Steam bending advice

[Anonymous]

Hi all

I just built a little steaming device today ready to steam and bend some wood later in the week, when time allows, as i have been commissioned to make some very bendy things

Any advice and experiences welcomed

 

[Jake]

Get it very hot, and be quick when it comes out, have lots of cramps ready, overbend it quite a bit. Don't use kiln-dried wood if you can help it, and do use a wood which has good steam-bending properties. Some just don't. Wear gloves!

 

[9fingers]

Select the wood to have the grain such that there is little or no open fibres along the bent surface.

When New Yankee Norm did it, the wood was split with an axe and planed with care to follow the grain.

Bob

 

[Anonymous]

Get it very hot, and be quick when it comes out, have lots of cramps ready, overbend it quite a bit. Don't use kiln-dried wood if you can help it, and do use a wood which has good steam-bending properties. Some just don't. Wear gloves!

Thanks Jake

I am using beech for the first piece. Any good?

Second will be American Cherry

 

[9fingers]

I think Beech should be OK but cherry grain can be a bit wild or at least the stuff I used for a bath panel was. Not sure what type of cherry it was.

Bob

 

[Slim]

According to John Boddy's website, American cherry has "good wood bending properties"

 

[murrayeast]

several tips off the top of my head!

Make a strap out of thin metal, to go on the outside of the bend. This helps to bend the wood by fixing one end to the jig, and having a handle or lever etc to pull the piece Tight. It also reduces the chances of the wood splintering out, as it is supported. Should be info on this somewhere!

I saw an article a while ago in Fine woodworking about bending the wood in all directions to stretch the fibres in every direction. The piece can then be bent without spring back.

Not sure how good beech is but Ash is good. I have also used AD iroko on boat plankingand Elm and oak often were used in the frames.

Hope that helps

murray

 

[Jake]

Beech is good too, I think - you can check easy enough as it is a property which is always mentioned on technical wossa-wood-like pages and books (under the specific gravity, stability etc and all that stuff).

Oh yeah, Bob's point - straight-grained pieces running as far as possible along the piece - is a very important one, any cross grain or bits that veer off is a potential split (and they can't half make you jump!).

Steaming some spares is worth it if the bend is radical.