Board Bending

[turbomonkeyexpress]

I would like to start building my deck this weekend, using some decent wood i can buy at Home depot (maybe oak?.. baltic birch if i can find it in a decent thickness so i do not have to laminate) but i want to build one of two kinds of decks, either a humped back deck for a little bit of spring, or a drop-through deck with the nose and tail bent upwards a bit, in more of a downhill board shape. I was wondering about the bending process, im pretty certain you fill a bath tub with hot water, weight the board to the bottom of the tub, and soak but im not sure for how long. Will Oak even bend like this or must i use baltic birch in a prelaminated ply? while soaking i will be building a jig in which to clamp the board to, post soak, and let it dry. If anyone could help me out with the timing of all this; Soak time, Dry time, best wood's to use for this, i'd really appreciate it. I've got a full woodshop to my disposal including routers, saws, sanders, u-name it, i got it, so im only limited to my knowledge. Thanks!

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[Hintermute]

I think the board soaking requires a great deal of heat. As far as i know from watching a show on building wood boats, the wood is almost boiled for several days, of course this is a foot thick log, but very hot none the less. Drying is also a somewhat lengthy process as well as i recall. I'm sure you can google a lot of information on steam pressing wood.

check this out, there are a couple of little reads on steam bending wood.

http://www.woodweb.com/KnowledgeBase/KBBWGeneral.html

[Lit]

it didnt work out well for me at all. i ended up building a press. kinda like this one http://users.pandora.be/Toothless/To...ess/press.html and keep a close eye on the wood from home depot, i've read a few horror stories about them

[Hintermute]

Yeah, i dont think steam pressing would work too well. It's used for general shaping but it is always braced by a rigid structue. It's shaped to reduce the stress on the joins afaik.

[SpookTheHamster]

Bending like that worked for me, but it's only worth the hassle if you only want to make one board.

I submerged the wood in almost boiling water for an hour or so, then started to bend it a little, poured more boiling water on, bent a bit more and repeated that until it was bent quite a lot further than I wanted. I then left it in that position for about 4 days, and when I took it out it was nicely where I wanted it.

I've used that to make camber in one board and a kick in another.

[whitmell]

just get 2 thinner sheets and laminate them, you can get a pack of wood screws for 2 bucks and it does the trick (holding them together) just fine. Less mess & hassle.

[mox]

downward or upward sized clamps, with hard rubber pads, between the metal press.

[THOR-ONE]

the issue with bending a pre-glued piece of wood using steam or hot water, is simply the glue. these bending processes are simply heating up the natural bond between the wood fibers to a plastic state, which allows you to bend it and jig it into the possisition you want. Either the glue won't let you do it (because of the tention it holds it will most likely revert to its original state) or the glue will weaken. The tech at Lee valey said i would not be able to steam bend glued parts. steam or hot water are good to pre-bend wood before the glueing process if you have a need for extreme bends (ie dropped).

if that doesn't help or make sense, ask Ted, he knows this stuff pretty well.

[turbomonkeyexpress]

it didnt work out well for me at all. i ended up building a press. kinda like this one http://users.pandora.be/Toothless/To...ess/press.html and keep a close eye on the wood from home depot, i've read a few horror stories about them

What about Lowe's? i dont want a board with voids in the laminate, that's for sure. i'd rather spend more money on decent wood. any specific suggestions if im going to a hardware store? i dont have a local woodworkers shop that sells premium cut wood. i'd eventually like to build a lexan board because i have a few hookups but for now, i'd like to start off with a wodden deck.

I think the board soaking requires a great deal of heat. As far as i know from watching a show on building wood boats, the wood is almost boiled for several days, of course this is a foot thick log, but very hot none the less. Drying is also a somewhat lengthy process as well as i recall. I'm sure you can google a lot of information on steam pressing wood.

check this out, there are a couple of little reads on steam bending wood.

http://www.woodweb.com/KnowledgeBase/KBBWGeneral.html

after posting i did a general google on steam bending and it seems like a pain in the tuckuss

the issue with bending a pre-glued piece of wood using steam or hot water, is simply the glue. these bending processes are simply heating up the natural bond between the wood fibers to a plastic state, which allows you to bend it and jig it into the possisition you want. Either the glue won't let you do it (because of the tention it holds it will most likely revert to its original state) or the glue will weaken. The tech at Lee valey said i would not be able to steam bend glued parts. steam or hot water are good to pre-bend wood before the glueing process if you have a need for extreme bends (ie dropped).

if that doesn't help or make sense, ask Ted, he knows this stuff pretty well.

So if im bending, forget laminates, just go for a hardwood one piece, bend it, and maybe glass it when it's done?





All in all guys, this is my first board build. i wanted to go for something with a little rocker and / or camber but maybe i should stick with a flat deck for a first run? not get too complicated? i wanted a drop deck for hillbombing because i've got a decent comet Pintail for doing all around cruising.

[Hintermute]

after posting i did a general google on steam bending and it seems like a pain in the tuckuss

Lol, Thats what i always do. I'll post a question and as soon as i do i need to verify that the post was necessary only to find that the topic was completely covered months ago.


As for bending and glassing. I'm not sure about the technical issues involved if any, but i think the idea rocks. I dont really ever recall seeing any cambered/rockered hardwood boards. It'd be sweet all stained and such with a nice stringer, then glassed, and spray on clear-grip.. Aww man, im getting a woody(pun most definitely intended).

[THOR-ONE]

[quote="turbomonkeyexpress"]

So if im bending, forget laminates, just go for a hardwood one piece, bend it, and maybe glass it when it's done?

for your first board, depending on length, go grab some 1/2" or 3/4" baltic birch and make a flat deck (for drop through use 3/4")

if you are really set of steam bending use some nice solid lumber. also check out lee valley's online steam bending guide, its really good.

if you want to bend, but don't want to use steam, use some 1/8" baltic birch, or some 1/16" maple (from Ted) and you can make a press or vac bag 'em, its pretty easy both ways.

[Wicked.Pissah]

DON'T steam or boil any kind of laminate. not only does it dissolve the glue in most cases, the grain of the plies is set at alternating 90 degree angles. this means the different plies swell different amounts. i suppose you could steam hardwood, it'll just take a crapload of time. to warn you, i experimented with steaming before beginning any boards, and every time i got tons of springback with 24 hours. in my opinion, steaming/boiling should only be used when building a board from individual veneers. then you can get more extreme shapes from the steaming, and you'll get even soaking and the glue will actually hold the board in shape.

don't buy from a warehouse like home depot or lowes. you won't find baltic birch, i guarantee it. for that you need a specialty store. if you want hardwood, again, find a better place. any local small-time lumberyard will have better wood, prices, and service. and ethics.

[Pyroshtface]

You might want to check this site out. However it didnt work out for me because i didnt let it dry too well. Word of advise: dont be impaitient with this method.

http://www.hugh308.homestead.com/tutor_longboard.html

[Lit]

no reason why you cant make a decent cambered board..u seen this? http://users.pandora.be/Toothless/To...ge1/page1.html you dont even have to build a press..personally haven't tried this build technic, but his decks look functional built this way. and no, i havent heard anything bad about lowes wood, or anything good either. this is my candy store
http://www.andersonplywood.com/conte...od_plywood.htm