Laminated Woodwork

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LORDNELSON

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I would like to make a hand-hold for use in my cabin which would have a twist in it so that the two ends where they are attached to the main cabin woodwork are at 90 degrees to each other. Because I do not have access to any grown twisted teak (does it exist?) I think the only way to make it is to build the hand-hold up from thin layers of teak glued together. Does anyone have a reference to a book or article on this subject or can anyone direct me to a wood-worker's forum? Many thanks.

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try posting this question in the classic boat forum, lots of joiners and woodworkers in there...

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

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If I've got the dimensions right in my head, I think you are going to have to steam round a jig or former. But you won't steam teak. Try Ash, Beech, Birch, Elm, Hickory, Oak, Walnut or Yew. Wood needs to be straight grained and free of knots. You need a steam chest ie a pipe you can seal both ends and a means of creating steam. One of those DIY wall paper strippers is both good and easy to use. Plenty of clamps to get it fastened to the former. Steam for an hour per inch of thickness. Have some thick gloves and move quickly. A chum handy to clamp as you bend is a good idea. I assume the finished article will not be that long so you will need to make it over length so you got sufficient purchase to bend it round the former. This should get you a nice 90 degree bend. Presumably you are going to have some spacers of the same wood to turn it into a handle? The steam will tend to blacken some of the grain of the wood (well at least if it's oak) but it should clean up when dry.

Interesting idea. Good luck - let us know how you get on.

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Thankyou, very helpful. I wanted to use teak because the rest of the cabin is teak; however your comments make me think of a nice contrasting wood, for example holly and if I used an indigenous wood I might be able to use a grown crook! Will keep you informed.

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I can see why you'd want to use teak but I checked up in all of my little books and they all avoid the use of teak for steaming. However, but since writing the above I do recall that I once looked at a yacht before tiller girl that had teak frames as far as I remember and therefore they must have been steamed - and a thought has just occurred in the middle of typing this - Robin Knox Johnson's yacht Suhail is built completely in teak and therefore they must have steamed the frames. I just checked on his book which confirms she was all teak built. Whether you can get as much of a bend in teak as you can in say oak, I would't know. Providing you can afford a failed experiment, why not give it a go? Maybe you'll have a corner of a stand at the LIBS in a year or two selling bespoke designer teak fittings!

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Size is about 10 inches along the axis and about 3 inches out at rightangles to each end fixing point. It would be possible to carve it out of one piece but most likely would result in short grain at each bend unless one could obtain a grown crook and I do not know if one can in teak!

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when you say - a twist - do you mean like barley sugar sticks ( remember them?)
If so the former would have to be shaped like that and it would be more difficult to cramp up.
Laminating and steaming don't have to go together. Laminating by itself might need skinny layers to get round the radius and they would be too thin to go through a thicknesser - so hand plane maybe.
A bandsaw would be a big help.
Adhesive? I've been using this polyurethane stuff- Balcotan is one brand.
There used to be a Wood Bending Handbook by TRADA or Forest Products but out of print now. If you can get a sight its got tables for thickness against radius and also comments on species.
Sounds a nice nubbly problem for the winter months. Meanwhile I've got this troublesome leak.

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At that size I would have thought that it would be OK to make it out of one piece. However, as it's expensive stuff, I would try the laminating route first.

This might help <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/b_hull_tips/b18.html>http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/b_hull_tips/b18.html</A>

Joe

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