I saw a nice table in Wood magazine this month that uses the bending process
for the legs. They say you can use kiln dried lumber soaked in water and
fabric softener for a week then steamed and bent.

On the Lee Valley site they have an article on bending and say that trying
to bend kiln dried lumber will not work even if it is soaked.

I have never done this before. Who is right? I would like to use kiln dried
lumber if possible just because I have it.

Any suggestion appreciated.

Tim

tdup2 wrote:

I saw a nice table in Wood magazine this month that uses the
bending process
for the legs. They say you can use kiln dried lumber soaked in
water and
fabric softener for a week then steamed and bent.
snip

I would not bet the farm on that one.

You usually need green wood, heated in a steamer, to obtain bent shapes.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
tdup2 wrote:

I saw a nice table in Wood magazine this month that uses the bending
process
for the legs. They say you can use kiln dried lumber soaked in water and
fabric softener for a week then steamed and bent.
snip

I would not bet the farm on that one.

You usually need green wood, heated in a steamer, to obtain bent shapes.

Lew
I used to bend oak for boat ribs with a master boatwright, if that is
the correct term. He definitely noted that green wood was best for
bending, but was also aware that green wasn't always available. He would
use dry wood as a last resort, but would not expect as much from it. I
don't ever recall using kiln dried, though.

Harvey

Depends on how thick the pieces are and the species. I bent some kiln
dried canary wood (4"x3/8"x48") after steaming it for about 30 minutes.

eclipsme wrote:

I used to bend oak for boat ribs with a master boatwright, if that is
the correct term.
snip

A few years ago, the L/A maritime museum built a couple of 95 ft
wooden brigs.

Having done this yourself, I'm sure you would have appreciated the oak
laminated ribs on these boats.

Each lamination piece was probably about 3/4" thk, 8" wide, length as
req'd, and glued together with resorcinol.

Forgot how many strips were required for the final rib, but it was a
bunch.

They were fabricated in Wisconsin, then shipped here for final fitting
and installation.

Same outfit also fabricated the replacement ribs for the Constitution
in Boston.

BTW, some of that woodworking machinery must have come out of a museum
some place. It was truly amazing.

Lew

In article .net,
Lew Hodgett wrote:

eclipsme wrote:

I used to bend oak for boat ribs with a master boatwright, if that is
the correct term.
snip

A few years ago, the L/A maritime museum built a couple of 95 ft
wooden brigs.

Having done this yourself, I'm sure you would have appreciated the oak
laminated ribs on these boats.

Each lamination piece was probably about 3/4" thk, 8" wide, length as
req'd, and glued together with resorcinol.

Forgot how many strips were required for the final rib, but it was a
bunch.

They were fabricated in Wisconsin, then shipped here for final fitting
and installation.

Same outfit also fabricated the replacement ribs for the Constitution
in Boston.

BTW, some of that woodworking machinery must have come out of a museum
some place. It was truly amazing.

Lew

The old Peterson Brothers Inc. Shipyard in Stevens Point Wisconsin still
does this kind of work every day. The equipment may look like it came
from a museum, but it is real working equipment. I remember as a
midshipman, going to PBI and seeing them work on one of the new Patrol
Boats for the academy...What a wonderful time.

OBTW if you go, you can get a tour, you just need to call ahead and ask
(or at least you could a couple of years ago). Also the beer from there
called "Point" is one of the early and really good micro brews. Take a
case or two home with you.

Doug Houseman wrote:



The old Peterson Brothers Inc. Shipyard in Stevens Point Wisconsin
still
does this kind of work every day. The equipment may look like it came
from a museum, but it is real working equipment.

Sounds like it might have been the place, can't be too many places in
Wisconsin doing that work.

BTW, my "museum" comment made reference to the equipment here in Los
Angeles, not back there.

Doesn't surprise me though, if the job doesn't change, why would the
tools, IF, you stay competitive?

As an example, the band saw here was fed by putting the piece on
roller conveyor and feeding into the saw. The saw blade was contained
in a circular frame, maybe 36" dia, that rotated around the piece
being cut, if an angular cut was required.

That saw could easily have been close to 100 years old.

I remember as a
midshipman, going to PBI and seeing them work on one of the new Patrol
Boats for the academy...What a wonderful time.

Boat yards are fun places, at least for me, but then again, I've had
fun spending most of my adult life poking around the industrial plants
in this country. After all, they were my customers.

OBTW if you go, you can get a tour, you just need to call ahead and
ask
(or at least you could a couple of years ago). Also the beer from
there
called "Point" is one of the early and really good micro brews. Take a
case or two home with you.

My trips back to the MidWest are rather limited these days, but I
understand.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:

Doesn't surprise me though, if the job doesn't change, why would the
tools, IF, you stay competitive?

Shortage of consumable orphans to grease the works while they're still
running.

I have bend kiln dried lumber after steaming it for an hour per inch. Some
pieces failed, others didn't. However, green lumber is much more successful.
JG


"tdup2" wrote in message
...
I saw a nice table in Wood magazine this month that uses the bending
process for the legs. They say you can use kiln dried lumber soaked in
water and fabric softener for a week then steamed and bent.

On the Lee Valley site they have an article on bending and say that trying
to bend kiln dried lumber will not work even if it is soaked.

I have never done this before. Who is right? I would like to use kiln
dried lumber if possible just because I have it.

Any suggestion appreciated.

Tim

Lew Hodgett wrote:
eclipsme wrote:

I used to bend oak for boat ribs with a master boatwright, if that is
the correct term.
snip

A few years ago, the L/A maritime museum built a couple of 95 ft wooden
brigs.

Having done this yourself, I'm sure you would have appreciated the oak
laminated ribs on these boats.

Each lamination piece was probably about 3/4" thk, 8" wide, length as
req'd, and glued together with resorcinol.

Forgot how many strips were required for the final rib, but it was a bunch.

They were fabricated in Wisconsin, then shipped here for final fitting
and installation.

Same outfit also fabricated the replacement ribs for the Constitution in
Boston.

BTW, some of that woodworking machinery must have come out of a museum
some place. It was truly amazing.

Lew
A little beyond what we were doing!

Harvey