I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx
mm47

In article .com, mm47 wrote:
I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx

Can't help you with the exotics, but among native North American hardwoods,
the classic easy benders are ash and oak.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

mm47 wrote:
I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx
mm47



Not an exotic, but ash is fantastic to steam bend.

On 21 May 2007 09:29:38 -0700, mm47 wrote:

what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?

American ash isn't _too_ bad to steam bend, but it's hardly that good...

...compared to European ash, F. exclesior that is. Now that's the
perfect steam bending wood, so long as you use it green and split, not
sawn.


OK, so you've got us beaten on the maples (and hickory, and osage
orange)

On May 21, 1:07 pm, B A R R Y wrote:
mm47 wrote:
I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx
mm47

Not an exotic, but ash is fantastic to steam bend.

One woodworking shop near here uses a 4 ft long 1-1/2" plastic drain
pipe capped on one end. They then slide in a moulding, or strips and
then they fill it with Downey fabric softener. After a couple of days
of soaking, you can practically tie knots in the strips. Supposedly,
the dipalmitoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate does the trick by
lubricating the fibers so they won't tear when being bent. I have this
from 2 sources, but I have not tried it myself.
After it is bent and attached in place (fire-place mantles), it is
rinsed with a wet sponge and then, supposedly takes regular stains and
finishes.

If you're waiting for a punch-line or some sort of pun...sorry.

"mm47" ...
I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx
mm47


Red oak works well. As Andy pointed out, riving or splitting the stock
instead of using sawn wood helps a lot in terms or grain run out.

Since we're talking steam bending again...
my girlfriend and partner just got mail order plans for a cottage she plans
to have me build. The terribly cute entry plans call out a 16 foot cedar
4x6 - steam bent to around a 20 foot radius. I wonder how cedar bends.

The capricious pen of the architect.

On May 22, 6:53am, "Dean H." wrote:

. I wonder how cedar bends.

Canoe guys like the stuff. You could laminate it in reasonably thick
strips.


The capricious pen of the architect.

The good ol' "bet you can't build that" syndrome.

when ash is metioned, it seems to always be generalized, not ever
speaking of the various ash options. my thoughts go to black ash
fraxinus negra, which grows mostly in the upper midwest, northen area of
the U.S. for those that have never seen black ash it's on my website
www.highislandexport.com
also sawn wood can be bent provided care is used in the sawing process,
log must be shimmed to follow the gain, i have sawn everything from
barrel staves, oak boat ribs
to maple banjo hoops.

On May 21, 8:31 pm, Robatoy wrote:
On May 21, 1:07 pm, B A R R Y wrote:

mm47 wrote:
I will be dusting off and using my old copper steam wood bender this
summer. I know cherry, maple and walnut lend themselves well to steam
bending, BUT what other woods, including EXOTICS steam bend well too?
tnx
mm47

Not an exotic, but ash is fantastic to steam bend.

One woodworking shop near here uses a 4 ft long 1-1/2" plastic drain
pipe capped on one end. They then slide in a moulding, or strips and
then they fill it with Downey fabric softener. After a couple of days
of soaking, you can practically tie knots in the strips. Supposedly,
the dipalmitoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate does the trick by
lubricating the fibers so they won't tear when being bent. I have this
from 2 sources, but I have not tried it myself.
After it is bent and attached in place (fire-place mantles), it is
rinsed with a wet sponge and then, supposedly takes regular stains and
finishes.

If you're waiting for a punch-line or some sort of pun...sorry.

Wife and I have used the Downy process very successfully on several
occasions. We use black DWV also. To speed things along, we pour in
boiling water, after the wood and 3 capfuls of Downy, then let it set
in the Arizona sun for 2-3 hours. It's very pliable.1/2"X2" is the
largest we've tried and it's all been qrtr sawn white Oak. Longer
soaking would be neccesary, of course, for thicker stock.
Gene

In article .com,
DZIN wrote:


Wife and I have used the Downy process very successfully on several
occasions. We use black DWV also. To speed things along, we pour in
boiling water, after the wood and 3 capfuls of Downy, then let it set
in the Arizona sun for 2-3 hours. It's very pliable.1/2"X2" is the
largest we've tried and it's all been qrtr sawn white Oak. Longer
soaking would be neccesary, of course, for thicker stock.
Gene

Great! Sometimes my friends try to trick me, but it is good to hear it
works. I am also told that only Downey seems to work, that other
softeners don't. Any input on that?
Also, what do you do after you bend it? Rinse with plain water? Or isn't
there enough Downey to matter?

TIA

r

On May 22, 6:53 am, "Dean H." wrote:

. I wonder how cedar bends.

Canoe guys like the stuff. You could laminate it in reasonably thick
strips.


The capricious pen of the architect.

The good ol' "bet you can't build that" syndrome.

Never tried it but a couple of cabinet makers and a carpenter all told me
the same thing.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
ups.com...
One woodworking shop near here uses a 4 ft long 1-1/2" plastic drain
pipe capped on one end. They then slide in a moulding, or strips and
then they fill it with Downey fabric softener. After a couple of days
of soaking, you can practically tie knots in the strips. Supposedly,
the dipalmitoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate does the trick by
lubricating the fibers so they won't tear when being bent. I have this
from 2 sources, but I have not tried it myself.
After it is bent and attached in place (fire-place mantles), it is
rinsed with a wet sponge and then, supposedly takes regular stains and
finishes.

If you're waiting for a punch-line or some sort of pun...sorry.