Hey Friends,
I am bending 1/8th strips of shag bark hickory to make Native American ball sticks. For some reason, the wood I harvested is cracking during the bend unlike any other hickory I've used in the past.
Questions for you pro wood benders:
1) I harvested the wood a little late in the year (May). Would this really make that much difference in bending?2) Can the place where I harvested hickory make a big difference? I got the wood 75 miles north of me in a state park (with permission).
3) I've been trying to steam bend the wood. I built a steam box using 4" PVC and a steam kettle. It seems to work ok. Using the 1 inch per hour formula, I tried steaming for 10 minutes, no luck. 20 minutes, no luck. 30 minutes, some luck. At what point am I oversteaming the 1/8th inch strips to make them weak? Should I go ahead steam even longer to make hopefully more successful bends?Thanks much for any help.
S.