Bending wood and making dice

You could try using a kerfing technique to bend the plywood, although,
at 1/16" thick, you'd have to make a very shallow kerf.

If you had 1/16" thick solid wood, you could steam bend it. Can't do
that with plywood as the laminate glue may fail.

Tillman


Warning: Don't waste your money on 150,000+ woodworking plans on eBay.
Get more for free - links to a huge number of woodworking plans:
http://home.comcast.net/~tillman_stevens/woodworkinglinks.html

I should really point out that I have no powered bench tools. I mainly
work with hand tools and handheld power tools. I have in my power tool
collection a router, jigsaw, circular saw and a belt sander. I also
have a drill which doubles up as drill press and it has a stand so I
can attach a grinding wheel so I can sharpen my chisels. The Wilthon
lathe sound like my price range but do they ship over here in UK.

Going to try everyones technique at least once see what I like the look
of. The ply wood is use is either birch, oak, teak or cherry venered.
Makes the puzzles cheap to make without looking cheap.

> Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
> ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide.
> Is there any other option I could use?
> And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>

Start with square stock, (glued-up in necessary), chuck it into a drill
press,
(see http://www.toolcenter.com/Vertilathe.html , or just make your own
version)
Make it round, then use a forstner bit to bore the hole.

Dave

On 6 Jan 2005 17:38:04 -0800, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
>joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
>I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
>used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
>can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
>ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
>Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
>some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
>and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
>And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?

You could get some flat solid stock, and cut out circles with a
bandsaw jig or jigsaw, then glue them together. Same thing could be
done with the plywood, though it probably wouldn't look as good,
unless you've got some really, really nice plywood. More than likely,
you'll be needing to do a bit of hand work with it, smoothing things
down with a rasp and sanding a lot, but I guess it just depends on how
badly you want a wooden dice cup! FWIW, you could also get yourself
one of those cheap little Wilton lathes for $60-70 and give turning
one a try.

>Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
>try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
>laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]

Google for Icosahedrons (20-sided geometric forms) for angles. Or
Polyhedrons for other numbers of sides. With careful angle settings
on the tablesaw and a couple of jigs, it *should* be possible (though
not necessarily easy!)
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

The Oleg Lego entity posted thusly:

>Plywood will not readily form a perfect circle because of its
>construction, and because the ends need to butt together, leaving a
>weak spot that will always be out of whack.
>
>I would form it with steamed veneer. Rolls of various widths are
>available from better wood places (don't bother with the BORG (Home
>Depot or Lowes). It's available in a lot of different woods.
>
>I suggest posting your question on rec.woodworking for a better range
>of ideas.

Sorry about that, folks! I was perusing another newsgroup, and
somehow, I must have hit a key or key combination that put me into a
local folder containing postings from the Wreck. I thought I was
answering a current posting, from the other newsgroup. Turns out I was
answering a post made in January.

Oh well, prompted another few ideas. :-)

Hi Freak,

I have a feeling you won't have any luck making a cylinder of that size by
either kerf- or steam-bending. One alternative would be to use square stock
and bore a hole with a Forstner bit. You could also chamfer the outside
corners to create an octagonal cross-section. A square or octagonal shape
might add more novelty to the cup's appearance than a cylindrical one.

B.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
> joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
> I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
> used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
> ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
> Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
> some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
> and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
> And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>
> Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
> try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
> laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]
>

Bending trick I learned when building acoustic guitars while stationed in
Panama.

Use and iron pipe clamped into a vise, heat the pipe with a torch (to almost
red hot). Place folded wet towels onto the pipe (instant steam) and bend
your wood right over the top of the towels, the idea here is that the steam
generated off the towels allows the wood fibers to move relative to each
other.

Notes on this technique:
1. Thoroughly soak the wood you will be bending by submerging in water for
a couple of days.
2. Keep a bucket handy and resoak the rags regularly, also reheat the pipe
regularly.
3. Don't force the wood to bend it. Just place it on the pipe with very
little pressure, you will actually feel it start to give a little at a time.
4. It helps to have two people for this process (one to handle the torch
and one to handle the wood).
5. You may not be able to bend plywood using this method due to the grain
orientation of the various plys, and the adhesive used to hold the whole
mess together.
6. When done bending, clamp you work into a form (roughly shaped like the
final project) and let is cool and dry for about a day.

This is also a great method because a number of different diameter iron or
steel pipes is a lot cheaper than a number of different diameter steam
benders.


<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
> joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
> I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
> used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
> ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
> Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
> some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
> and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
> And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>
> Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
> try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
> laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]
>
>

I think this might work. http://www.melright.com/busker/jsart35.htm

Bob


"Oleg Lego" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The [email protected] entity posted thusly:
>
>>Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
>>joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
>>I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
>>used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
>>can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
>>ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
>>Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
>>some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
>>and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
>>And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>>
>>Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
>>try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
>>laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]
>
> Plywood will not readily form a perfect circle because of its
> construction, and because the ends need to butt together, leaving a
> weak spot that will always be out of whack.
>
> I would form it with steamed veneer. Rolls of various widths are
> available from better wood places (don't bother with the BORG (Home
> Depot or Lowes). It's available in a lot of different woods.
>
> I suggest posting your question on rec.woodworking for a better range
> of ideas.
>

If you go to my web page:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/sand_glasses.htm

You will see, on the top sandglass, bent wood that forms the cylinders that
hold the sandglass in place. For this application I bought some veneer and
boiled it for a few minutes. It bent easily.

However the run of the grain was not along the long length of the veneer.
So I cut out a piece such that the grain ran parallel to the enges of the
cylinder. This avoids breaking while bending.


Gregg

Replicas of 15th-19th century nautical navigational instruments:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/backstaffhome.html

Restoration of my 82 year old Herreshoff S-Boat sailboat:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/SBOATrestore.htm

Steambending FAQ with photos:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/Steambend.htm



[email protected] wrote:

> Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
> joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
> I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
> used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
> ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
> Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
> some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
> and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
> And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>
> Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
> try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
> laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]

> I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
> used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option

Just a few ideas...

1. A square container? Much easier to build if you don't NEED a round dice
cup. You could expand on the idea by making an 8 sided container instead of
4 sided. Easier to grip than a circular cup anyway... :)

2. Make a circle cutting jig for your router and straight cutting bit. Cut
out the outer circle, then the inner circle. This would leave you with a
"donut". Glue together a stack of these and one on the bottom and you've
got a cup. You could even get fancy with alternating wood types.

3. Make a variation of a "bandsaw box". Draw the container on a solid block
of wood, then cut it out on a bandsaw. Glue the pieces back together and
you're done. You could get creative with the shape using this approach.

4. Take a solid chunk of wood and slowly carve out the inside and outside
with chisels and sandpaper. Alternative tools could include a "Dremel"
rotary tool, or carving knives. Sounds like a good project to do while
sitting out on the porch. :) You could get creative with the shape and wood
here too, maybe carve it out of a tree burl, or a stump or something
similar.

> Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
> try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
> laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]

No idea on that one. Maybe use a tablesaw to cut "V" grooves in a board,
then set the saw back to 90 degrees and cut the dice apart. It would take a
bit of setup and experimentation, but I would think it would work?

Anthony

In article <[email protected]>,
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

You can try an experiment with a heat gun. Anchor one end of your wood,
then heat it with the gun and wrap it around the mandril. You would
have a fair chance of success with a wood like cherry or oak but plywood
is an unknown.

Dick


> Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
> joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
> I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
> used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
> can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
> ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
> Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
> some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
> and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
> And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>
> Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
> try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
> laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]
>

Oleg Lego wrote:

> The [email protected] entity posted thusly:
>
>>Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
>>joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
>>I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
>>used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
>>can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
>>ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
>>Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
>>some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
>>and funds to build a steamer.

What's a dice cup, about 2.5 inch diameter by 3 inches high? That means
that you need pieces about 8x3 steamed. You should be able to do that on
the kitchen stove in a stockpot.

>>Is there any other option I could use?
>>And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>>
>>Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
>>try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
>>laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]
>
> Plywood will not readily form a perfect circle because of its
> construction, and because the ends need to butt together, leaving a
> weak spot that will always be out of whack.
>
> I would form it with steamed veneer. Rolls of various widths are
> available from better wood places (don't bother with the BORG (Home
> Depot or Lowes). It's available in a lot of different woods.
>
> I suggest posting your question on rec.woodworking for a better range
> of ideas.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

The [email protected] entity posted thusly:

>Used to carpentry, I usually make puzzles/brainteasers etc. Recently I
>joined a games group and dice are involved. Not just 6 sided die. Well
>I was wondering on how I would go about making a dice cup that can be
>used to to store the dice too. Since I have no access to a lathe I
>can't use that option, so I hunted in the workshop and found a sheet of
>ply wood 1/16 thick 4 inches wide. Perfect size for my dice cup.
>Trouble is how do I go about bending this into a perfect circle. I did
>some research and found steaming is an option but I'm short on space
>and funds to build a steamer. Is there any other option I could use?
>And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
>
>Also any ideas on making dice, looks like an interesting project to
>try. Should be easy with a 6 sided die but the others should be a
>laugh, especially the 20 sided.[:-?]

Plywood will not readily form a perfect circle because of its
construction, and because the ends need to butt together, leaving a
weak spot that will always be out of whack.

I would form it with steamed veneer. Rolls of various widths are
available from better wood places (don't bother with the BORG (Home
Depot or Lowes). It's available in a lot of different woods.

I suggest posting your question on rec.woodworking for a better range
of ideas.

"TrailRat" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I should really point out that I have no powered bench tools. I mainly
> work with hand tools and handheld power tools. I have in my power tool
> collection a router, jigsaw, circular saw and a belt sander. I also
> have a drill which doubles up as drill press and it has a stand so I
> can attach a grinding wheel so I can sharpen my chisels. The Wilthon
> lathe sound like my price range but do they ship over here in UK.
>
> Going to try everyones technique at least once see what I like the look
> of. The ply wood is use is either birch, oak, teak or cherry venered.
> Makes the puzzles cheap to make without looking cheap.


Here's an idea, since you have a drill press. I made a cup (drinking, not
dice) for a friend of mine like this.

Go out in the woods and find a birch tree or branch the same diameter you
want your cup. Cut a section out.

Get a big forstner bit, and drill out the center. I did this, leaving
about a 3/8" wall. It dried fine with no checking.

Boiling is always a good substitute for steaming......I am not sure about
bending plywood though.
Dave

: And can plywood be bent around into a perfect cylinder?
:

As another mentioned, you probably wouldn't bet able to bend the plywood
tight enough. But if you can get your hands on some veneer, couldn't you
simply bend each layer around a form and build it up layer by layer?

Rick