I got a call the other day from a guy that builds banjos ... yes ,
he's a banjo builder . Anyway , he builds up the body band with 3 layers
of wood , apparently steamed wood to get it to bend that tightly . The
end result of our conversations is that I'm going to build him some
compression bands to pull the bent wood tightly to a core form . I'll be
using stainless steel since most wood glues leave an ugly black stain in
the wood if they come in contact with mild steel . And I'll get to hone
my rudimentary SS welding skills . TIG on , men !

--
Snag
"You can lead a dummy to facts
but you can't make him think."

On 17/05/2023 23:12, Snag wrote:
>   I got a call the other day from a guy that builds banjos ... yes ,
> he's a banjo builder . Anyway , he builds up the body band with 3
> layers of wood , apparently steamed wood to get it to bend that
> tightly . The end result of our conversations is that I'm going to
> build him some compression bands to pull the bent wood tightly to a
> core form . I'll be using stainless steel since most wood glues leave
> an ugly black stain in the wood if they come in contact with mild
> steel . And I'll get to hone my rudimentary SS welding skills . TIG on
> , men !
>
I was watching a program about the UK guitar maker Atkin
https://atkinguitars.com/story/ recently and it showed them forming the
sides of the guitar and that was done using a heat band to heat and
soften the wood so it could be pressed and bent to the side contours.
They mentioned that it was not heated too long or it could start to burn
or discolour the wood, just enough to get the bend done, looks more
extreme than a banjo. IIRC the heat softens the lignin allowing it to
become more pliable probably the same as steaming.

On 5/17/2023 5:38 PM, David Billington wrote:
> On 17/05/2023 23:12, Snag wrote:
>>   I got a call the other day from a guy that builds banjos ... yes ,
>> he's a banjo builder . Anyway , he builds up the body band with 3
>> layers of wood , apparently steamed wood to get it to bend that
>> tightly . The end result of our conversations is that I'm going to
>> build him some compression bands to pull the bent wood tightly to a
>> core form . I'll be using stainless steel since most wood glues leave
>> an ugly black stain in the wood if they come in contact with mild
>> steel . And I'll get to hone my rudimentary SS welding skills . TIG on
>> , men !
>>
> I was watching a program about the UK guitar maker Atkin
> https://atkinguitars.com/story/ recently and it showed them forming the
> sides of the guitar and that was done using a heat band to heat and
> soften the wood so it could be pressed and bent to the side contours.
> They mentioned that it was not heated too long or it could start to burn
> or discolour the wood, just enough to get the bend done, looks more
> extreme than a banjo. IIRC the heat softens the lignin allowing it to
> become more pliable probably the same as steaming.
>

I have little experience with steaming or heating wood to bend it .
The little I did turned out OK but nothing special enough to write home
to mother about . This young feller has a couple of national pickin'
trophies on his shelf . Decided to start making them instead of playing
them and is apparently quite successful . Anybody want to guess how much
a handmade banjo sells for ? I really have no idea , but I'm guessin'
it's well into 4 figures . This guy's work is exquisite , and I say that
from a background of building high end custom commercial millwork .
--
Snag
"You can lead a dummy to facts
but you can't make him think."