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Timbuck

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Today I bent a couple of pre-shaped mahogany soprano sides and got the waist at the wrong end ..so I ended up with the waist in the lower bout end.:(
So I got the hot pipe out and flattened waist back to original..then I put them back in the Foxy bender and surprise surprise they came out with no obvious sign that it had ever happened :D
 
'cept you know... and when you know, you know it has the potential to be a problem child. I rarely fix mistakes these days, taking them as a warning not to continue... Keep us pooted.
 
If it makes you feel any better, I just came up from the shop after popping off a bridge that I managed to glue on to a tenor about 1/8" cockeyed last night. I think this instrument is cursed, back when gluing up the neck blank I glued the scarf on backwards not once, but twice. Luckily there was enough meat in the blank that I could afford to saw it off and fix it both times. And then I bent the sides upside down. Hopefully the crooked bridge is the last problem. I guess it kind of has to be since it's basically the last step!
 
I'm not a professional (doesn't make any money) now I don't feel so bad about the goofs I have made, although it has given me some unique skills at repair.
 
They say that mistakes are just opportunities to learn - I keep telling myself that.

John Colter
 
that's one reason I don't preshape my sides. I just cut the taper once the blocks are glued in. I swear nothing has ever gone wrong with that method!! :uhoh:
 
The time before this when I made a bending mistake, was when I ended up with two left hand side ribs...Also on that occasion I managed to reverse the bending on one without any breakage..that was about 5 years ago...not bad when you realise that the waist bend is only 1 inch radius.
 
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