Steam Bending Problems

[duke3192]

I agree with bubby, I've made several static recurves and have had splinter problems on all of them.It seems that if you steam longer=less splinter, start out with enough that you can reduce the tips. I've taken tips that splintered from 3/4" at bending to 3/8" at finish, you will usually have enough thickness before the tip that you don't need to worry about it. I've also done overlays, and buildups and even bending on the same form, there are always minor glitches you have to correct.

[simson]

1. Your steaming setup isn't the best. You loose a lot of the hot steam you want in the wood damping useless in the air.
2. You need to have your steaming setup and your jigs/caul near together, the bending must be done inbetween seconds!
3. use a steel strapp as suggested
4. the bending area should have no more than max. 12-15mm (looking at that big bend)
5. you could help the wood bending with a heatgun to hold temperature in the steamed wood

and yes look for a straight grained piece with no run out, as mentioned before.

[bushboy]

If you leave the tips wide and sand the edges quite round it will help. With splinters.i use marc st Louis localized steam method for bending tips.clamp the tip on a caul, place a wet cloth over the area to be bent,cover with foil and heat with a gun.by applying downward pressure you will feel the wood starting to give in about 5 to 7 minutes.i only use about the weight of my arm as pressure.works great with elm, not sure about white oak?that being said,i havn't tried that aggressive of a bend before,albeit close though.

[arachnid]

Thanks a lot for all the great tips guys.
That was only a try-out session, to get the hang of steam bending. I know that
board is not the best, but the real board I`m making the bow from is
better. I`m happy to know that if a splinter like that happens
on the real thing, it`s not lost....

Well, I`m off the the work bench, wish me luck...

[lebhuntfish]

I've yet to try this, but could you boil the tips? I would think doing that would make them like rubber. Patrick

[bubby]

Patrick I soak a rag in hot water and wrap the tip then place it in the steam pot, in the water, kind of combo steam/boil then when I take it out to bend it's in that hot wet rag that I take off as I put it in the jig this gives me a little longer time as I don't lose heat going from pot to form

[Joec123able]

Jo I'd like to see you bend a big static like he's trying and only steam it ten minutes, for those big bends I steam about an hour and bend all at once, about 5/8" thick and two clamps

Here's a static im working on. 3/4 thick and that's after I removed some wood after bending it. Steamed 10 mins no problem no splinters. Also for alignment I steam the handle for 20 mins fixed that no problem no splinters

[bubby]

My family is from Missouri joe, I see the pic but I know from my personal experience that I can't get it to bend in ten minutes and get a static bend, except in a microwave, I've made bends on short wood in the microwave but even that took seven minutes and it heats from the inside out, not saying you can't do it but I know with all the wood I've bent I can't,

[Joec123able]

My family is from Missouri joe, I see the pic but I know from my personal experience that I can't get it to bend in ten minutes and get a static bend, except in a microwave, I've made bends on short wood in the microwave but even that took seven minutes and it heats from the inside out, not saying you can't do it but I know with all the wood I've bent I can't,

It's all good man just wanted to prove that I'm not just saying it

[Blaflair2]

The bow is yeller, this is RO. Ones a stave ones a board. Staves bend a lot better. Specially if u have one ring on the belly. It looks like this lifted along the grain. Apples and oranges IMO.

[Joec123able]

The bow is yeller, this is RO. Ones a stave ones a board. Staves bend a lot better. Specially if u have one ring on the belly. It looks like this lifted along the grain. Apples and oranges IMO.

I believe I said all of that in my original comment

[Badger]

  If the wood is green it will transfer the heat a lot faster than it will on dry wood. On 3/4" piece of seasoned osage I go a full 45 min steam. I have tried 20 and 25 min and it just wasn't long enough to let it bend. Fast moving steam over the bending area will also accelerate the heating process.

[DC]

I bent a green(down 4 hours) piece of OS yesterday. About 3/4" thick x 1 1/2" wide. Steamed for 15 min, bent like a noodle! I got more springback than with dryer wood. Will the green wood hold the bend as it seasons or can I expect even more springback?

[bubby]

green wood should stay in the form or it can twist and straighten out your bend, and OS checks like a mad dog bites, good luck with it