Thread: Glue Lam or Steam Bent? - View these pics and suggest cheapest, most effective method

Sounds like a commercial operation and as such, I would pay the price of $225 and have some peace of mind in case anything goes awry.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Ive been dreaming of a similar trailer for our property. Not necessarily the Gothic look . I was dreaming of that for the hothouse.
Have a look at this .

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...&iact=c&ictx=1

and this

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/496...61037/?lp=true

I wonder how much stronger doing this with either a steel strap on the outside or all steel would be ?

Rob

I think that you are either stuck with the price quoted, or jig up to laminate them yourself. I don't think that steam bending would be an option.

Regards
Keith

I would have thought laminated curved timber and paying for it to be made would cost a lot more than $225 ea . Is that what you were looking at, or was it laminated straight stuff that was then cut to a curve ?

Rob

If you could find someone who can roll steel tubing into the shape required, that may be an option.

Regards
Keith

Originally Posted by cubbykids

I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion of the best, fastest and cheapest method of achieving this look curved cabin look.

Pay people who know what they're doing. If there are ready-made products/components, buy them; whatever you save in materials by trying to DIY will be quickly lost in all the extra time you'll spend

A friend and Community College instructor once advised when building cabinets:
If the cabinet has angles double the price.
If the cabinet has curves at least quadruple the price.

Having done lamination and steam bending combined, I tend to think that the price of curves should be increased to ten fold.

My suggestion would be to build the, for lack of better words, "cabins" as normal square rectangular buildings and then add the facia as desired. Build the facia as a rectangle with an upper level that has the curve that you desire. The facia and by extension the roof will have the desires aesthetics that you desire. Go to your supplier and ask for (Forgive me for corrupting your metric world with Imperial.) eight foot two by fours bent over 6 or 7 feet to the curve needed. The remaining unbent straight would be structurally attached to the rectangular building.

With all of the 2x4 bent to the same curvature it would be easy (Glue and screws) with horizontal stabilizing 2x4 to prevent the roof from straightening out.

May the Metric Gods forgive me for introducing Imperial measurements into this discussion.

Not sure what architectural finish you are looking for, or if the beams are to be part of say a rustic character of the cabins.

Try a bit of lateral thinking with composite panels as used in RV & Caravan construction Caravan Walls, Floors, Panels and Other Plywood and Composite Materials | Worthington Caravan and RV

or the composite panel systems used in modern architecture - https://www.kingspan.com/au/en-au/pr...oofing-systems

It can be done using 2 batons and a few spacer blocks per side of the bow by creating a jig for a half bow, clamping a baton to that so the baton takes the inside curve, adding spacer blocks to the outside of the inner baton, then bending and fastening the outer baton around the outside of the spacers. Ply doublers are added then added at the ends and 2 half bows are joined at the peak to make a complete frame by sandwiching the half frames with a pair of pair of plywood plates. There are some examples being built on Youtube, search for arched shed, there is a five episode one built this way and a 12 episode one that I haven't watched yet but seems similar.