Anyone Have Experience with this Bending Method?

[Dave]

Watched this bending plywood method. I was wondering if anyone had an experience with it?

[Swingman]

Looks eerily similar, wot?

right through the next few photos ...

Although I used the shown 3/4" maple plywood panels to make that 1 1/2" rigid curved corner, you could easily use those same two kerfed plywood panels in my photo ... each glued up in a sandwich with bendable plywood, or alone ... as cauls, along with the jig, to make your own curved plywood laminations at a fraction of the cost of their equipment.

I buy 3/8" bender board plywood at our local dealer for $25.95/4x8 sheet. Just that, and the jig, would also make good cauls for laminating plywood in the same manner.

DIY ... looking better all the time. :)

[Dave]

What's different about bender board ply than regular? Does it just bend and stay to form after clamping time or do you have to wet it or something similar first?

[Swingman]

It's flexible plywood which can be bent around curves, but it won't hold that curve unless it attached/glued to a curved surface of some type ... lots of ways to effect that.

[Bill]

It is my understanding that one requirement of "bendable wood" is that it's not "kiln-dried" and hasa higher moisture content. Maybe the core of this plywoodis consistent with that?

[FrozenNorth]

Is that the stuff with all the shallow cuts in one side for the inside of the curve?

[Dave]

Ok, you're talking about wiggle wood. That I have heard of before. I was thinking that there was something different on the market.

[Dave]

On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:14:04 -0500, FrozenNorth

Hmmm, I don't think it has kerfs cut in it. I think the grain in the plys all run in the same direction.

[joeljcarver]

....

Unlike regular plywood, the grain in all the plies run in the same direction. It's available in two orientaqtions: grain running lengthwise - or grain running widthwise.

it or something similar first?

It has to be attached to something to retain its form - either a rigid frame, or it's laminated between several sheets of bent veneer on both sides.

[Swingman]

that's the stuff I use. Our supplier calls it "Bender Board" in their catalog.

I have a sheet of it in the rack, see if I can photo it tomorrow and post it.

[clare]

from a popular woodworking report: "Here?s the science: This is a Danish process (as far as I know) where wood is compressed lengthwise under heat and steam, which compresses the wood fibers along their length. Then, as long as the moisture content stays above 20 percent, the wood can be cold bent. You can twist it around like it is spaghetti. Then you clamp it in a form and let the moisture content drop. When it reaches equilibrium with your shop, the wood retains its shape. No springback. No splintering on the curves. Oh and I need to mention that it?s easy to bend in all three dimensions."

This was not plywood - but more like dimensional lumber.

Then there is bendy ply -

2 kinds I'm aware of - kerf back is thicker stuff with the back kerfed and covered with a flexible cover - the thin stuff is parallel grain ply with a thick soft core.

[Mike M]

Just amazes me what you get done in your shop. 8-) I used my small shop as an excuse for awhile. I expanded the shop so now I'll blame it on my girl friend.

Mike M

[Mike M]

I took an old 1950 Kenworth Pacific bus and turned it into an RV. I had a flat bed load of mill pond cedar to work with. This was in the

80's. I still have 2x10 clear cedar that you wouldn't recognize as cedar. Anyway we made an S curved wall where the bathroom door went and cut the boards like the backer board and glued them up two a day with epoxy. The last two boards were a challenge but since the side door was in the bathroom we had a way. Then just cut the door out.

Mike M

[Father Haskell]

Kiln drying cooks the lignin, making subsequent bending by steam or hot pipe more difficult.

[Father Haskell]

[Doug Miller]

FrozenNorth wrote in news:ke4mtu$fgf$1@dont- email.me:

Bending plywood has the grain running the same direction in all the plies. Both long-grain and cross-grain versions are available.

[Doug Miller]

Father Haskell wrote in news:9ac27aba-9d3c-40af-84a7- [e-mail]:

Which implies that wood dried in a low-heat dehumidification kiln would be easier to bend than wood dried in a conventional kiln.

Hmmmmm....

I bought a steamer at the Woodworking Show a week ago. Time to build a steam box and conduct some experiments, I think.

[Doug Miller]

Father Haskell wrote in news:3f988e1a-ef5d-4bc5-91ca- [e-mail]:

Correct.

[Swingman]

306.25sf - It ain't the size of the dog in the fight ... ;)

(but, you do get tired of having to spend time rearranging things on large projects so as not to fall into the table saw blade)

That particular 16' long desk linked above, with the 90 degree 1 1/2" thick, curved plywood bend, could never be fully assembled until the day it was installed ... requiring a bit of precision and carefullarity. ;)

On kitchens, we simply build one cabinet at a time, then bring each to a 'rented for the job' storage room until ready for installation.

Trade-off for the convenience of walking out the back door to work.

[Bill]

That sounds familar, you wouldn't by chance be from Montana would you?