Good outdoor wood for steam bending

[Alan Lightstone]

I have a project that will need to be outdoors in the South Florida sun, and needs to be made either by bent lamination or steam bending.

I can locally get cypress and cedar (amongst other woods). Which would be a good wood to use for this?

[Dave Richards]

Cypress would probably be a good choice. You ought to check with the wooden boat builders in your area. See what they like.

[Jamie Buxton]

Another possibility is white oak (white, not red). It is pretty durable outside, and it steam-bends quite well.

[Mel Fulks]

Don't know how large the pieces will be ,but non kiln dried wood with some moisture still in it works best. Unless the pieces are thin it's difficult to steam bend kiln dried wood.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The first time I ever saw steam bent wood was 40 years ago. While stationed at NAS Meridian, MS, a CPO was experimenting and steam bent a piece of white oak using a water pan in his oven. I was amazed he was able to tie knot in that piece of white oak!

I just made a porch swing out of white last year. It's on a covered patio where it won't receive any direct sunlight and is protected from the weather on the west and north sides. I hope it outlast me.

[Jim Tabor]

Alan,
Depends on what you’re making. I make rocking chairs and have used white oak for outdoor projects using both bent lamination and steam bending. With laminations you won’t get spring back, with steam bending you may get 25% or more spring back. Over time steam bending will try to return to it’s original state.

[Chris Fournier]

Alan,
Depends on what you’re making. I make rocking chairs and have used white oak for outdoor projects using both bent lamination and steam bending. With laminations you won’t get spring back, with steam bending you may get 25% or more spring back. Over time steam bending will try to return to it’s original state.


Bent laminations can certainly be stable, but if not properly designed they will indeed spring back right out of the form or eventually over time.

Steam bent laminations when done right won't move a percepitble amount for the duration of your life.

Use the technique that suits you and do it right - you'll be successful!

[Jim Tabor]

Chris,
Looks like between the two of us we made very clear for Alan.:)

[Chris Fournier]

Chris,
Looks like between the two of us we made very clear for Alan.:)

True!

I personally find using bent components one of the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of my woodworking. There is really no short cut to acheiving reliable and intended results; you have to understand the processes and experiment until you get it right. After a while you develop a "feel" for it. A few thoughts:

When steam bending you need lots of steam and a way to bathe the wood blank in this steam. Cheat the heat and you will struggle to get poor results. I made a boiler out of a 10 gallon air compressor tank and it makes lots of steam for a long time - critical.

When laminating you have to find the right thickness of lamination that will conform to your form and not put too much stress on your glue to cause spring back. The right glue is critical as well. I find this to be the easier route over steam bending because you can machine away to get the right "recipe". steam bending is a one shot deal - it works or it doesn't for the most part.

The fishing net in my avatar has a three piece hoop. The laminations are steam bent into submission and then glued up in a bent lamination - a two step process that leaves me with a glued up blank that must be popped off the mold because it conforms perfectly.

Bending is fun and the process is more "magical" to me than most other reductive processes. Get it right and you feel like a champ!

[Kyle Hawke]

The newest issue of FWW has both an article on steam bending and woods that can be used outdoors (white oak, black locust, cedar, cypress). Black locust and osage orange are both very decay resistant and very durable. The osage would darken over time. They show how to fabricate a steamer from a length of pvc and a wallpaper steamer I think. From my experience, white oak is a nice bending wood.

[Joe Hillmann]

I used white oak on my last steam bending project. I got it from the mill as wet as I could get it. The boards went right from the mill into my car. Being that wet it was the best luck I have ever had bending wood. When I clamp the boards into the form I also clamp a leather belt to the back of the board. As long as there I kept tension on the belt I could make 8" diameter bends in 1"x1" oak without problems. When I didn't use the belt the boards splintered every time. The only complaint I have with the oak is it stinks. For weeks my house smelled of sour white oak.

[ray hampton]

bows are build from osage orange or maple, the bends in a bow may not be as sharp but bows do flex often