Fox Side Bending Jig from LMI
Source: Tools & Materials
The Side Bending Jig is probably one of the best tools to advance efficient guitar building that has come along in quite a few years. If you currently bend your guitar sides over a hot iron, boil the side and clamp them on a form or a combination of the two, you will just love this tool.
The side bending jig is available commercially, but its’ cost may be somewhat prohibitive at $650.00. You then need to make a guitar form for each guitar shape you intend to purchase. Each of these will set you back an additional $80.00, if you decide to purchase pre-made forms. You also will need to purchase the stainless steel slats that are placed on each side of the wood sides, prior to heating and these cost $58.50 per set of (2).
Materials List To Make A Bender From Various Suppliers:
There are plans available for the Fox side bender for $13.55 and here is what you will need to purchase to make the actual bender jig:
Press Screw for Waist Compression: $42.10
Set of Steel Tension Springs: $24.00
Heating Blanket, Which Is The Heating Source: $133.75
Thermostat To Control Heating Blanket: $32.50
Stainless Steel Slats Set of (2): $58.50
Miscellaneous Hardware: $25.00
Baltic Birch 3/4″ Cabinet Grade Birch Plywood for Bender: $45.00
Baltic Birch 3/4″ Cabinet Grade Birch Plywood for Mold: $22.50
Total Hardware Cost: $383.35
Holy Cow – This is still a lot of money and you still have to make it.
But Wait! – You Do Have One More Alternative:
We have plans available that do not need the bending blanket or the thermostat. The Plans are $15.99 for a very complete set of plans that will give you a beautiful bending jig. The plans come complete with a materials list, full scale parts layout and the part layout on your plywood. They are fully dimensioned and give assembly instructions.
I’ve been using one of these for years and decided to share my plans with you so you can enjoy it as well. Besides, it is a great feeling to make one of these benders and see what it produces.
We have sources for a Press Screw for less than $20.00 and the cost of the light bulb receptacles is minimal. The only other big expense is the stainless steel sheets for bending. You may be able to do better than the $58.50 per set from LMI. I would imagine you could find some in a local sheet metal shop for around $35.00 to $40.00 for a set. So here is the price list for an Ultimate Guitar Building Bender:
Materials List Ultimate Guitar Building Side Bender:
Detailed Bender AND mold jig for 11 sizes of guitars: $15.99 and here is what you will need to purchase to make the actual bender jig:
9″ Press Screw for Waist Compression: $20.00
Set of Steel Extension Springs: $24.00
Spring Timer: $20.00
Miscellaneous Hardware: $25.00
Porcelain Receptacles and Electrical Wiring: $15.00
Stainless Steel Slats Set of (2): $40.00
3/4″ Cabinet Grade Plywood for Bender: $8.00
3/4″ Cabinet Grade Plywood for Mold: $6.50
Total Hardware Cost: $158.50
OK we saved over $225.00
The great part about it is if you decided to add the warming blanket later you still can. (I wouldn’t know why though.) Also some luthier shops get several of these going at one time because you can only do (1) side at a time. I know shops that have up to 6 of these or more to keep production going.
What The Plans Include:
Side Bender Jig, showing all the materials, details, dimensions and instructions you will need to build this jig very quickly and accurately. Also, new to this version of the plans, we are featuring a variable waist compression system, which allows you to insert any guitar form shape and the bender adapts to the different waist contours, giving you a very quick and flexible too. Also, we have done a lot of work on the spring attachment hardware and have developed superior methods for handling both the fixed attachment points and removable attachment points for the extension springs.
This jig only uses 1/4 sheet of plywood at 24″ x 48″ and all the patterns are supplied to you for the ultimate in accurace to allow you to quickly and easily build this jig and get started in your bending operations is a few short hours.
(11) Different Guitar Shapes Templates @ 100% Scale Which Include:
Here are some sample images of the plans so you can observe the detail that we have included:
Heated Side Bender Sheet 1
Heated Side Bender Sheet 2
Heated Side Bender Sheet 3
Heated Side Bender Sheet 4
Are you interested in buying the plans for the Ultimate Guitar Headed Bending Jig right now? If you are, just click the PayPal button below and go you our secure server shopping cart. You can pay with either a PayPal account or any major credit card with security.
You will then be given a link for an electronic download, where you can down load the PDF documents. If you wish to print them, just take them to a local digital printer store for fast easy full-sized prints.
Click This Button To Purchase
Here at Ultimate Guitar Building, check out our Ultimate Guitar OnLine Shopping Site, where we have a growing variety of Guitar Building Plans available for your use in pursuing your passion so you CAN build your own guitar. We will also list all of our bender plans, mold plans and free plans that you can download to make your guitar building much easier.
Additional Guitar Making Tool Plans We Have:
Note: Click on each link below to go to our secure online shopping cart. Click on in info link for the information page for all the detail of each plan. You can order from the info page too.
Order Heated Guitar Side Bender Plans:
Heated Side Bender Info page
Order Cutaway Jig For Heated Side Bender Plans:
Cutaway Jig Info Page
Order Unheated Guitar Side Bender Plans:
Unheated Bender Info Page
Order Go Board Gluing Jig Plans:
Go Board Info Page
Order Guitar Plate jointing Jig Plans:
Plate Jointing Jig Info Page
Order Belly Bridge Ramp Sanding Jig Plans:
Ramp Sanding Jig Info Page
Order Saddle Channel Routing Jig Plans:
Saddle Channel Routing Jig Info Page
Guitar Kerfing Cutting Jig Plans:
Kerfing Cutting Jig Info Page
Order Wooden Cam Clamp Plans:
Wooden Clamp Info Page
Order Adjustable Fret Slot Miter Box Jig Plans:
Fret Slot Miter Box Info Page
Order Inlay Cutting Jig Plans:
Inlay Cutting Jig Info Page
Order Deluxe Neck Cradle:
Deluxe Neck Cradle
Order Bandsaw Re-Saw Custom Fence:
Bandsaw Re-Saw Custom Fence
Guitar Inside Form Plans:
Inside Form Info Page (note order this plan from info page or plan shop page because it varies with each guitar shape.
Guitar Assembly Workboard Plans:
Assembly Workboard Info Page (note order this plan from info page or plan shop page because it varies with each guitar shape.
Tags: fox side bender, guitar making tools, how to bend guitar sides, how to make a guitar, making a side bender
March 25th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
What are the sizes for the guitar molds/forms supplied?
March 26th, 2010 at 7:00 am
Hi Doug,
I have supplied the following sizes:
Concert Classical Guitar (Ramirez size)
000 Concert Parlor Guitar (Martin 000)
Dreadnought (Martin D18, D29 etc.)
Grand Auditorium (Taylor Grand Auditorium)
I will be adding the the 000-28vs and a Jumbo Acoustic in the near future, when those plans come out.
David
November 10th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I was not able to download my purchase of Heated Guitar Side Bender jig USB-1
Paid for on PalPal Inv-EE786D52
Your help would be appreciated
November 10th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Hey Mike,
I sent the download link to you. Let me know if you received that. If not, I can send the plans directly to your email.
David
December 20th, 2010 at 9:23 am
i wonder whether the side should be thicknessed down at the point the cutaway tilts round .
August 29th, 2011 at 10:32 am
It is not clear to me how the waist retainer works or fits into the jig. Does it fit under the side/metal slats? Do you have to unhook the springs to to insert the wood side piece and slats?