Making a Bending Form

[crokett™]

I want to make a ukulele, some day.  I hope to start early next year.   I'm slowly finding solutions to the technical problems.  One of them is bending the sides.  I'll use heat bending but need a form to clamp the sides into after they're bent.  I need to account for the thickness of the wood in the mold, I can't just make one and cut it in half since the wood is thicker than the kerf on my bandsaw.  What I am thinking is to assemble the pieces of the mold then cut it to the line on my pattern to create the outside of the mold.  Then put that on a piece of paper, take a piece of scrap the same thickness as what I will use for the sides and scribe a line.  that line represents the inside of the side.  then I can sand the other half of the mold to that line.  Is there another way that this is done?

[Woodshop]

When I made Mine years ago I found an old guy from England made videos of how to make tools and the process on youtube but never could find them back.
I layered plywood for my form and carefully cut it out on a bandsaw making both forms in side and outside. not sure if you need both.

   
to do the bend I used a pipe ,torch and spray bottle . works fast  and really well

   
add blocks for clamping at the cut and made a press from the inside with bolts, very simple

   
It's been 10 years ,there is allot I have forgotten It is very rewarding so take you time and pull out all the stops.

   

[crokett™]

That is a very pretty instrument. What kind of woods is it made from? I plan to use the pipe and torch method for the bending. I'm also going to elminate the curve that gives the body a waist. I think it will make for a more interesting shape. Your form is more or less what I have planned. I know I need to account for the thickness of the stock when making the inside form. How did you account for the stock thickness?

[Woodshop]

They are made of curly Walnut and Birdseye maple with mother of pearl inlay. As far as the form, The bandsaw blade removed some and by the time I cleaned it up on the sander it was the right size to fit the walnut side thickness. I did make mine slightly thicker from what the plans called for. also where the blade entered, you can remove more and pull the form together more if needed. later when you add the blocks for clamping it together you made it fight tight and add the blocks so when they come together it 's perfect.
It's allot of work to make one, so I made two, one for my brother.