I need to make a curved apron for a table. I was planning on laminating wood to form a curve with a 48" inside radius. How much spring back can I expect and how should I adjust my bending form to account for spring back?
Rudy
If you are gluing more than three laminations it will be approximately nothing.
Spring back will be reduced as you add the number of pieces. With 4-5 pieces you will only experience very little spring back. Hint: Use a slow setting glue, build both the negative form and a positive one as well, clamp well. I did neither with the last project. It was a pain.
I just made some cabinet doors with a radius of 17 inches. My laminations were from 1/8 inch "bending" plywood which is very flexible in one direction. I also used a urea formaldehyde glue called Unibond
800. When this glue dries it is completly ridgid. If you use a yellow glue and if you're bending stiff wood, I would expect springback and it might continue to spring back over a long period of time. With the bending plywood, you will need to apply a veneer.Mitch
If you use several layers you won't see a whole lot of spring back. I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you have a good way to attach the apron to the table. You should be able to spring it back where you need it as you secure it to the table top. My only suggestion would be that if you're making it in two halves make your jig a little bit more than half the circle. That way you can cut the ends where you need them and still have the bend at the ends.
Mike O.
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