Hammer5573 Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 I've never done any steam bending in the past but I'm planning to do it in the near future. I thought that I read once (can't remember where) that wood that has been kiln dried cannot be steam bent. Does anyone know if this is true...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Marc did some experiments a while back, demonstrated that attempting to steam bend kiln dried wood is definitely a losing proposition. Look on the Woodwhisperer site for a video about building a sled last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barron Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 I believe Fine Woodworking recently did an article on steam bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Kiln dried wood isn't recommended... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Kiln dried wood can be steam bent but the radius limit is MUCH larger. For example if air dried could be bent to a radius of 6" kiln dried would be closer to 12-18". This is also highly species dependent. Species like oak, ash, and hickory bend better than species like maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 While I agree air dried wood is more conducive to steam bending then kiln dried other factors come into play. How severe are the bends, are you using multiple layers of thin material or are you bending the wood in one piece, etc. One thing you can do is soak the kiln dry lumber in a tub to bring up the moisture content prior to bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted February 23, 2021 Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 13 hours ago, Barron said: I believe Fine Woodworking recently did an article on steam bending. They did indeed #287-Jan/Feb 2021 Issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post krtwood Posted February 23, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 23, 2021 Dave at Engel's Coach Shop says you can bend kiln dried just fine and that's generally the only kind of wood he's able to get so that's what he uses and he's a pro at this. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 A lot off people do. It's all they can get. I've hear this many times when doing chairs. It's old news... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post davewyo Posted February 27, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 Yes, I steam bent kiln dried walnut, birch, maple, and exotics to make fishing nets. The strips were very thin so I had that going for me. Nonetheless I had to steam it for much longer than what is generally recommended on the internets. Some of my bends failed on the walnut so I steamed the devil out of it and it worked better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.