Thread: Advice on bending red oak

as with any bending of timber you'll need to steam it. For something that small you could rig up a kettle into a bit of plastic pipe. Steam it for quite a while. And end it too far as it'll spring back

Hot water or steam = the same thing. What you are doing is using very hot water to transfer heat energy to the bound water in the nonfibrous part of the wood fibers/cells. This stuff, when hot enough,goes soft, plastic. The process takes time. Try 2 hours, a little above 100C, say 125C. Just wait. Patience really is a virtue here.

Next, you need to be ready, in advance, with some sort of a jig, to allow the wood to cool and set up "in service" overnight. You want to see 10 degrees over the arc? make the jig for 20.

As a kid, I helped my Dad lay in 6m oak boat keels. 6 hrs in the steam pipe and that stuff was like rubber. Had to be laid hot and it cooled on the hulls overnight. I confess that my duty was to make certain that the boiler never ran dry (and it never did on my watch).

Harry & Robson.

Rule of thumb is a minimum of one hour in the steamer per inch of thickness. The wood goes quite "plasticky", but it sets quickly after it comes out of the steamer - you only have about 60 seconds of work time ! Also it is hot - you need very thick gloves, such as welding gloves. I always rehearse before it goes in the steamer; no time to think when your holding a steaming stick !

While springback is an issue, Robson might be overdoing it at 20* - perhaps 12-15* would be about right.




Fair Winds

Graeme