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| Baking top braces http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=10233 |
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| Author: | Terry Stowell [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:37 pm ] |
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I haven't heard of anyone baking their top braces. I would think that would be a happy marriage. Anyone else doing this or thinking about it? |
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| Author: | Bruce Dickey [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 3:56 pm ] |
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Terry, you are always thinking. Was that a revelation or something? Sounds like it. Cook some and send 'em to me. I'm hungry. Just kidding, we'll leave eating wood to the dog that was bending binding yesterday.... 
All kidding aside, what you said makes sense. |
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| Author: | Frank Ford [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:00 pm ] |
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The reason for drying tops catastropically by baking is to stabilize them against permanent shrinkage when the completed instrument is subjected to high heat or low humidity. It DOES work, and that's why Collings and Taylor, to name a couple of factories, do it. Baking reduces the possibility of shrinkage cracks and permanently sunken tops. Since wood shrinks across grain lines (width) it's a serious issue for guitar tops which are very wide, thin and delicate. Braces are very narrow, and because wood does not shrink lengthwise, there would be no point in baking them to stabilize them against shrinkage. Even gross shrinkage of the braces in width would have essentially no effect on the instrument. Cheers, Frank Ford FRETS.COM Gryphon Stringed Instruments[/ URL"> My Home Shop Pages |
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| Author: | j.Brown [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:21 pm ] |
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Can someone remind me of the general guidelines for baking the tops as far as time and temp? Thanks. -j. |
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| Author: | Burton LeGeyt [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:55 pm ] |
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J- I think most people bake @ near or just below 200 F for two hours. It is a good idea to have a baking sheet between the heat source and the wood to even out the heat each gets. Some people put weight on them and others don't, but I always do. In terms of baking the braces, I understand that the risk of the braces shrinking and distorting the top are negligable but doesn't the heat also set the pitch? I have been baking my braces slighly oversize and get quite a bit of pitch on most faces coming to the surface and hardening. This seems like a good thing, but maybe it doesn't matter? Burton |
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| Author: | robertD [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:04 pm ] |
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Hello All, This "Baking Tops" idea sounds like a good one. However, it has me wondering - what happens to the top after (at least in my case) it is subjected back to the average humidity level (50%-70%) of my area? Unfortunately, I do not have a work shop with a controlled environment. Robert |
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| Author: | Bruce Dickey [ Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:22 pm ] |
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I knew what Frank said is true. Burton brings out a good point though. I'm surprised anyone has actually done as Terry suggests. Let me tell you about a trip into my attic recently. When I built this house, I ordered Douglas Fir from out west, due to the length required for my 12/12 pitch. It's been nearly twenty years now since I built this house. Attics here get to 130 / 140 degrees F regularly. It just cooks the structure repeatedly. After checking what I wanted to see, I noticed granular substance on my hands and a gritty surface to all the Fir in the attic. That gritty substance was rosin. Teeny tiny pores had released small crystalline bits of rosin or resin. As they cooled and hardened they also lost moisture. It reminded me of the feel of bow hair rosin from my cello playing days. Same stuff. Now back to the subject at hand of cooking braces. Probably not for the reason of shrinkage, but more for the reason of aging the wood for sound transmission. That may be all the reason we need. I believe I'll try a round of adirondack surprise, just to see what happens. The wife leaves at seven, the house should be aired out by the time she gets home. |
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| Author: | Kirt Myers [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:10 am ] |
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As was pointed out in another post, preheat the oven first or you could scorch your wood. Kirt |
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| Author: | GregG [ Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:35 am ] |
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I've been baking my braces too, it just seemed logical if I was already cooking tops. Greg |
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