iron. I bought the one that is mostly advertised but realized its more for guitars so I made a new aluminum piece and mounting flange. The peice is from 7075 aluminum but has a 303 stainless steel mounting flange. The 303 ss has a heat transfer rate approx. 1/10 that of the aluminum so I figured I wouldnt burn up my gasket or wooden base. The 3 diameters really help with those F style sides.
#WORD OF WARNING TO THOSE WITH THIS UNIT.
The original is made from sand cast aluminum and thus it is pretty porous. When you use water mist on your wood as you bend it the water turns to steam and some of it gets inside your cast aluminum piece through microscopic pores. When I took it apart the ground wire was almost totally corroded off and there was corrosion inside the aluminum mandrel. Anyway there is more mass but it is smaller over all and doesnt have the dead air space inside the unit like the original and it heats up quick and doesnt work the thermostat as hard because of the mass.
Keith Newell
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