Gary and myself thicknessed a sheet of mahogany down to 2.5 mm for my sides and proceeded to line them up to get the perfect straight join. The sides were then dipped in a barrel of water to loosen the fibres. When the sides had been soaked long enough I took them out of the barrel and began the process of exerting pressure on the side until I could feel the fibres beginning to collapse in my hand. It was a slow process. Much slower than the practice pieces. I was constantly placing the sides back in the water. I did however bend them the opposite ways!!:L:L Which is the correct way to do it (some people in the class had to start again, or augment their sides)! The process still took a whole class! The sides were then clamped to my former to ensure they stayed in shape.
After the sides were bent I set about making the bracing. This had been done previously with the mandolin but still was a precision skill. The four braces were shaped and scalloped. I spent more than was necessary shaping these I think!
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