anderson
New member
we want to make some archways through the boat,what is the best timber to use for bending and any good tips on the methord of bending.
bending timber
- Thread starter anderson
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nimbusgb
Active member
The door frames on my older Benne and a lot of other boats up to the late 80's were made up from laminations of teak strips about 2mm thick formed around a female mould. At that thickness steaming allows most decent timber to be formed quite easily.
These days door frames ( and other furniture frames ) are made square, mostly in the pursuit of labour economising, a pity really because a rounded frame is stronger, will not stress crack at the corners and is much more pleasant to look at!
http://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/jb-marine/boats-door-frames-23187-97172.html
These days door frames ( and other furniture frames ) are made square, mostly in the pursuit of labour economising, a pity really because a rounded frame is stronger, will not stress crack at the corners and is much more pleasant to look at!
http://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/jb-marine/boats-door-frames-23187-97172.html
Quandary
Well-known member
I have made laminated tillers and curved top door openings but never was brave enough to tackle a fully semi circular head door frame.
The thinner the strips the better, you need a very strong base board with strong and secure formers very close together and plenty of strong cramps. Avoid European oak which is hard and brittle and can stain if it gets damp. Teak is much softer and while Iroko is much harder on tools it can take glue better. What are you wanting to match? mahogany, teak and ash are the most common veneers on pre veneered plywood and all these timbers are easy to work.
I fitted out a couple of boats using one baulk of teak about 250mm x 200mm x 3m which I had sawn into a variety of planks and slips of different thicknesses (together with a selection of sheets of matching teak veneered ply) it was easy then to reduce to the required widths for different frames edgings etc and to route out the rebated shapes needed. It is worth buying the timber and veneer from one source and ask them to match it as you can get major shade variations in the same species.
Unless the frame is structural a square opening with a bit of curvature to the head and mitred corners will be a lot easier and almost as elegant as a tight round curve.
To make a steamer get a cheap wallpaper stripper and a length of pvc drainpipe, wrap some insulation around the pipe and cap the ends.
The thinner the strips the better, you need a very strong base board with strong and secure formers very close together and plenty of strong cramps. Avoid European oak which is hard and brittle and can stain if it gets damp. Teak is much softer and while Iroko is much harder on tools it can take glue better. What are you wanting to match? mahogany, teak and ash are the most common veneers on pre veneered plywood and all these timbers are easy to work.
I fitted out a couple of boats using one baulk of teak about 250mm x 200mm x 3m which I had sawn into a variety of planks and slips of different thicknesses (together with a selection of sheets of matching teak veneered ply) it was easy then to reduce to the required widths for different frames edgings etc and to route out the rebated shapes needed. It is worth buying the timber and veneer from one source and ask them to match it as you can get major shade variations in the same species.
Unless the frame is structural a square opening with a bit of curvature to the head and mitred corners will be a lot easier and almost as elegant as a tight round curve.
To make a steamer get a cheap wallpaper stripper and a length of pvc drainpipe, wrap some insulation around the pipe and cap the ends.
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Didi
New member
Three ways to do it that I have used - steam bend, laminate from strips or cut curves from solid on the bandsaw. I have used all three building my wooden boat. Laminating is more time consuming and cutting from solid is more wasteful even if well planned. Steaming required more kit.
Steam bending requires 1hr in the steambox per 25mm of stock thickness. You would have to make or borrow or buy a steambox, former and steam source. Also may require a steel strap/stops for exterior support if going for tighter curves. Steambending with a strap you can get really tight curves with oak and beech for example.
You would also need a former if laminating but it can be made quite simply.
Hardwood bends a lot better than softwood. Good species are ash, oak, walnut, beech. Cherry not quite so good. Teak and mahogany more difficult. These apply to steam bending. If you cut laminations the curve attainable depends on laminate thickness. You need to make an allowance for springback in laminating or steambending.
If you want tight curved corners - say up to 75mm radius I would suggest cutting from solid and joining with straight pieces of the same section. For greater radius curves I would suggest laminating. I have found thin lamination don't require steaming for larger curves. I would think you could laminate an arched doorway on a suitable former with thin laminations without steaming.
Also, you can bend wood into weird and wonderful shapes using gaseous ammonia - but it requires a lot of expensive kit!
Steam bending requires 1hr in the steambox per 25mm of stock thickness. You would have to make or borrow or buy a steambox, former and steam source. Also may require a steel strap/stops for exterior support if going for tighter curves. Steambending with a strap you can get really tight curves with oak and beech for example.
You would also need a former if laminating but it can be made quite simply.
Hardwood bends a lot better than softwood. Good species are ash, oak, walnut, beech. Cherry not quite so good. Teak and mahogany more difficult. These apply to steam bending. If you cut laminations the curve attainable depends on laminate thickness. You need to make an allowance for springback in laminating or steambending.
If you want tight curved corners - say up to 75mm radius I would suggest cutting from solid and joining with straight pieces of the same section. For greater radius curves I would suggest laminating. I have found thin lamination don't require steaming for larger curves. I would think you could laminate an arched doorway on a suitable former with thin laminations without steaming.
Also, you can bend wood into weird and wonderful shapes using gaseous ammonia - but it requires a lot of expensive kit!
SHUG
Active member
If you are steam bending oak try to get fast grown oak with widely spaced grain.
