A Different Way to Bend with Steam

Though bending on a hot pipe has worked reasonably well for me, there have been some difficulties and frustrations, and so I've entertained thoughts of other methods and techniques. Laminating is something I yet may try, and steam is also a method that has appealed to me for some reason.

I didn't really plan on doing this (this past weekend) but one thing led to another and I seem to have a working prototype. I used materials and things that I already had on hand, but there is no doubt improvements could be made.



What seems to be working best is getting the piece steamed and bent on the device, then moving it to an outside mold and clamping with a caul. The steaming itself doesn't take long, the whole process about 15-20 minutes. Leaving clamped overnight results in some spring back, but just a small and manageable amount.



I've so far bent hickory and walnut. These pieces are .085"/2.15mm thick for a tenor size instrument. In my haste I forgot to trim the width of the hickory, so there was some curling at the edges, but that will be trimmed away.

Though I haven't built anything yet with the steam bent sides, I'm pretty happy with the results and cautiously optimistic. More consistent bends and consistency overall better than what I've yet been able to accomplish on a heated pipe.

I know most folks here can figure out how this works, but here are some photos of the actual bending happening.

Interesting. Just so I understand, goes the steam mainly emit from the holes down the center of the bending form?

Uke-alot said:

Interesting. Just so I understand, goes the steam mainly emit from the holes down the center of the bending form?

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Yes. I drilled the single row of hole to start, thinking I'd add more if it seemed they were needed. But it's looking like that is not the case.

For some reason, none of the photos show up for me.

I can't see them either

resoman said:

I can't see them either

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I wish I knew the answer to this. I've had trouble in the past trying to link to Google photos. This time pics are linking to where they are hosted on Facebook. Seems like some people can see and others can't. Anybody know why?

I can see them... But it is easier to embed them in the post by uploading directly from your computer where they appear as thumbnails rather than using a third party like Google or Facebook. Make sure your posting permissions (at the bottom of the page) allows you to post attachments (images).

sequoia said:

I can see them... But it is easier to embed them in the post by uploading directly from your computer where they appear as thumbnails rather than using a third party like Google or Facebook. Make sure your posting permissions (at the bottom of the page) allows you to post attachments (images).

View attachment 124895

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Yes, I have all the permissions. I was actually trying to bypass uploading directly as I don't care for the smaller pics that result, but was hoping for a foolproof 3rd party hosting method that wouldn't create these problems. I guess I'll try something else next time.

sequoia said:

I can see them... But it is easier to embed them in the post by uploading directly from your computer where they appear as thumbnails rather than using a third party like Google or Facebook. Make sure your posting permissions (at the bottom of the page) allows you to post attachments (images).

View attachment 124895

Click to expand...

Yes, I have all the permissions. I was actually trying to bypass uploading directly as I don't care for the smaller pics that result, but was hoping for a foolproof 3rd party hosting method that wouldn't create these problems. I guess I'll try something else next time.

I bent the second walnut side last night and here is a pic to show the spring back (or lack thereof), with paper template inside.

That is virtually no spring back. Like to see that... How are your perpendiculars? Sides 90 degrees to the deck?

I also started experimenting with steam bending, I built a steam box and a couple clamping jigs, worked really good. To me it was a lot easier than any other method I've tried so far. With the clamping jigs I can bend two sides at a time.

Yes. I just looked again. A very small amount of twist in the waist which only needs slight persuasion to correct.

Sawdust said:

I also started experimenting with steam bending, I built a steam box and a couple clamping jigs, worked really good. To me it was a lot easier than any other method I've tried so far. With the clamping jigs I can bend two sides at a time.

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Yes, when seeing your post I was pretty convinced I'd try it one day.

I also use a similar bending method (sorta) and I always get some racking (twisting) of the wood. Correctable by clamping in a mold prior to gluing on tops and backs. I think this is one of the draw backs of steam bending because as the wood dries out it deforms slightly. The one thing to keep in mind though is that the sides need to be perfectly 90 degrees to the deck all the way around if you are going to put on binding because ultimately any deviation from perpendicular is translated into the depth of your binding ledge(s).

sequoia said:

I also use a similar bending method (sorta) and I always get some racking (twisting) of the wood. Correctable by clamping in a mold prior to gluing on tops and backs. I think this is one of the draw backs of steam bending because as the wood dries out it deforms slightly. The one thing to keep in mind though is that the sides need to be perfectly 90 degrees to the deck all the way around if you are going to put on binding because ultimately any deviation from perpendicular is translated into the depth of your binding ledge(s).

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I eliminated the twisting by making the clamping mold jig the same width as the width of the sides. The thing that I noticed is that the wood gets so hot that once it's in the mold it seems to dry very quickly.

Brett S. said:

I bent the second walnut side last night and here is a pic to show the spring back (or lack thereof), with paper template inside. View attachment 124896

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Are the sides you bent quarter sawn or flat sawn?