Bending pine wood

[Shane]

I need to bend a piece of pine to a half cirkel with a diameter of about 3 feet.
What is the best way to do it


/Shane

[GPW]

Steam it !!! If it's Thick , slice it into thinner sections , bend and laminate it back together... thin wood bends much easier than thick wood ... twice as thick is eight times as strong ...

[NathanL]

Steam it or depending on how big it is make a temporary steam box.

[Shane]

should I leave soaked in water first? Or can I just steam it

[tk]

No need to soak; just steam. Actually the heat is what plasticizes the wood. Steam is a convenient way to heat the wood through and through without charring or burning.

Best,
Tom

[Ageless]

My first ?would be; how thick is this board? There are methods that make bending easier. You can saw grooves into the length of the board, then steam it. Bends much easier.

[Senior Ninja]

We had to bend some quarter inch thick trim pieces.
I sprung them in the shower into the shape I wanted and just had enough water running to keep them wet. It didn't take long doe them to relax and attain the shape we wanted. Wasn't even hot water.
Bending the plywood however required a bath towel spread over the area to be bent and pouring a tea kettle full of boiling water slowly over it. The plywood was weighted to bend.
Steve