Bending Cherry Sides

[John Bertotti]

I’m still wondering what moisture content you guy have for instrument wood. Am I going to be to low at furniture grade kiln drying?

[sunburst]

I like for my wood to be 8% moisture or less (not below 6%). I keep the shop between 40% and 50% RH, and my wood has been stored in there for years, so I don't have to worry about what the MC of my wood is, it's stabilized in the shop.
That's all pretty much out the window when bending sides though. For easier bending woods I only spritz the wood to moisten the surface. Some woods (like certain mahogany) bend better after a short soak in water. The moisture content is then very high, and the bent rim must be left to dry for a couple of days. Thin wood like side material will dry promptly, so it doesn't take too long.

[John Bertotti]

I have it in my head this mill dries to 5% and this time of year my house will be between 18 and 28%. I imagine then I do not need to install a room with a dehumidifier. Even when it get humid outside my house is so dry that the humidity in the house won't go over 35% until around the end of may and maybe hit 40-45 in July. The sit there until October and it starts dropping again. I think that swing may be to much. I will need to let the wood sit for a couple months. Its all ruff sawn so I can resew some of the extra to desired thicknesses. Have you all used cherry for necks as well?

[Tom Haywood]

John Bertotto, I've enjoyed looking back at this thread. Thanks for bringing it up. There is a typo in one of my early posts. I thinned the sides down to .065" before successfully bending. I tried them at .070, but the wood felt too stiff and I didn't have any side pieces to spare. I would say it bent easily at .065, but it was slow and required a good bit of heat. You can see that I didn't make any tight bends. No idea what the moisture content was, but it seemed fairly dry. I used cherry for the neck and for the neck block and heel block. Basically, an all cherry instrument except for a Honduran mahogany top and bloodwood binding. The bloodwood was a nightmare to bend.

[John Bertotti]

I'm glad you started the thread and thanks for the update.

[GaryDavis]

My neck is a single piece of cherry cut from the same plank as the back and sides.