To make lute rib spacers, I use two of the “scrap” pieces left over from building the lute rib form. It’s very simple to just take a hand saw and saw a groove on the outside edge of the scrap form piece to accept the lute rib spacer to be bent. Here you see the two leftover pieces from the lute form (which have the exact profile of the lute shape), with spacers taped in the outside groove while they dry. For some spacers such as maple, I simply soak the spacers and bend and tape them into the form as shown. Other materials, such as walnut seen below require bending on the iron to avoid cracking.
Here are maple spacers drying. I use a small spray bottle to wet the spacer and tape it in the groove of the form and usually spray a little water in the groove once the spacer is taped in place. Then just wait for it to dry.
Pre-bending on the iron may be required for some materials, such as walnut – but it is easy to just rock the form on the hot iron until the spacer conforms and tape it as you go to hold it in place
Here is a spacer just removed from “drying” and ready to be installed.
Go here to see how to assemble the ribs without using a mold.
Go here to get back to the workshop.