Bending Australian/Tasmanian Blackwood Acacia

[Matt Fisher]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here so looking forward to learning a thing or 2 from this forum. I've just finished my first complete build of a 0-12 fret guitar here in the UK and I'm moving on to number 2, something a bit larger and with a cutaway similar to a Taylor grand concert shape.

I've just picked up a nice set of tasmanian blackwood and was wandering if anyone has any experience of working this wood? In particular how it bends, does in need soaking or just spritzing with water first? It's not a particularly highly figured set but fairly stripy.

Any help would be great, thanks!

[John Parchem]

I have only bent black acacia bindings but I have bent a bunch of figured Hawaiian Koa another Acacia that looks and acts a lot like black acacia. I did not soak before bending the wood, I do spritz the wood to avoid scorching, I found that it was not that hard to bend relative to other figured woods.

Are you bending on a hot pipe?

[Matt Fisher]

Thanks for the info, yes I'm using a standard bending iron rather than a bending machine (maybe one day...). I think I'll probably thin the cutaway area down a little more than the rest of the side too.

[John Parchem]

Good plan on the cutaway section.

[mike-p]

no info for you but Hi from the UK!

[Matt Fisher]

Hello fellow Brit, thanks!