bending wood

Well the wood if only 18” long wouldn’t bend. But I think you meant it would be about 60” long and make a loop with a 18” diameter.

To me that’s not a lot of wood to waste. I’d try resawing and give it a bend. One plank should give you about 6 slices. That diam is almost the size that is used on Shaker boxes and they bent them in Hot Water. But you’d need a 60” long hot water tank and a couple of hot plates to get it hot and keep it hot. Or steam.

The shaker boxes are being bent around a 6” radius circle. or so. But usually thinner wood. But it is thicker in larger boxes.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

You might try soaking it in water and putting it in the microwave.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

My limited bending has taught me a few things:

It is the heat that helps you bend wood. It loosens the fibers in the wood and makes them more pliable. When it cools, they will become not so pliable again and thus remain bent. Steam is an easy way to apply high heat that will penetrate the wood, but any heat will do it. Air dried wood will steam bend a lot easier than kiln dried wood, oak better than cherry, etc.

But it will be hard to apply heat to a 60 inch board, so if I had to do it, I would use a glue-up of resawed planks. By gluing the plies together, they will remain bent when the glue dries. If you just bend a single board, without steam or ply glue-up, it will constantly try to spring back to straight and put a lot of tension on the joint.

Steve

-- -- I'm no rocket surgeon

doyoulikegumwood, hey check out some boat building books . I subscribe to Wooden Boat. There are often articles on a few different ways I’ve seen to bend wood … If you go chemical, just wear that resporator… cough…cough…... patrick, woodnut.

-- PJM.`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> ""BY HAMMER AND HAND ALL ARTS DO STAND""1785-1974 nyc Semper Fi, Patrick M

thanks guys this is helpfull my plan is to use plys i just wasnt sure if the steam or boiling was totaly nessasary

-- I buy tools so i can make more money,so ican buy more tools so I can work more, to make more money, so I can buy more tool, so I can work more