Steam boxes allow for much more efficient use of wood. Once steamed and then fastened or clamped into the desired position and left to dry, the wood will hold the new shape. Steam Box Steam box oven at historic Axel Stenross slipway, Port Lincoln, South AustraliaĪ steam box is a long, sealed container used to steam wooden planks for the purpose of making them pliable. After heat bending the wood, clamping the wood into a solid mold will reinforce the bends made to the wood while drying, preventing the wood from straightening while it dries. Ī steel mold that is placed on the back of the wood while heat bending can help ensure that all the bends and curves are done to the requirements of the project being made. Common softwoods are pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, cedar and redwood. Popular hardwoods are oak, maple, cherry, birch, walnut, ash and poplar. The harder the wood, the more time is needed to fully soak the wood before it can be bent and to prevent it from springing back to its original form. The hardness of the wood will determine how long is required to soak the wood in water. To properly bend a sheet or plank of wood, there are a few techniques that will help. It weakens the wood slightly and can leave residual stresses which may cause breakage, blowouts or spring-back over time. Also, not all species of wood steam-bend well. Steam bending is limited in the degree of bend it can achieve, particularly for thick wood. Steam bending also leaves lower levels of scrap since a smaller piece can be bent into shape instead of cutting the desired shape away from larger, more expensive stock. It doesn't need the expense or drying time of glues to join several wood pieces to make the desired shape. Steam bending is also a low energy, ecological and economical method of manipulating wood. It was once a vital practice, paramount to the production of weapons, tools and water vessels, but with the advance of technology the practice has become less common. Steam bending is a traditional process steeped in history. The method has been used in the manufacturing of a diverse range of products, including wooden boat building where it is used in the shaping of hull's ribs and lap boards, the production of traditional wooden lacrosse sticks, musical instruments such as the violin, the manufacture of wooden furniture such as the Windsor chair and much of Michael Thonet's and Alvar Aalto's work. The moulding process is typically done by clamping wooden strips to a positive form, with the strips of wood often reinforced on the outside with a metal band to prevent blowout. In modern times, steam bending is usually done with a steam box to make it bend around a former. Heat and moisture from steam can soften wood fibres enough so they can be bent and stretched, and when cooled down they will hold their new shape. Steam bending is a woodworking technique where wood is exposed to steam to make it pliable. Woodworking technique Steam bending in a steam box
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