What is kerfing on a guitar?

What is kerfing on a guitar?

Kerfing is tapered strips of wood that are glued around the inside seams of a guitar. Their primary function is to add strength and stability where the sides meet the top and back of the instrument.

What is Kerfing made from?

Side Lining techniques The sides of a guitar are made of very thin wood, usually around 2 mm thick. Strips of kerfed wood, known as kerfed linings or kerfing.

What are guitar bodies made of?

Guitar bodies use a combination or southern and northern wood. Northern wood is often used for the top of the body, while southern wood is often used for the sides and back. The top is particularly important, so the excellent resonant qualities of spruce (a kind of pine) make it an ideal material.

What wood can you steam bend?

You can steam bend soft woods (including pine, cedar and spruce) but if you were attempting this, again it would be best to use air dried wood – as kiln dried wood tends break or snap more easily during the bending process.

Is Koa wood good for guitars?

Lightweight, rigid, yet bendable, Koa is a great material for guitar manufacturers to work with. When paired with the right soundboard, it also has a wonderful tonal quality. If you’re a hard and heavy pick player, Koa might not be your bag – it’ll get very bright very fast.

How deep should kerf cuts be?

For plywood, the general rule is to cut deep enough so you just barely score the second ply (the layer under the face veneer), see photo (C). And for Masonite, the kerf depth should be about one-half (or a little more) of the thickness of the material, see photo (D).

How does Kerfing aid the bending of timber?

If timber is soaked in water or exposed to steam, it can become more flexible. Slots can be cut along the inside face of the timber to be bent allowing for the inside face to cope with the compressive force – this is called kerfing . Plywood is strengthened by having the timber glued at right angles to each other.