Steaming replacement frames on 1959 aage nielsen yawl. at choptank boatworks in denton maryland a wooden boat building and restoration shop.. How to bend wood. in this article: article summary bending wood with the steam box method bending wood with the lamination method bending wood with the kerf-cutting method community q&a references. although most projects involving wood use straight boards, some require bent wood. bent wood can add uniqueness and flair to a project.. Soak the wood in a bowl of hot water until it easily bends. test the wood for pliability every 10 minutes. remove the wood plank from the water once it bends without showing signs of splintering. place the soaked wood plank onto the boat hull, following the curves of the hull. apply a hot iron to the plank as you bend it in place..
Steam bending wood allows the wood grain to follow the bend, leaving it strong where a piece cut from larger stock would snap across crosscut grains or laminated joints. the largest steam boxes are used in boat building to bend the large planks for the frame and hull.. Boats are usually wider in the center, growing slimmer toward the ends of the boat. the planks should follow the same formula, being wider at the center of the boat and tapering inward toward the ends. wet the planks thoroughly and then place them on the hull, using a hot iron to bend them along it.. Steaming a strip of wood introduction. making a curvature in a sawn strip of wood so that this rib fits onto the hull of the ship. what steps does the shipbuilder take if he wants to make a curved rib from a straight piece of sawn wood by heating that strip of wood?.
