You're back to steam bending. It's not hard, really.
Do a search on it, give it a shot. You'll probably also find out why
just wetting the wood didn't help.
If you don't want to do it, call a pro and pay a few bucks.
On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 00:58:40 -0500, "Camoman" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I don't have access to a band saw. I have never tried to steam bent anything
>before. I am trying to repair a set of chairs. I have made the spindles for
>the back, but the top for the spindles I have to make the one for the last
>chair. The chairs are made of maple. The back has an arch. I tried to wet
>the wood and bend it, (bad things happened, it split). I tried to cut a
>piece on the table saw into strips, That did not work well either. any other
>suggestions? Thanks
>
Mike Patterson
Please remove the spamtrap to email me.
Two methods are possible. My first choice would be to cut the board into
thin strips (3/16" or so), glue up the strips and clamp into a pre-formed
fixture arced to what you want.
Second would be to steam bend it.
DAGS (do a google search) for both.
Dave
"Camoman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:uVe%[email protected]...
> I need to make the top part of a chair, where the spindles conect into. I
> need to bend a 1X6X24 inch board. what is the best way to do this without
> making the board snap. do I cut the shape then bend or bend and cut? How
do
> I bend. How would you make it. Thanks for any advice.
>
>
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The good answers have been given. Reduce a piece of thick stock if it's a
shallow curve, stack laminate (dry) around a form if not.
Unless you have access to wood which you know has never been near a kiln and
is _very_ straight-grained, bending's not likely to work out well.
"Camoman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:f1g%[email protected]...
> I don't have access to a band saw. I have never tried to steam bent
anything
> before. I am trying to repair a set of chairs. I have made the spindles
for
> the back, but the top for the spindles I have to make the one for the last
> chair. The chairs are made of maple. The back has an arch. I tried to wet
> the wood and bend it, (bad things happened, it split). I tried to cut a
> piece on the table saw into strips, That did not work well either. any
other
> suggestions? Thanks
>
>
Not knowing all of the specifics, but if I understand correctly I would not
bend at all (unless you were working with plys and want that look). If you
have a bandsaw or access to one, why not just use thicker stock and cut the
piece out of the thicker stock instead of trying to bend it? In other words
cut both "shapes" and eliminate trying to bend. Let me know if I'm
misinterpreting something here... Good luck with your project. Ben
**If you need to bend, cut it into thinner strips first, then glue up strips
using a jig with the right curve and clamp.
On 2/25/04 10:42 PM, in article uVe%[email protected],
"Camoman" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I need to make the top part of a chair, where the spindles conect into. I
> need to bend a 1X6X24 inch board. what is the best way to do this without
> making the board snap. do I cut the shape then bend or bend and cut? How do
> I bend. How would you make it. Thanks for any advice.
>
>
"Camoman" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:f1g%[email protected]:
> I don't have access to a band saw. I have never tried to steam bent
> anything before. I am trying to repair a set of chairs. I have made
> the spindles for the back, but the top for the spindles I have to make
> the one for the last chair. The chairs are made of maple. The back has
> an arch. I tried to wet the wood and bend it, (bad things happened, it
> split). I tried to cut a piece on the table saw into strips, That did
> not work well either. any other suggestions? Thanks
>
>
Jeff Miller's classic chairmaking book, at your library? Because it seems
to be out of print...
Chairmaking & Design, ISBN: 1561581585
Or the $20 video of the same topic, by the same author, which isn't. Check
the taunton press website.
He discusses the various engineering challenges for wooden chairs quite
clearly, and runs though a series of sample projects. There is a lot to
learn there, even if you decide never to build one or more yourself. You
will respect those who did.
Patriarch
I don't have access to a band saw. I have never tried to steam bent anything
before. I am trying to repair a set of chairs. I have made the spindles for
the back, but the top for the spindles I have to make the one for the last
chair. The chairs are made of maple. The back has an arch. I tried to wet
the wood and bend it, (bad things happened, it split). I tried to cut a
piece on the table saw into strips, That did not work well either. any other
suggestions? Thanks
Steam-bending is the way to go. A 1X6 24" long with about 2 to 3 inches
displacement is easy to do. Making the steambox and bending form will take
you longer to do than the actual bend. Steam one hour, bend, and let it sit
a day to dry out. The only tricky part is where you have to drill spindle
holes and shape the back to final dimensions in the bent piece.
Here's a website with good stuff:
http://www.megspace.com/lifestyles/njmarine/Steam.html
"Camoman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:uVe%[email protected]...
> I need to make the top part of a chair, where the spindles conect into. I
> need to bend a 1X6X24 inch board. what is the best way to do this without
> making the board snap. do I cut the shape then bend or bend and cut? How
do
> I bend. How would you make it. Thanks for any advice.
>
>