Wood bending help PPPPLllllleeeeaaaaassssseeeeee.

[Miriam C.]

Don't you have a friend that has a tablesaw? Maybe they can cut it for you or let you cut the boards. Just an idea.

Aurthor, without being too dramatic here, I can't imagine borrowing someone's power anything. It just has been a long year. James, the guy who sold me the stuff will put it through the planer again if necessary. I just hate to waist wood like that. I have a piece in boiling water and it isn't falling apart but it isn't like rubber either.

[Steve_Cox]

Auntie,

I think you are almost to the bending point. If you can plane them down to a little less than .200 I do think they will bend to the radii you require.

[Miriam C.]

Auntie,

I think you are almost to the bending point. If you can plane them down to a little less than .200 I do think they will bend to the radii you require.

Well it has been 5 hours and boiling water will only get me a slight bend so I think I will waste the wood and plane them down. Maybe to .187

[doug hodder]

Miriam...here's an idea....if you have a bench planer, just keep planing down about a 3' stick of material cut the width you want and every pass on the planer, check how it bends..when it gets where you want it that's how thick you are going to need to go...is the grain really straight on the edge? If it's not, you could potentially have problems with it blowing apart once it's on and bent up...sorry, just my opinion, typically straight grained woods bend much better than something with any figureing or other "wild grain"...other opinions may vary...Doug

[Steve_Cox]

Auntie,

I think you are almost to the bending point. If you can plane them down to a little less than .200 I do think they will bend to the radii you require.

Well it has been 5 hours and boiling water will only get me a slight bend so I think I will waste the wood and plane them down. Maybe to .187

.187.....perfect.........

[Miriam C.]

Miriam...here's an idea....if you have a bench planer, just keep planing down about a 3' stick of material cut the width you want and every pass on the planer, check how it bends..when it gets where you want it that's how thick you are going to need to go...is the grain really straight on the edge? If it's not, you could potentially have problems with it blowing apart once it's on and bent up...sorry, just my opinion, typically straight grained woods bend much better than something with any figureing or other "wild grain"...other opinions may vary...Doug

Doug, most of the stuff I got to do the top trim was fairly straight grained and has very little spalting. I have a strip that is thiner and it bends like crazy. Easier to bend where the patterning curves.

At this point the only thing I know to do is plane it (wood shop has a big planer) and make it thin until I can get back and make it thicker. Probably doesn't even need to be thicker. Just thought about rounding the top edge.

[Juneaudave]

How hot is it when you are trying to bend it? I use a homemade steam bender made out of a teapot, a Coleman stove, and a piece of junk rain gutter with a rag stuffed in it. Even with kiln dried (not preferable) it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness and then it should be ready. You then need to get it out of the steamer and bend in place within about 15 seconds before it cools. It's pretty critical that everything is ready and it doesn't cool.



If that piece has been soakng in hot water for a while, you might gently try to fix one end and work it around sloooooowly with a hot air gun. Often you can bend dry wood with a gun, but you need to be careful to not burn the wood. Gotta be careful to work slowly and back off if it seems like it may crack...a tricky deal...Juneadave

[Miriam C.]

Thanks Dave, and everyone else too.

I will make a steamer tomorrow. The water I put in was boiling but a small piece and sitting under the airconditioner. It did bend some just not what I will need. I will work some more with it before I give up. Maybe just thin the end that will go around the worst curve. I suppose I need to remember to wear gloves.

Now if I can find the tea pot.

[Podunkfla]

Miriam... Here's another way I have used with great success. I got it from the "Guru of Heat Bending", Rob Macks at Laughing Loon Kayaks:



http://www.laughingloon.com/shop.tips.html

It is very fast and really quite amazing... I had been steaming wood to bend it for years until someone told me about this. Evedently, some luthiers have been doing this for years too?

[Miriam C.]

Thats a good site Brick. Thanks I'm pretty sure I don't have a heat gun.

[Podunkfla]

:applause: Thats a good site Brick. Thanks I'm pretty sure I don't have a heat gun.

They don't cost much... Most any big-box store will have them for $20 - $30. range. You don't need one that gets really hot, like to strip paint with... although that's what I use. It's neat to see the wood literally bend as you apply the heat! The idea is to heat it quite well... but not so much you scorch it. The wood becomes quite limber. If you clamp it to a form while hot, it will stay that way as it cools. It's one of the neatest woodworking tricks I've learned in years. Like they say... "you're never too old to learn some new tricks!"

[bledsoe3]

How about a clothes iron?

[Miriam C.]

How about a clothes iron?

Ummmm my iron cost 3 times what a heat gun would cost.

[bledsoe3]

But you already have it.

[Podunkfla]

How about a clothes iron?

It doesn't get anywhere near hot enough... You prolly need 500 - 600 degrees for this to work right!

Here's a better explanation of the process: http://michneboat.com/Making%20Stems.htm