Nelle Doak O'Neill, Luthier
Carson Valley, Nevada

From Tree . . . to Concert Hall . . .

Rib bending using a bending jig and heat strip
Rib (maple, 1 mm thick) is first dampened then, sandwiched between a wet strip of cloth and the heat strip, carefully and very slowly bent around the form. The counterform is then clamped in place until the rib has cooled. Three different jigs are employed when using this method: one each for the top ribs, bottom ribs and C bouts.







Finished mold, with bent ribs and liners, "C" bouts glued in place

Heat strip shown connected to an industrial type voltage control . . . a standard light dimmer will work. Heat strips in various lengths are available from: Benchmark Thermal, 13185 Nevada City Ave., Grass Valley, CA 95946, (530)477-5011.

Next Page,
Assembling the Ribs and Liners

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