Yoga... bending

I got the top and back plates and sides all thicknessed. In the old days this would be done with a hand plane, nowdays it could be done with a thickness sander which would be real cool. At this point I go with the safety planer which is an attachment for the drill press with cutters that spins around shaving the wood... that doesn't sound safe but it seems to be as safe as anything with power tools.

It leaves a bit of swirling that I then sand out by hand.

Tonight was meditation time. One of the reasons I really like building guitars is side bending. That's where you become one with the wood. It's an amazing feeling of pressing the wet wood against the hot bending pipe and feel it give as you listen to the steam hiss from it. Patience and feeling the wood it what it's all about. It's also the part that seems to impress people, because you're taking a straight piece of wood and turning it into a curley-q.

I finished the first side tonight. Here are some some shots:

Bending back at the waist.

Done and clamped in the mold.


I also got started on bracing up the back where it first gets a center strip of spruce down the inside. After getting the two sanded they really look great.
Front:


Back:


I chose that one for the front because, though both plates are amazing, it was the most flashy of the two. Pavi will want to show that off.