Steam bending wood is a woodworking technique used to create curved wooden forms. You'll need a steam box or plastic bag, steam generator, and some wooden forms or molds to bend the wood with. Steam the wood in the   Make sure you have everything ready for bending before you remove the wood from the steam box so you can get started right away. Advertisement. Method 2 of 3. Steam bending is a woodworking technique where wood is exposed to steam to make it pliable. Heat and moisture from steam can soften wood fibres enough so they can be bent and stretched, and when cooled down they will hold their new shape. In modern times, steam bending is usually done with a steam box to make it bend around a former. The moulding process is typically done by clamping wooden strips to a positive form, with the strips of wood often reinforced on the outside with a metal band to prevent. Steam bending wood involves subjecting a piece of lumber to steam for a certain period of time allowing the steam to penetrate the wood. Doing so will result in the heat loosening up the fibers between the grains. This then makes the wood pliable, allowing the woodworker to shape the wood in Build A Steam Box For Bending Wood City a jig.  If you decide to build a box from wood, however, you can simply close one end and add a hinged door to the other for access to the inside if the box. An empty steel drum with a closeable lid for boiling water. (An alternative to boiling water in a steel drum would be using a wallpaper steamer to generate the steam needed for wood bending). Flanged pipe fitting to attach the pipe to the steam generator. Telescope Setting Circles by instgct in Science. Would there be an easier way? Also, it might be tricky to get it to cool to retain a true and straight shape. Head off scratches with a light polish. Every wood species, and even vor workpieces of the same species, can react differently to steam bending.

Attach guide blocks to help direct the pipe into the hole after you refill the kettle. Drill a tight-fitting hole for a meat thermometer near one door. It should remain above degrees throughout the steaming cycle. One end should be higher to ensure that condensation flows to the drain holes. To accommodate the Lee Valley kettle, I propped one end of the box on a block 9 in. Then I attached the legs. Add two-piece doors to the ends.

One piece is a cap; the other is a plug. I used large brass hinges to hang the doors. Add screen door hooks Build A Steam Box For Bending Wood Water to keep the doors shut as you steam away. The kettle must be refilled now and then during the steaming process; two guide blocks help position the pipe when you re-insert it in the hole. Your scheme for straightening the neck via steam and then locking it into a straight shape might work.

And if it does, you would be the world expert and could write an instructable about it. On the other hand, dried wood does not steam bend as well as wet wood or green wood, I assume guitar necks are made from well seasoned wood. Might be easier just to put a new neck on the guitar. Reply 9 years ago on Introduction. Reply 5 years ago on Introduction. I have to replace my oil fired steam furnace this fall.

I was thinking of setting up a valve system allowing me to use it to steam wood all year round. Wouldn't be to hard to do. Auto water feed and such. Might b too much steam. Any thoughts? Temperature of the steam depends on what sort of pressure your heating system is at.

Primitive steam source of the type I've illustrated operates at atmospheric pressure and the steam is somewhere around degrees, hot enough to bend wood but not so hot that you're in danger of getting hurt. As long as you have a way of keeping your heat chamber at atmospheric pressure, you should be alright.

Thanks for the reply, I'm very new here. Sleeping on this concept last night I thought I might be producing to much steam. Or waisting oil.

Any suggestions for a type of hose to run from the back of my house to the shop, about 40'? Distance between steam source and steam box is your enemy.

Unless very elaborately insulated you might end up with hot water at the end of the line, or at least a significant amount of condensate. Reply 4 years ago.

It would need to be steam-pipe just like the stuff that carries steam to the radiators for instance. Iron pipe? And, if it needs to span forty feet, think of several inches of insulation unless you want to fill your steam box with hot water.

Is mahogany good for bending? I am constructing an arched arbor for our wedding and am thinking of using a steam box. My other thought, Build A Steam Box For Bending Wood Key to have less waste, was to have the wood for the arch mimic puzzle pieces. A Home Pressure Cooker comes with a relief valve designed to allow steam to exit before the pressure builds sufficiently to deform or 'blow' the cooker.

Not sure of the advantage - save the locking lid allows for piping all the steam generated provided you can create a steam-tight conduit. By nativewater Follow. More by the author:. About: skin on frame kayak builder since More About nativewater ». Did you make this project? Share it with us! I Made It! Incredible Wooden Spirals by rschoenm in Woodworking. Telescope Setting Circles by instgct in Science. YousufL 1 year ago on Step 3.

Reply Upvote. Mikeybw77 Question 2 years ago. Answer Upvote. FrankM Mikeybw77 Answer 2 years ago. He's steaming the pieces directly in place, and the tighter confines of the bag mean more steam is concentrated closer to the wood, rather than taking up all of the the Build A Steam Box For Bending Wood Quotes dead space in a steam box.

When he's done there's no box to store. And the plastic can be cut to length to accommodate the piece. Here's a clip of Sauzedde steaming a different piece, this one right at a mold:. If you try it, write in and let us know how it works out! This may be a good method for the type of steaming shown, where very thick pieces of wood need to have their lignin activated thickness of wood dictates length of time to saturate heat to depth of wood , but thinner woods would not fair as well due to teh heavy moisture saturation of the wood fibers leading to grain failure.

His system is flawless. I got the sleeves from US plastic. The product is called layflat and comes in 6 mil X roles As Lou did, I simple put the stringer in the bag filled an old oil can with water connected it to the bag with a hose and wire ties, put the can on a propane burner and let nature do her thing.

After an hour of steaming, the stringers were like noodles and bent on to the stations with no problem. I don't believe I could have gotten the on dry. Thanks Lou!! How did you make the bag, just tape it or did you buy one already sealed.

Can you make one with a freezer bad machine, just so long as it is sealed nice to see a vidio on how it is made thanks.

Search online for liner bags compatible with Tommee Tippee Sangenic. The non-branded compatible ones can be bought in , and metre rolls. Try amazon or ebay. Nick Polanksy Artist in Resident at the Autodesk Pier 9 Workshop just posted an instructable on his kerf cutting project.

He built a steam bag system for steaming large and long pieces and it worked perfectly! Thanks for another great post Rain. For those who are wondering the plastic used in the video is 6 mil polyethylene melted together Uline. The photo attached is what Lou referenced in the video and this same steaming method on a much larger scale.

Woodworking Power Tools Uk Id Kreg Machine Drill Bit Dkdb Query Open Hardware Monitor No Fan Speed Weathered Nickel Knobs And Pulls Youtube