Steam Bending

[Chris]

I want to make a Morris chair with curved arms. If I had a bandsaw I might make it with canted arms or laminate it. There is a thru mortise on the arm. My question , is it wise to cut the mortise on the arm before steaming? If not how do you judge the angle of cut on a curved piece? Also if you cut it before steaming it may not be orientated correctly anyway.

Thanks, Chris

[aswr]

buy a bandsaw...rent a bandsaw....borrow a bandsaw....take a class with a bandsaw... get yourself a bandsaw!!

[Jeff P.]

So then, you think a bandsaw might be a good idea?

[Andy Dingley]

Then ignore it and use a froe instead.

Bandsaw your steam bent timber _after_ you've bent it, not before. It's much easier to steam wiggly grain and then saw it straight than it is to bend short-grained timber.

[Phisherman]

For the most part, it is easier to cut a mortise (on square stock) before cutting any curves. Steaming presents a problem. In your case, I'd probably cut the mortise after steaming (and laminating). Use a bevel gauge and/or templates to get the proper angle. Building chairs is challenging due to all the complex angles and curves.