Fine Woodworking On Bending Wood

"Whether making a delicate violin, a pair of skis or a graceful armchair, you'll need to bend wood. This text presents the basic methods and trade secrets from the experts."--Amazon.com.

Learn the basic methods for bending wood in this comprehensive guide that includes bending green wood, bending with heat or steam, bending panels and laminations. Demonstration projects will take you through the process step-by-step, and include shaker boxes, a bow for an arrow, a rustic chair, and more.

Wood bending is intriguing to the vast majority of woodworkers, but until now most have not had access to the information they need to add it to their repertoire. Wood Bending Made Simple, a highly visual book and DVD, changes that. It features step-by-step instruction on some of the most common techniques. Expert Lon Schleining explains and demonstrates both steam bending (where steam relaxes wood fibers so they can be shaped when clamped to a bending form) and bent lamination (where thin strips of wood are glued together, then clamped to a bending form). Schleining shows just how easy it can be to master these techniques, even using relatively low-tech equipment.

Learn how to buy, dry, store and mill timber. This text explains which species are good for which jobs and how to design joints that accommodate wood's seasonal swelling and shrinking.

Using the three basic approaches to producing curved parts--laminate bending, steam bending, and milling by machine--this book provides step-by-step instructions on each method, the pros and cons of each project, and how to troubleshoot problems. Also included are discussions and advice as to what methods will work and what methods will not in various applications.

How many items around your house feature bent wood? It doesn't take expensive machinery or exotic hand tools - just apply the proven methods and techniques in this guide to your favourite projects.

Written from the craftsman's perspective, this book provides solid information on all aspects of wood. Attention is also given to the physical properites, seasonal changes, and how different types of wood react to machining and finishing.