steam bending timber

[jay00]

Dear all,

Firstly, i would like to say hello as this is the first time i have used the forum.

i'm interested in steam bending some timber for a peice of furniture that i have designed and am keen to know where i can source the correct timber for the job. i'm based in brisbane, so ideally it needs to be close.

I've try kiln dried stuff, but its just too brittle. i understand green or air dried is the best as the moisture content need to be around the 20 / 30 % for the best results.

i hope someone can help and any advice on steam bening would be very much welcomed

thanks jason

[ian]

Jason welcome

can you post a picture (including dimensions) of the shape you want to bend?

the range of suitable timbers and the method(s) will depend somewhat on what your design

[jay00]

Hi lan,
I want to make a cloths rail, but I want the ends to me made up of soft 's' shaped forms.

Total height, I'm thinking around 1600mm and the extend of the's' is around 350mm

So its a pretty subtle form. I would ideally like to use 40mmsq or similar. Not sure if this possible with these dimensions.

I've bought timber from oak from bunnings and its just not working out. It just goes brittle and cracks. What do you recommend?

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Thanks Jason

[_fly_]

I remember seeing a wheel wright years ago and always remember him saying 1 hour per inch at 100 degrees C before you can bend it.
But that wasn't steam bending.
He was heating it in an autoclave before taking out and bending what I guess was 1 inch thick.

[Ross]

Jason

Oak is a good for bending, but any timber used for bending needs to be quarter sawn. The chance of getting quarter sawn timber from Bunnings is nil, try Mal at Boutique Timbers (http://www.boutiquetimbers.com/) and if you can wait he is at all the Wood Shows

The thickness of the timber you want to bend will take 6+ hours of steaming.

Don,t use the steam box in the shed you will end up with rust forming on everything metal.

What size is your steam box and what are using for bending formes?

Ross

[hybridfiat]

Yes the timber should be green or at best air dried. If you try with kiln dried it wont bend. The moisture level isnt an issue it is the crystaline structure within the timber that is set permanently with the heat applied during kiln drying.