Thread: How would you make this curved section?

I'd cut the upright bit steam the Jarrah and clamp and bend over it as you'll have the basic shape your after. The two end bits would be cut to match the two flat bits.

I think the bit lower down is going to be fun too double bump

Alternatively you could make it up from thinner laminations glued and clamped on a mould. Soften the strips first with hot water.

Cheers,

My first choice would be to laminate & bend as Andy suggests. When you glue them together, use epoxy tinted to match the timber, probably a mix of burnt umber and a tiny bit of venetian red. Alternatively, bandsaw the shape from a solid piece. There'll be a bit of waste that you may be able to use on other projects.

hey guys, All good ideas. pretty much what I came up with.

steaming - don't have anything set up to be able to steam pieces that size, and trying to calc how far to bend allowing for spring-back etc is not easy.

laminating - didn't really want glue lines, but Alex's suggestions should cover that.

cut from solid piece - trying to avoid that waste, but may be the only other alternative.

any other ideas?

I can only think of one other way possible...

Buy the Bed already made !!!

Works a treat every time !!!

Good luck with the project Ian
I'm sure your green beast will be handy in this project

Nice looking bed. I'd go the bandsaw and save all the offcuts for other projects.

Steam bending would be the preferred choice I think, providing of course that the facilities were available!

This reminded me of an article in Australian Woodsmith about making curved bedheads. I've dug out the article (Issue 33 April/May 2004!) and the way they did it was to make it as a 3 plank lamination with the outer two planks having a moulded edge, then cut off the excess timber to make the top of the rail but leaving the moulding in place

I doubt very much that this explanation is particularly clear but if you PM me I'll scan the two page article and E-mail it to you. Once you see the drawing it becomes chrystal clear.

I won't put the article on this thread as I'm unsure of the legality. I don't want the forum to run foul of copyright, neither do I want the attention of the moderators and their red-hot pokers

I'd find a tree that shape.
Laminations or machine it from one piece of wood would be my choice, more controllable I think. With steam bending, the two sharp bends would worry me breaking out on the back. You'd need a bending strap for them, but how to do it with the recurve shape? Do them first with a strap then the gentle bend last I suppose but hard to get the dimensions exactly right.

Cheers
Michael

After you have bandsawn the top rail out of the blank , you could use the rail and the offcut to steam bend and then glue the capping using this style of clamping .

Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

After you have bandsawn the top rail out of the blank , you could use the rail and the offcut to steam bend and then glue the capping using this style of clamping .

That's well for a piece that thin but there's no way to control the tension on the back of those tight bends and thicker timber of the bed piece. You need a bending strap I reckon, to force the inside of the bends into more compression.

Cheers
Michael

Originally Posted by mic-d

That's well for a piece that thin but there's no way to control the tension on the back of those tight bends and thicker timber of the bed piece. You need a bending strap I reckon, to force the inside of the bends into more compression.

Cheers
Michael

What thicker timber ?
2-3 mm is not thick , and when well steamed can be bent by hand .
The clamp is only there to save getting cramp from holding it until dry

When all the strips have been bent and dried , glue and clamp the lot .

Originally Posted by Manuka Jock

What thicker timber ?
2-3 mm is not thick , and when well steamed can be bent by hand .
The clamp is only there to save getting cramp from holding it until dry

The thicker timber I'm referring to is that piece in the bed image. It looks more like 15-20mm than 2-3mm. If you try to steam a sharp bend like that without a bending strap you risk the back of the bend failing from tension.
The object in that last image of yours looks like a lamination glue up, not a steam bend to me.

Cheers
Michael

I know its a bit much $400 for a jig to do it, but the Frontline bandsaw jig would make a perfect match in less than 10 minutes (thats all three curves)

Think how many hours you will waste making formers, or laminating etc, then see if that money can go towards the frontline. Plus you will then have the best ever bandsaw jig for future work.

[Edit, i see you have plans to make a few, if thats the case then the jig is a must. Once you have your routed template (takes 15 minutes) then you can cut perfect copies of all the curves over and over in minutes and all requiring minimal clean up]