i would like to make some cherry legs for a cabinet. i fancy a curved leg about 10 inches long but bent in the middle. i have bent cherry with success before. but this will be a curved 90 degree bend. the piece will be 3/4 inch thick and three inches wide. i have made my mold and used a band saw to make my thin laminates, but bending it in a molld to 90 degrees seems to be pushing the limits. is this possible. should i steam the laminate pieces briefly first. i am having problems clamping down to 90 degrees. i get to about 60 degrees and i am having trouble keeping the piece level and straight when i try to go further. any ideas will be appreciated.
marc
Replies
Make your laminations thinner. It's as simple as that.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
I laminate all the time.. David said it all. More angle thinner strips.
In fact, I think, thin strips look much better. The glue lines (as an assembly) look more like the real wood..
My opinion only.
Thanks. My first attempt was at about 1/8th inch, maybe a little thinner.
Any pointers on gettting good thin laminates. not sure if my skill level is up to much thinner strips. What type of blade for my band saw would work the best for this purpose?
Marc
My first attempt was at about 1/8th inch..
About as thin as I ever go.. 1/8th inch.. Sounds reasonable to me but I CANNOT say I ever tried to bend at 90 degrees.. At what radius? I have no idea what that radius would be for a particular stick or type of wood.. I would have to experiment with it..
the pieces are only 12 inches long, which would mean the radius is probably only going to wind up about 4-5 inches, just a guess. maybe i am pushing the limits of what can be done this way.
marc
Last night I was reading a book about Shaker stuff. In the chapter about Shaker box making, the author soaked the thin strips in 180 degree water before bending them around the forms. Some of the boxes were only 4-5 inches in diameter. Might be worth a try.
that is very helpful information. i was wondering if simply soaking in warm water would be enough to bend thin strips without disrupting their integrity. I like this idea and will give this a try. cherry may respond differently, but certainly is worth the simple experiment.
thanks. marc
180 degrees is pretty hot water. One thing to watch for is splintering at the outside of the bend. The guy making boxes would put the side that looked like it might splinter on the inside.
Are you putting a metal band on the outside surface as you clamp down? That might help reduce the surface splintering smslaw talks about above.Also, you might try longer pieces, so you have more leverage, and then trim to size once the glue has dried.
Edited 12/15/2008 4:56 pm by RalphBarker
thanks. i am not using metal presently. the idea of longer strips makes sense and should be a help. i will try that on my next test run. marc
cheery,
A run thru the dishwasher is an easy way to soften wood up to allow for easier bending, if you don't have access to a steam box. (I usually wait til the wife is out shopping.) Steam and bend first, then when dry, take out of the form, glue and reclamp. As someone else stated, a band of something like shipping banding or even aluminum flashing metal around the outside of the curve will reduce the possibility of failure. Screwing a block on each end of the metal so the wood just fits between, will prevent the wood fibers along the outside of the curve from separating (being pulled apart longwise) as you pull things up.
Ray
Cherry man, this should be easy. I did lebenty-seven sets of Shaker oval boxes for my girls last Christmas.( daughters, daughter in law, grand daughter, a few lady friends and several lady neighbors in TN. who kept me fed when sick and sewed my shop hats when they fell apart.)
See http://www.shakerovalbox.com a site by John Wilson who knows all there is to know concerning bending 1/10th cherry. Read his notes for craftsmen and all the rest as it's a great education. The key to splitting off the grain is to do a slight test bend when hot and wet to see if you raise the "hairs" from the grain, if ya do-that side goes on the inside or if it curls in the hot water, the inside of the curl should be the outside of the bend. All of that has to do with how the 1/10th veneer was cut. I would be careful in the dishwasher (RAY) as the cherry will give up some color in the hot water, so be ready to clean up in a hurry to not get caught. All the best, Paddy
BTW, Ray, I think that I have insured the return of my LN 5 1/2 Yorky in good fettle by my copy of your post describing the brilliant use of your dishwasher to bend laminates while SHMBO is absent from the homestead, so much for posession being 9/10ths of what ever, EH. Peace brother?
Paddy,
Well, I guess ya got me there pard. Loose lips and all that. But, as long as she never finds out about my plan to heat the Chief's tranny cases in the oven, to get the pressed-in bearings out...dang, I did it again, din't I?
Merry Christmas to you, paddy.
Ray
Ray, never fear brother, what comes from the shop stays in the shop! I just had some remorse as I know the wrath that it can generate from the time I got caught as I just finished rinsing out the black-molly grease from my VW C/V joint before replacing a torn boot. Oh, I was using the spray in her kitchen sink with the very hot water to insure a clean joint when I heard "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SINK" ---eviction followed...
Paddy
all great ideas and i am feeling more positive and energized to move foward. mywife is out of town for the next two days. i had already planned on sneaking her nesco oven out to my shop to heat up and soak the wood, now i can even try the dish washer. any ideas on where to get the strapping metal bands that you talk about?
marc
marc, Ralph and Ray were the metal band guys but you should find aluminum roll flashing at home dopy or the local building supply. To strap her down I expect a strap clamp used to glue up odd shapes would be fine. Good luck, Paddy
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