Getting steamed

Ross · Feb 19, 2009

What do you need to know ?

Pink Flamingo · Feb 19, 2009

Check Lee Valley's website, they used to have a free steam bending manual.

Ross · Feb 19, 2009

I can get you many answers but I am not gonna write a book. I have several resources but first I need to know what you need.

Chris Burti · Feb 20, 2009

Some woods such as hickory and white oak can be bent to tighter radii than other woods. White oak works well in a sailboat cabin and can be stained to look very much like teak.

Make a steamer out of PVC and an old teapot. Get length of PVC of 1/2" greater diameter than the wood you need to steam and 4' max length. Get an end cap to fit and drill a few holes for a vent and a hole in the pipe clear of the cap for a drain. Get a reducer for the other end sized to fit a length of heater hose which you also shove over the spout of the teapot.

Slip the board in the pipe, slip on the caps, hook to the hose and teapot, put an inch of water in the teapot. Clamp the pipe to your grill with the drain end slightly down and put the teapot on the cooker burner if you have one or the grill burner if you don't and fire it up. Don't let the hose loop downward or the condensate will block the steam, this is a low pressure system.

When the steam condensate coming out of the drain is warm, you are probably 'done'. If it won't bend more than the radius you need, cook it some more. When it will bend more then the desired radius, it is done. Clamp the wood in in a tighter radius than desired until it dries. When you unclamp the board it will spring back a fair amount, but should be close enough to what you need.

Let it dry well before staining, the more you cook it the longer this takes.

Ross · Feb 20, 2009

You will need about 1 hour per inch of thickness, you need to heat the wood to more than 200 degrees f. The wood should be fairly straight grain. You will need a lot of steam. PVC pipe is ok but support it at that temperature. white oak, red oak, beech, walnut, birch,ash, sweet gum, and mahagony are commonly used. the pines and cedars aren't as bendable. When you have half by half inch, good stock, well steamed, you can tie it in a knot.

aa.aunins · Feb 21, 2009

I always liked to use a 2 1/2- 5 gal. round metal gas can set on the burner of a turkey fryer for making steam. Just hook the hose to the plastic gas spout. This works well for steaming large / long pieces of wood.

Ross · Feb 21, 2009

Now THAT will make enough steam without running dry right in the middle of the job.

Ross · Feb 21, 2009

It is wet work and when it is cold you don't need to be wet too.

Ross · Feb 27, 2009

All U Get said:
Hi Ross,
I guess the first project will be a comfortable handle for my snow shovel, just when I thought I would have some time. It's still on my to do list, thanks again.
All U Get

It was about this time of year when I packed my car and loaded wife and son and headed for Kessler AFB ,Miss. it was 20 degrees below with about a foot of snow on the ground in Bangor that morning. I did take my snow shovel with me. I don't need it as much in Maryland.

Mike Holibar · Feb 27, 2009

When bending a tight radius I clamp a length of badsaw blade around the outside of the bend. This supports the timber abd reduces the chance of breaking the work piece. My first attempt at a steamer used PVC down pipe which collapsed when it got hot, and that was well below 212f. I then got hold of a standard length (8 feet) of galvanised down pipe which worked very well. I have found it useful to presoak the timber for a few days before steaming. - Mike.