How to Steam Bend Wood

[Thekrega]

Steaming wood and laudry at the same time. Way to multi task.

But thanks for the vid, I'm trying to teach and this has been helpful.

[cobraman16]

what kind of wood do u recomend im making a drum set and the wood shells cost way to much for my buget

[Dyyor]

would this trick work on a 1 in diameter dowel?

[burmanmusic]

I'm disappointed. I wanted to know how the laundry turned out. Did you get rid of all the wrinkles?

[MrAMMiranda]

I already did that, thanks. Found where to order on from.

[MrAMMiranda]

where do you get the steamer?

[toppertruthio]

@MrAMMiranda just google wallpaper steamer

[MuckerInMotion]

Okay, love the help here but honestly - do we need to see 40 seconds of water filling the steamer? Please god edit this damn thing

[sttrubie]

how long do you leave the wood in the form. Does it have to be bone dry? I am laminating 1/8" stock, multiple layers. Do I steam and glue then bend it or do I bend first and glue later?

[Facu4815]

is this the correct method for steam bending wood for a CROSSBOW?

[stevenl2011]

what wood would u use for bending i am looking for a dark coloured one

[MrLeonard55]

Cool jig.

[minxel16]

how long do you leave it after its in the form?

[minxel16]

what time would you recommend for steaming a 4cm piece of wood thick but 2cm wide in that i want to bend across the thickness not the width?

[miscpro]

@minxel16 I think 1h35m to 1h45m.

[minxel16]

@miscpro thanks -tried it and worked fine, little springback

[miscpro]

@minxel16 Have you tried laminating?

[poullar]

can you please tell me what kind of wood it is thank you.

[typodaemon]

Very informative and well produced video, thanks!

[ArtforArchitecture]

Hi! I really like your video and thought you may be interested in a steam-bending course taking place this summer, in the Lake District, I've messaged you with further details. Hope it’s of interest!

[somwk]

Sir, how long did you steam it?

[miltonSF]

COOL! 

[newcomer9747]

haha love the clock

[MrLeonard55]

Pretty cool jig.

[ebolacereal]

what kind've of clamp/vice do you use when you first put the steamed wood into your jig??? it looks like some sort of a pressure clamp.. and seems to come in handy when bending wood is a wood man operation as in mine and your case.

[miscpro]

@ebolacereal Hi I had some circle offcuts which I drill an off-centre hole. I passed a bolt through that and drilled another hole on the side which I used to leaver them shut. Very effective.

[pisoiorfan]

Hi, nice video. Interesting I read pine does not bend very well, but hardwoods are recommended.  Yet your bending seems fine... is there any trick like special pine wood selection?

[pisoiorfan]

Hi, nice video. Interesting I read pine does not bend very well, but hardwoods are recommended. Yet yours bend shows no problems.

[pisoiorfan]

Hi, nice video. Interesting I read pine does not bend very well, but hardwoods are recomended. Yet yours bend shows no problems.

[berniebernoulli]

I assume you wanted both pieces to have an identical curve but the way you did it wouldn't the board on top have a different curve than the one below it just because the thickness of the wood. I know it wouldn't be much, but in woodworking, even a little difference can cause issues when assembling. Wouldn't allowing the jig to be wide enough to accept to boards side by side be more accurate?

[miscpro]

@berniebernoulli hi there, I was planning to laminate the two pieces together.

[Mortarius90]

I'm not very experienced in working with wood, but wouldn't "U" shaped pipe require more steam to have the same pressure? (the way I imagine it, is "U" putted sidewise, with wood on upper "arm", and water in the lower). Also couldn't water residue problem be solved with pressure escape valve pointed downwards? 

[miscpro]

@Mortarius90 that's a good idea re valve which would allow for preasure to still build up. I ended up drilling a few low tech holes in the bottom. The estimated time for steaming is one hour for every 2.5cm. With a U shape it's probably equally important to have a good jig, lots of clamps and maybe some helps to clamp quickely and evenly.

[Woodoak5962]

liked the vid. working with the washing and wind chimes really made the wood soft. lol. ive got to make myself one of them steamers. How long did you leave it for? the timer was only shown at the end. also the bending jig was very well made and tidy. am i right in saying they were to be arms for a chair? well done

[IrishWoodDoctor]

Does the pressure of the steam need to build up inside the tube, and get rid of the water also?

[miscpro]

@IrishWoodDoctor Getting rid of water is probably more important then building pressure. The pressure is just another way of saying the steam in concentrated. Shooting the water out like a water pistol with the build up preasure is just kinda fun...

[Unbeloved1]

To help solve your water leakage problem, you could build a "U" shaped pipe to one of the ends, that way it collects and releases excess water while not allowing any steam to escape.

[EdBoonSucks]

Question; Is it possible to bend wood with just heat alone?

[Unbeloved1]

@EdBoonSucks

No, that just makes it brittle.

[ditchwaterwarrior]

Any videos of joining two ends of a bent peice? I am planing on making some oval bends and need some info on how to join the two ends. I have a few Ideas but could use some help.

[Hladni92]

stiming socks

[Palmaa2009]

Congratulation.  Just a question: What material is the tube/pipe used ?

Thanks.

[miscpro]

@Palmaa2009 Ta Palmaa2009 - I used an underground sewage pipe which had a 4" diameter. But it did become soft from the heat and a little out of shape from the pressure. There is another kind of pipe which in retrospect I should have used called hdpe pipe.

[christophersimcik]

i thought pvc had a slighter higher softening temp than hdpe and a higher pressure rating ?

[miscpro]

@christophersimcik I have not done a test but according to wikipedia the high density polyethylene pipes can withstand up to 120 C which when you consider high pressure also results in temperature increase, it make sense for that attribute. But as I said, I have still not made the switch to compare.

[christophersimcik]

i thought pvc had a slighter higher softening temp than hdpe and a higher pressure rating ?

[vladtepes97]

i've seen wood bending on lots of woodworking shows and not a single one of them has ever mentioned how long it takes to steam the wood. thanks for at least mentioning the 60-70 minutes.

[ullyis]

Impressive. I have a question, I plan on building a bridge made from balsa wood, how would I be able to arch the balsa wood? Could I boil water in a pot and put the balsa wood over the pot to steam it? would it be effective ?

[miscpro]

@ullyis how big is this bridge? best conduct an experiment.

[slobjob13]

Great stuff! Thankx for posting.

[ethomfactusest]

absolute genius!! Very good. Thanks for sharing.

[gahaa]

Where did you get that steamer...what is it called

[miscpro]

@gahaa It is called a steam chamber or steam box and was built from scratch.

[aquintero546244]

on question how long do u need to leave it in the steam?

[keenefx]

What would be the simplest way to bend sheets of plywood? Is there a specific type of wood that is best?

[xandr3sxdaxdork]

could you let me know the materials you used to make your steam chamber?

thanks

[torres444]

beautifully done there. I tried this for a school project and although it worked, the first one i tried was a real botch job. It involved glueing 3 strips together and there was glue everywhere the first time i tried it because i took the wood out of the steamer and glued it there, then i bent it around my form. Was a bit messy

[ducky32038]

what was you making?

[Shiiransama]

would soaking the wood be equivalent to steaming it?

[orangesjuices]

i tried that, didn't work very well

[miscpro]

@Shiiransama It's another method but steaming is more effective.

[Mouseketeerboy]

yeah i would like to make an ideal steam box for bending kicktails into my decks. Is there wood that is better than other wood for steam bending that is still good quality? i'm going for that "SIMS PURE JUICE" sort of look.

[Mouseketeerboy]

i think i'm gonna try this to bend concave into my 70's-inspired banana boards made from solid oak, like making a kicktail. would a good piece of ply work better? thanks for the help!

[johnnyboy922]

you may have just inspired me into making my own skate decks. idk i have to look into it more. $30 is a good value for a blank lol

[miscpro]

@Mouseketeerboy I'm not sure what would happen to the glue in the ply if it got steamed. Worth a try.

[Frankly1026]

Great vid. Thanks for posting. Do you have any info on making the chamber? -great design ;)

[broadcastmydick]

What sort of wind chimes to you recommend to help capture the wind spirits within the wood during the bending process?

[Sabored]

Would it be possible to bend a cylinder shaped piece with a half hollowed out center?

[miscpro]

Not sure. You might have to fill the cavity with something like sand to prevent inwards splitting. Best experiment.

[moxee33]

great job on the video and good written explanation. thank u :)

[jbartlett83]

Would it not be a good idea to perhaps drill one or more holes in the bottom of the chamber to allow the condensation to escape? Im asssuming that as the steam is escaping pretty rapidly anyway it wouldnt effect the steaming process significantly.

[miscpro]

Yes it would be a good idea. Some steam did condensate in the chamber which is why I had to lift it vertically to force any liquid out.

[mortier9]

Nice video. I read where the spring-back is about 10%.

[pvercello]

I would have liked to see it once you took if off the form. Did it spring back much?

[miscpro]

Good point. As mortier9 wrote about 10% is right.

[cocy3000]

if i have a harder, more dense wood than pine... like maple maybe... whould i need to steam longer?

[Pugio]

could a dishwasher be used to the same effect?

[kieranmetcalf]

What kind of wood is best for this?

[miscpro]

ash, oak, birch, maple, elm, beech, walnut...

[ebola5114]

great, thanks to share this technic Savvas

adeux!

[moskstraumen]

Thank you so much!

I hope there's a chance to ge one in Mexico. Great video! Really helpful!!!!

[moskstraumen]

Hi there! I wonder... is that a wagner 750?

And, did you really leave the wood inside just for an hour?

Thank's!

[miscpro]

It's an Earlex Maxisteam Wallpaper Stripper. They had just over 60 minutes of steaming but they could have used a bit more to be honest.

[bhanabi]

Absolutely amazing Savvas...you never fail to amaze me...good demo....more please

[BinkieMcFartnuggets]

Is there anything steam CAN'T do? Besides bringing dead parrots back to life.