tortured ply theory

Tortured Ply

Back in the '60s Bernie Rodriguez was a proponent of tortured ply construction.

His LC-32 was designed to be built of (severely) tortured 1/4" fir ply. I worked with him for a few day on and off over a couple months during the construction.

In the areas requiring the greatest torture he cut the plywood into smaller piece depending on the amount of compound curvature. Some were brought into place with clamps slowly over a period of a day or two. Some panels required soaking the surface of the ply with hot - almost boiling - water, allowing them to sit for a while, and then torturing them further into place.

After they had been persuaded into their final shape they were allowed to dry out before they were removed, glued and permanently attached. It was remarkable the smooth shapes he could create. I don't think there were precise formulas regarding how much compound curve could be achieved. It was more the result of considerable experience with the process.

Over the years I used the same techniques to create compound shapes that might otherwise need to be cold molded, but I never tried to go as extreme as Bernie did.