Can anyone recommend an inexpensive wood that will give me a good feel for bending the real thing? I have a black walnut set for my first go at my own honest to goodness uke, but I don't want to ruin the sides for lack of a practice run.
Practice wood for side bending
- Thread starter Matt Clara
- Start date
taylordb
Well-known member
I think Stew mac actually sells practice sets for bending that aren't that expensive.
OP
OP
They have a minimum $40 order, plus shipping and handling. There's a good wood worker's store near here called Johnson's Workbench. They have all kinds of wood already down to 1/4 and some times 1/8 inch. Most of it is not quarter sawn, though, and what is is clearly marked and charged accordingly. Mostly woods like red oak, maple, poplar, ash, cherry, walnut, and some of the more expensive ones include the exotics, but they rarely come in 1/8 thicknesses. If the saw cut doesn't make much, or any difference in the bending experience, I could pick up some walnut (but black walnut is still kind of expensive), or whatever, and give it a try.
erich@muttcrew.net
Well-known member
We've never used black walnut, but our experience with both French and German walnut has been very good. Easy to work and comparatively easy to bend.
On the other hand, keep in mind that there can be big differences between trees, and even billets within a single tree. So even if one piece of black walnut or whatever bent well it doesn't mean the next one won't crack.
One way or the other, good luck with your honest-to-goodness-here-we-go project.
Erich
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