i have to build 6 chairs, one part of each chair is a 1 1/2 inch square material bent to a 9 1/2 inch radius half circleand a straight section 8 inches long on the two ends
the material is white oak probably 1/4 sawn
what is the best method? i can laminate slices, steam bend or a combination of the two and glue up on a mold, total length of the piece before bending is about 4 feet
steve
Replies
You could either steam bend, or you could laminate. I guess you could do some sort of combination of the two, but I wouldn't know why.
I've tried both, and for me, laminating is far easier.
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With a radius that tight, and with thick stock, if you steam bend, you can expect quite a bit of distortion. I do all of my bends with laminations and plastic resin glue.
White oak bends well.
Jeff
Steve, WO will steam bend to that R at that thickness, but it requires a lot more to set up and execute perfectly than a laminated bend, so if you don't already have all of the gear and experience, I would suggest going the laminated method.
Rather than steaming laminated parts, it think it is easier to just cut the laminates thinner and be done with it, rather than having to go through both processes. I normally use epoxy for this.
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