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Advice on steam bending (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/woodworking@lemmy.ca
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Hi everyone,

I need to bend some oak for a project. I've done it before but it was a long time ago...

Two questions :

  1. my plan is to bend a 40x70 mm (1,5" x 2,75") section of oak to a 500mm (20") internal radius, is that realistic?

  2. do I have to steam the whole piece or can I build a smaller steam box to only accept the end that needs to be bent?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Edit: added measurements in inches for universal convenience

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[–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Oak doesn't like to bend. It can be done, but maple would be a better choice if that would work for you. You only need to steam the section that needs to bend - luthiers often bend around an a "hot pipe" instead of making a steam box, look at what they do for inspiration of a different way.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 5 months ago

    Right! Now that you mention it I remember seeing that in videos before (bending around hot pipe).
    Thanks that means I can build a much smaller steam box, very good news.

    Unfortunately the choice of wood is settled.

    I'm thinking of maybe splitting the thickness into 2 or 3 layers if it doesn't want to bend as is. Then steam bend them and once they've cooled down and settled, glue those layers together. I'd rather not have glue involved though, as I will later stain it and don't want to see glue lines.

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