Wood Bending

Wood Bending · 02-17-2006, 07:34 AM

Can Anyone give me advice on bending oak, maple and cherry. How and what I need to make for a jig and how to make a steamer etc. I am looking at a slight bend for chair backs and things like that. Thanks for any help I can get.

Steve D · 02-17-2006, 08:14 AM

Steam bending success is really dependent on the board size (short & thick = poor results). The other option is resawing and bent lamination. Either way you make your form by cutting a piece of 3/4" MDF in the shape that you want and use it as a template to make several others (using a router and pattern bit) so that you can glue the together stacked. GLue your stack to another piece of MDF as a base. WAX the form heavily to prevent glue from sticking for bent lamination or to protect the form from the moisture if steam bending. If steam bending make the radius a little tighter than you need because it will spring back a little after coming out of the clamps.

For a steam generator there are electric tea kettles or you can use an old tea kettle on a heat source like the ones used to deep fry turkeys. You can use a length of HVAC duct or even large diameter PVC (support it as it will bend with heat too) drill holes in the sides and use dowels to make shelf supports so the steal gets to all sides. Use a radiator hose form the steam generator to the duct and use reducers to get the diameter close to the hose size and seal remainder with duct tape, etc. Clamp away when the board is ready.

Handturnedbowls · 02-17-2006, 12:48 PM

Hey David and Steve,
I remember an episode of New Yankee Workshop, where Norm had built a steam generator quite economically.

I will try to put some time in and draw up a model of one on CAD for you and post it on the site.

Right now I am working on a homemade jig to sharpen gouges accurately that is made of maple instead of metal.

cad

helmswatch · 02-17-2006, 01:02 PM

Cad,

This is something I should learn since we have a wooden commercial trawler and I am sure one day I will have to replace planks. I have seen it done in a shipyard and I remember thinking that it was 10% knowledgy, 10% technique, and 120% art.

Duke & Irene