I need to bend two sides of a cabinet. The sides will be constructed of
Maple, (probably pine the first time). The two edges will contain a groove
in which the side panels will fit. The two edge pieces will be 5/4 material.
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to build a temporary steaming cabinet
to fit a 59"X24" piece?
If you have a March 2004 catalog of Lee Valley the "cracked cabinet" on the
front is what I thinking about making. (I really hate myself!!!!)
Thanks Bruce, with yours and Anne's suggestions, I'm ready to give it a try!
It will be a couple of weeks - but I'll let you know how it works out. Evon
"Bruce E. Harang II" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I just attended a class at the International Yacht Restoration School in
> Newport, RI on steam bending wood. The most important thing that I learned
> from it was that the steam box construction is really not important nor is
> the material it's made of. You can use some plywood just screwed together
> and you don't even need a tight seal around the whole box. You just have
to
> trap a majority of the steam so that it heats the wood enough to stretch
the
> fibers of the piece you are bending. Just make the box a little larger
than
> the largest piece you plan to bend and have it tilt slightly away from the
> door on one end so that the water can drain away from where you will take
> the wood out and you will be fine. I have a couple pictures of the steam
box
> that we
> used at the school here: http://www.bruceharang.com/jigsandtips.html.
> Another thing is to make sure that you have very straight grained wood
that
> does not "run out" the edge of the board. It tends to crack there.
>
> My advise is have patience and plan on 20-40% waste, as the instructor
told
> us at the school.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Bruce
>
> "Evon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I need to bend two sides of a cabinet. The sides will be constructed of
> > Maple, (probably pine the first time). The two edges will contain a
groove
> > in which the side panels will fit. The two edge pieces will be 5/4
> material.
> > Does anyone have any suggestion on how to build a temporary steaming
> cabinet
> > to fit a 59"X24" piece?
> >
> > If you have a March 2004 catalog of Lee Valley the "cracked cabinet" on
> the
> > front is what I thinking about making. (I really hate myself!!!!)
> >
> >
>
>
>
I just attended a class at the International Yacht Restoration School in
Newport, RI on steam bending wood. The most important thing that I learned
from it was that the steam box construction is really not important nor is
the material it's made of. You can use some plywood just screwed together
and you don't even need a tight seal around the whole box. You just have to
trap a majority of the steam so that it heats the wood enough to stretch the
fibers of the piece you are bending. Just make the box a little larger than
the largest piece you plan to bend and have it tilt slightly away from the
door on one end so that the water can drain away from where you will take
the wood out and you will be fine. I have a couple pictures of the steam box
that we
used at the school here: http://www.bruceharang.com/jigsandtips.html.
Another thing is to make sure that you have very straight grained wood that
does not "run out" the edge of the board. It tends to crack there.
My advise is have patience and plan on 20-40% waste, as the instructor told
us at the school.
Good luck.
Bruce
"Evon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to bend two sides of a cabinet. The sides will be constructed of
> Maple, (probably pine the first time). The two edges will contain a groove
> in which the side panels will fit. The two edge pieces will be 5/4
material.
> Does anyone have any suggestion on how to build a temporary steaming
cabinet
> to fit a 59"X24" piece?
>
> If you have a March 2004 catalog of Lee Valley the "cracked cabinet" on
the
> front is what I thinking about making. (I really hate myself!!!!)
>
>
May a little tongue in cheek but if you live in the south west- where summer
sems to be coming in April, I would start with enough black plastic garbage
bags and a small container of water - not touching the wood- Seal it all up
tight, set it out in the sun and let mother nature do her thing.
"Evon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to bend two sides of a cabinet. The sides will be constructed of