Any hints on how to curve a wooden baseboard easily? It's an eight-foot piece that I want to end up curved through about 60 degrees of arc. I started by trapping it between two walls, in about the right shape, for this weekend of high humidity. I live in an apartment with no opportunity to easily create a steam box. Would it help to get it wet in the shower first, or to draw it momentarily over a pot of boiling water?
Without seeing it, I'd say you won't get 60 degs. of arc with a water bath or a momentary steambath. If it's a three piece (baseboard with separate molding on top, plus shoe), consider kerfing the back of the baseboard, and then working to curve the shoe and top molding.
A steambox for the two smaller molding pieces is easier to build--2" CPVC (do NOT use PVC: I've tried it and the pipe sags before the wood bends) with some kind of support to keep the wood off the bottom). Put a neck of some kind on to feed steam from a kettle on your kitchen stove. Cap both ends, glue one end, but leave ONE cap loose. Have at least two pieces of shoe and two of molding on hand. Go for it. I used a car radiator hose into a T molding, with a short bit of aluminum pipe right where the steam entered the hose--probably not essential. You're leaving one end cap loose, and standing away from it while applying heat and steam, just in case steam builds up too much. It's extremely unlikely, but why take a chance. Also, I used an old photo thermometer to check temps in the CPVC tube, though, in truth, I'm not all sure if it did any good. It did ruin the thermometer.
Google this:
'Fabric softener used in bending wood'
Many people swear by that stuff. I personally have no experience with it.
I take it that baseboard = skirting board. MDF is much more flexible than timber. If the profile is simple and it is to be painted just copy it in _best_quality_ MDF (pref MR) and just bend it and fix it.
Tim W
Are you painting it?
If so, exchange it for the same profile made from 1/2" MDF.
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