On Tue, 7 Aug 2007 22:55:14 -0500, samson wrote:

Hey Friends,

I am bending 1/8th strips of shag bark hickory to make
Native American ball sticks. For some reason, the wood
I harvested is cracking during the bend unlike any other
hickory I've used in the past.

Questions for you pro wood benders:

1) I harvested the wood a little late in the year (May).
Would this really make that much difference in bending?
no


2) Can the place where I harvested hickory make a big
difference? I got the wood 75 miles north of me in a state
park (with permission).
no


3) I've been trying to steam bend the wood. I built a steam
box using 4" PVC and a steam kettle. It seems to work ok. Using
the 1 inch per hour formula, I tried steaming for 10 minutes,
no luck. 20 minutes, no luck. 30 minutes, some luck. At what
point am I oversteaming the 1/8th inch strips to make them weak?
Should I go ahead steam even longer to make hopefully more
successful bends?
15 to 20 minutes is about right, probably 20 minutes is better. You
need a full uninterrupted steam source during that time. Work
quickly--You have (only!) 20 seconds to bend the wood and get it into
the form after removing it from the steam box. Using thick leather
gloves, bend the wood gently. Steaming a piece twice doesn't work
well. You can remove the wood from the form after it cools. Expect
8% springback.


Thanks much for any help.

S.