Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[dillinger 04]

Hello


I am building a small model steam engine powered tug boat, have run into a dilemma on my project need to build
the front bow stem. Ideas that I have come up with so far though of bending spruce around a hard wood form but seeing most hobby grad is kiln dried, my guess going to be hard to soften wood fibers to bend . Two which might be the best option buying spruce 3/32x 3/16 strips stagger and glue up wood strips clamp agains form to dry .
 Any help would be greatly appreciated David

[john44]

Hi David, are you talking about laminating your strips to the required thickness?
When I build hulls that require bending wood I have used a wallpaper steam stripper
With the hose attached to a metal tube with a rag stopper, rag lets the condense drain off
And is easily removed to gain access to the steamed wood.
The plyable wood is then clamped to the formers and allowed to dry.
Steaming times depends on the type and thickneses of wood used.
The strips I used took 15 mins, if you try to rush the bending the fibres may tear.
Try a test strip to see if it is plyable enough.
I wear gardening gloves to handle the hot strips and a bucket to catch the condense
From the pipe.
Hope this is of help.

Ps if you do use this method I would lag the pipe for safety reasons.
Turn off the steamer and allow the steam to settle before removing the rag stopper.


John

[grendel]

definitely dont stick a thumb in to grab the wood until the steam stops - it hurts, my tightly curved laminated bow was made by steaming some 1/4" x 3/32" strips and bending  them round a former, with the outside curve contained by the offcut from the curve template cut across the end of the curve, I'll see if I can find a picture

[grendel]

here we go

[grendel]

mine too is a wallpaper steamer, attached to a length of 1 1/2" waste pipe

[dillinger 04]

Hi John 44 and Grendel


Thanks for the advice appreciated, my idea was to use thin bendable strips build up thickness, needed glue in layers
then clamp to form. From what I gather you must steam the wood in order for it to hold its shape? wall paper steam stripper do you think I could use a tea kettle with hose attached to a bag with vents  place the wood in then steam .


Thanks

[CGAux26]

An alternate to steaming is to soak the wood strips in Windex or another ammonia based cleaning liquid. I made a soaking tube from 3" plastic pipe, one end with a glued on cap and the other end with a screw cap.  Fill the tube nearly full with Windex and insert the planks.  Push them down (they float) and put the cap on.  Soak for 30 minutes or more.  Take the strips out and wipe the excess Windex with paper towels.  Glue them together with thick CA glue and bend them in your former.  Let it all dry for a day or two.  The CA adheres in spite of the wood being wet with Windex.  You can save the Windex in the original bottle and use it again.


I use the same soaking technique when planking a hull.


Good luck!

[john44]

Hi John 44 and Grendel


Thanks for the advice appreciated, my idea was to use thin bendable strips build up thickness, needed glue in layers
then clamp to form. From what I gather you must steam the wood in order for it to hold its shape? wall paper steam stripper do you think I could use a tea kettle with hose attached to a bag with vents  place the wood in then steam .


Thanks

Hi Dillinger, I don,t like the idea of using a bag just in case it bursts. The steam makes the wood bendable
Clamping to the former holds its shape.
Building up the strips using glue is fine if you want to do it that way. It just takes longer.
The wallpaper stripper I use because I already had one.
It all depends on how much wood bending you are thinking of doing, if it's a one off, use the thin strip
Glue laminating method.


John

[grendel]

it will also depend how tight your bend is, if its very tight it will be tricky bending the wood cold, if its just a short piece you can soak in water then heat in the microwave (in a wet paper towel) if it will fit into the microwave that is.

[SailorGreg]

If your spruce strips are flexible enough to bend around your former, you don't need to steam them, the glue will keep the pieces in the correct shape when you take it off the former.  If you do need to steam the pieces and you don't have a handy wallpaper stripper, I have done as Grendel suggests and used the microwave.  My pieces were about 1/8" square maple.  I wrapped them in a piece of kitchen towel, taped the towel to stop it unwinding and soaked it.  Then into an unsealed plastic bag and into the microwave on full power for two minutes. Out of the microwave (don't forget the gloves!) and straight onto the former, then leave overnight.  Worked for me 
Good luck.
Greg

[Nordlys]

I do believe Limewood bends much easier then Spruce, of course it will need steaming too but it is a bendier hardwood.

[grendel]

yes, mine is lime (ex ikea wood blinds)

[Nordlys]

Many of the serious boatbuilders at my club use Limewood for any shaped timber work. I think spruce and other pine softwoods
tend to split very easily with any bending process, it has for me!