The sides will be made of "tiger stripe" sometimes called "fiddle back" maple. Tough, strong, beautiful but because of its wavy grain pattern pretty easy to break when you thin it down to bending thickness.
 1. first we rip a nice piece of tiger stripe maple into long strips just 1.1/4" wide. |  2. Now each piece is carefully measured and marked to taper from the center 1 1/4" to just 1" at the ends. This will wrap entirely around the instrument, the thick center at the butt. |  3. I use this "sled" that slides in the groove of the table saw to cut the tapers. A great tool to cut fret boards and anything with a taper. |  4. Now to the thickness sander where the sides will be thinned down to about the thickness of a new nickel. That will make them easier to bend but leave plenty of wood for later sanding. |