LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Steam box - Build or Buy?

4K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  shipwright 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I want to start attempting Windsor chairs but a necessary tool that I need is a steam box. I have been looking around at people's home made steam boxes and at ones that I can buy. It seems that to get it right it is expensive to build. The one that I am looking to buy is Mike Dunbar's on thewindorinstitue.com website (not a student so have to pay higher price). If I opt for the entire package its $375 but removing the saw buck and the burner it takes it down to $255, which isn't to bad. So the question I am asking myself is, is it worth to spend the money and know its build correct or attempt it on my own and possibly get it wrong. What have others done and/or suggest.

I know that is hard to discuss since everyone is in different financial positions but I am looking at this from the perspoective of getting it right and have it work flawless.
 
#2 ·
When it gets down to something that is really safety related, (like what isn't in woodworking) I buy it.

I have some pics of one I downloaded off the web. It's not my project, not my pics, so I won't post them here.
I will email if you want. This guy used pvc pipe and a wallpaper steamer. It looked fairly simple.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
i made one out of PVC pipe. Works really well actually. I made sure it was set up on a slight angle, and a hole towards one end on the bottom to let out the hot water (and pressure) that forms inside. If the hot water has a way of escaping and some of the pressure can be relieved, steam boxes are pretty safe. Just have to make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves, and keep your face back when opening up the door so the steam doesnt hit you and burn you! there are TONS of designs online. I would say building one is the best option. i built my PVC one for like $15. Granted it doesnt hold many pieces at a time (but i didnt need that). I would imagine you could build one that is custom built to your needs for WAY less than $255.
 
#8 ·
I have a steam box made from ABS pipe and fittings and it works well and is cheap. Just select the diameter of pipe you need to accommodate the projects you intend to undertake. The Lee Valley (Veritas) directions will provide all else you need.
 
#9 ·
When I had my shipyard, I used an industrial steam cleaner with the water pump disconnected and a few other mods. It fed a box that was about 25' long and made out of an old piece of about 18" diameter wooden pipe. It would steam two inch planks in about 30 minutes. When I needed a portable unit later I built this one for free.
Gas Wood Cylinder Metal Cauldron

It is infinitely adjustable for steam quality and easy to use. I used it to feed a box about 14' long and 12" square. It took about 45min to steam 1" oak or 1 1/2" softwood. It's made out of two discarded 20# propane bottles and part of a scrap oil fired hot water tank. The heat was supplied by a tiger torch under the cowling (HWT half)
It makes beautiful steam.
Please excuse the condition, I haven't used it in about 15 years. If you are interested, I can describe how it works, if not I won't take up the space here.
 

Attachments

#11 ·
It might be worth adding that the steambox issue is only half of the problem, the other half being how you gotta find straight-grained logs and split them, following the splits the way the log wants to split, and carefully hewing your own raw pieces to steam-bend. You can't just use dressed lumber for this, and expect good results.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
I looked at the links. I guess I'm in the wrong ballpark. Those tea kettle arrangements will take a long time but I guess on small pieces they will work. Pressurized steam ie: 225deg.F is faster and penetrates better, but again I guess on small pieces it isn't required.. I will pass on my steam bending do's though. In case it doesn't come up elsewhere… 1) bend on the flat grain, that is on the inside and outside of the curve. 2) take a little chamfer off the corners to prevent running splinters that can ruin the whole piece. 3) Good grain is important but it needn't be perfectly straight. 4) Can't be "kill" dried.
I'm glad this came up . I think I may put the old steamer to use on my next piece.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top