Bending Basswood Sheets

Basswood is a lightweight wood ideal for model building.

Bending basswood sheets.

Step 1 preparing the steamer or hot water. Basswood as light as it is is a relatively simple wood to bend. Bending wood allows you to create complex models or shapes that can accommodate numerous woodworking projects. Step 2 steaming the wood.

Clamp the laminated strips in the bending form spacing the clamps every 3 dead center in the middle of each segment of the press. To bend basswood you need to steam it first to soften the fibers of the wood making it easier to. Place your piece of basswood on the cup under the steam. When most of us hear the words bending wood we think of steam bending.

Then put the saltshaker or weight on the wood so that it stays up under the steam. Place a glass cup a canning jar will work under your flow of steam. The video tells how to bend balsa using household ammonia many modelers have had a lot of difficulty bending balsa or hardwood by using this technique there are no more troubles. The available methods of getting balsa to bend more can be broken down into the following sections laminating one sided moisture heat chemicals long soak with all bending operations it s suggested that you start out with the most flexible piece of balsa that you can obtain typically this is referred to as a grain balsa.

Often during a construction project you will need to bend wood. Basswood is a lightweight wood ideal for model building. These radii increase if you bend the sheet along the grain of the wood instead of across it because splinters are more likely to form when bending along the grain. You need a mold.

You can get a bend radius of as little as two feet by bending 1 4 inch plywood whereas the minimum bend radius for 3 4 inch plywood is 12 feet. To bend basswood you need to steam it first to soften the fibers of the wood making it easier to bend. Step 5 holding the shape. Step 4 bending the basswood.

Get an object heavy enough to hold your basswood on the cup for example a glass salt shaker. How to bend basswood. Try soaking the balsa use a b grain not c grain in hot water laced with 1 2 cup ammonia overnight. Often during a construction project you will need to bend wood.

I drilled 1 diameter holes in the form to hold the top face of the clamps and automatically space them. Bending wood allows you to create complex models or shapes that can accommodate numerous woodworking projects. There are generally 2 ways you can soften basswood. The first is to steam the wood and the second is to place the wood in hot water for a certain period of time.

Basswood as light as it is is a relatively simple wood to bend. I generally use a bath tub for longer strips.