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Thread: Bending Timber

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    Default Bending Timber

    A couple of years ago I experimented with bending timber and decided to make a floor lamp.



    It turned out OK, but not great. It was also a bit stressfully and finecky to laminate due to the open time of the glue

    I made an mdf jig, 5mm strips and from memory I soaked the timber for a short period.



    I have read a number of different techniques but nothing quite what I dreamt up last night.

    Tonight I cut a number of 5mm strips of timber and then created the desired bends using bench dogs on my recently created mft table. I put glue on all strips at the same time, pressed them altogether and then bent them against the dogs. It was simple, quick, clean and low stress. I will leave dry overnight and see how things turn out tomorrow.



    While I am hopeful I would be surprised if it works.

    I am keen to hear from others on their thoughts of this technique.

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    Looks good - you may end up with little flat spots in between pressure points of dogs.
    Type of glue will govern springback - if you use a pva or even crosslinking pva it will straighten a bit.
    Use an epoxy and you should get very little spring back - the bonus being heaps of working time - just use a plastic sheet to lay up on
    Some timbers bend better than others, Euro beech you can just about tie in a pretzel.

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    Quote Originally Posted by champs View Post
    Euro beech you can just about tie in a pretzel.
    Amen to that! Huon Pine's also a good bending timber.

    I'll be interested to see if Damienol's process results in a lamination free of twist. One downside is the number of clamps needed. And here's me thinking I had a lot!

    mick

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    Have a look at Darren Oates instagram page. He has a few videos up.

    cheers....Roy

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    It actually worked out quite well. Negligible spring back too.



    With the prototype complete I think it is time to make an actual light out of American Oak.

    I will use some cauls this time to protect the timber and reduce the number of clamps I need

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    I made a set of dining chairs. The back rails needed to be curved. The first chair, an experiment for class, the back rails were cut curved on the band saw from laminated timber. The back rails in the finished product looked like they were end grain joined together.

    I then progressed to a set of six. The back rails in these six were steamed and laminated together. These rails were made from six pieces of 1/8" steamed and bent pieces. I laminated the top and bottom rails in one operation for grain continuity. As for the aesthetics, these look better than the first experiment.

    However . . . . .

    The woodworking was absolute hell. Cutting the top and bottom rails apart was dicey. Running a curved piece through the table saw, one has to be extra careful. On the first experimental chair, cutting the tenon was easy as the cuts were made while the wood was square and before band saw operations. Cutting the rails to exact length was difficult. Cutting the tenons on the curved pieces required jigs galore.

    If I had to do the whole thing over again, I would just buy the 12/4 thick timber (3 inches or 76mm) and let a neighbor burn the waste in her fireplace.


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    Default Bending Timber

    I understand that I use a lot thinner timber, maximum of 2.2mm and minimum of .75mm but as long as the timber is held and left to cool and dry out, it should hold its shape pretty well on its own even without laminating.


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    I don't reckon you'll have too much trouble. How many strips are you using?
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    Quote Originally Posted by AlexS View Post
    I don't reckon you'll have too much trouble. How many strips are you using?
    Probably 5 and then route a cable channel down the middle and then cover with another 2

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    This time with some hardwood and cauls and target state bend




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    You can't have toooo many clamps

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    Quote Originally Posted by royflatmate View Post
    Have a look at Darren Oates instagram page. He has a few videos up.

    cheers....Roy
    Checked out some of Darren’s videos and stumbled across one where he used a drum sander to finish a similar shape to what I am making.

    Fantastic. It transformed what I had managed to achieve on the table saw to something that has far exceeded my expectations


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    Quote Originally Posted by Glider View Post
    Amen to that! Huon Pine's also a good bending timber.

    I'll be interested to see if Damienol's process results in a lamination free of twist. One downside is the number of clamps needed. And here's me thinking I had a lot!

    mick
    With the longer length the second time round I did notice a bit of twist. I countered this out by periodically using some thicker cauls tightly clamped and sitting flush with the bench

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    Quote Originally Posted by Damienol View Post
    With the longer length the second time round I did notice a bit of twist. I countered this out by periodically using some thicker cauls tightly clamped and sitting flush with the bench
    The twist is caused by the "unsupported" weight of the clamps & gravity. If you alternate the clamps i.e. one left, one right, it won't be as problematic.

    Back in the early 1970's we made solid frames (white beech) to repair classic carvel & clinker hulls (Naval Cadets - 16' traditional sailing skiff & 27' "Whaler") and new laminated frames for 16' racing sailing skiffs with diagonal veneer hulls that we built from scratch.

    We mostly used steamed 2 to 3 mm strips QLD (Northern) Silver Ash and Red Cedar for the racing skiff frames over a framed / built up caul. For practicality the cauls for the larger frames were used/ held / stored vertical with clamping "under and over," cauls for smaller frames were horizontal with alternating clamps. We also made support blocks to go under the handle of the cramps to prevent the twisting on the horizontal cauls.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mobyturns View Post
    The twist is caused by the "unsupported" weight of the clamps & gravity. If you alternate the clamps i.e. one left, one right, it won't be as problematic.
    Hi Mobyturns,

    The twist was evident before any clamps were added. I suspect it is as a result of the dogs only being 20mm high and the timber 45mm.

    I will have a go at alternating the clamps anyway and see if this produces an even better result.

    Cheers
    damien

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