Steam bending wood....

[SteveA]

I'd like to steam bend some bone oak branches.... is that even possible, would I be wasting my time trying to do that?

 

Whatever, I'd like to build something for steam bending ash poles, Hazel poles, etc.... so any advice would be great, and pictures.

 

Cheers, steve

[timbernut]

An old tea urn or similar works well, with a pipe 3 or 4 " (depending on how big you want t go) from the lid to a chamber (that thick, ribbed 12" land drain pipe is good for the chamber chamber) at a slight angle with a small drain hole underneath at bottom to drain excess water and a small hole at top to stop it pressurising if you got a good seal on the system. I can't see why you couldn't steam bone oak (I presume you mean bits like off 'stag head' oaks?) would just take a lot longer to become pliable. Last time I did it was yes ago so no pics I'm afraid

 

 

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[SteveA]

An old tea urn or similar works well, with a pipe 3 or 4 " (depending on how big you want t go) from the lid to a chamber (that thick, ribbed 12" land drain pipe is good for the chamber chamber) at a slight angle with a small drain hole underneath at bottom to drain excess water and a small hole at top to stop it pressurising if you got a good seal on the system. I can't see why you couldn't steam bone oak (I presume you mean bits like off 'stag head' oaks?) would just take a lot longer to become pliable. Last time I did it was yes ago so no pics I'm afraid

 

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Thanks for that mate

I've got an old tea urn with lid and also some of that ribbed water pipe (or will the plastic melt?).

Yes that's right: bone oak = stag head oak

 

cheers, steve

[timbernut]

No worries! The robbed pipe I'm on about is the stuff they bury when filling ditches/doing culverts not the flexi water pipe, alkethene water pipe (blue stuff) would work for the joiner and won't melt (we used it for the connectors on geodesic dome and had to put it in boiling oil to flatten it so should cope with steam no prob[emoji3]

 

 

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[timbernut]

Ribbed not robbed! I may live in a caravan but I'm not a thief[emoji23]

 

 

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[Lazurus]

I use an old wallpaper stripper as a steam generator, this I feed into an insulated stainless pipe into which I put hazel for walking sticks, I put it at a slight angle to allow water to drain. Similar principle can be scaled up to suit anysize. Hazel only needs about 15 mins for 10 x sticks to become like rubber bands.

[timbernut]

One of these? I've just borrowed it n burned my hand stripping the bathroom, good call for wee stuff I reckon[emoji3]

 

 

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[timbernut]

Pic would help!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170607/84a1bf724ef017f0c7f4f4c2bc04d3e6.jpg[/img

About 40£ from homebase

 

 

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[timbernut]

Try again

 

 

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[SteveA]

Yeah I've got a section of the non-flexible ribbed pipe, very solid stuff.... also got some blue pipe and connectors" so it looks as though I just need to fit it all together!

 

The wallpaper stripper is a good idea too but it needs to be off grid so best option for me is to light a fire umder. the urn.... or may do that by constructing a rocket stove out of bricks.

 

Cheers, Steve