Thread: Help needed on laminating

Hi Arron, some quick answers..slightly alchohol affected but should be OK...
1. No
2. Should be OK, I've bent & laminated meranti veneers, 3.5 should be OK if the curve isn't too tight
3. My preference would be epoxy, eg Techniglue. There is also an AVSyntec X-link that I can't remember the number of & am too lazy to look up.
4. Make the form & the laminated piece longer than it needs to be. The theoretical spring back is the depth times 1/n squared, where n is the number of laminations. (note to self...check when sober)
5. Never worked with oak, but I believe it bends well...may be wrong. Steaming helps to bend most woods...do a search on this.

Originally Posted by Arron

The finished size is a curve 270mm deep and 1000mm long. I know I need to make it tighter to allow for some spring-back. Does making the form 950mm long anticipating spingback of 50mm to 1000mm sound about right. Most of the curve is fairly gentle but the last 100mm is much shaper. Oak is a fairly springy but brittle timber and I am not confident that it will bend across the last bit without risk of rupture. Is there anything traditionally done to make it a bit more flexible.

Arron,

I suggest you use either Techniglue or urea-formaldehyde glue, and that you use a rubber roller to spread it on the laminations. Do not use any sort of PVA, because that is liable to creep. I dont think you will have much springback; it is far less of a problem with glued laminations than with steaming. I would not recommend steaming first either. You can easily test whether the laminations are going to rupture by pressing one of them dry against your convex former with finger pressure; if it doesn't break, go for it. Remember to line the faces of the former with shiny brown packaging tape. With laminations only 3.5 mm thick, I don't think you should have any problems.

Rocker

Thanks for the response guys.
The project is going well.

Arron