Asking for advice on making a bent piece

[rudy de haas]

The new laundry room has a small work surface (with sink) that is made from 1" plywood, a bit of thinset, and 1/4" tile. It fits in a corner and the total exposed edge length is 92 inches. There is a right angle corner that I've roughly rounded off using about a 5 inch radius lid as a guide. What I want to do now is wrap edging around this - ideally a u-shaped (to fit slightly over the plywood and tile) single piece of jatoba 92 inches long, 1" thick, 1.5" wide, with a 90 degree turn about 57 inches from one end and a 1/4 deep U cut out of the 1.5"wide side (i.e. the edge thickness ends up 3/4").

I have no tools for steaming other than a small dupray steamer and, obviously, no ready made jig or anything else for bending the wood.

Please tell me whether what I want to do can be done, and, if so, how to do it.

[Jeff Duncan]

There are many ways to skin a cat;) One way you could do this is to laminate thin strips of your jatoba around a form made to the size of your curve. It's a lot easier bending 1/8" thick pieces than a single 1" thick piece. The U-shaped channel can be routed with a simple bearing setup on a router table after the laminations are done. Probably the easiest way to go without trying to bend really thick stock.

good luck,
JeffD

[Jim Andrew]

I took a class years ago where we laminated thin layers between two pieces of formed hardwood. Glued the thin layers together, then put them between the shaped pieces, and clamped them up. Think we used some wax paper between the form and the thin pieces, to keep from gluing the whole thing into a block.

[rudy de haas]

There are many ways to skin a cat;) One way you could do this is to laminate thin strips of your jatoba around a form made to the size of your curve. It's a lot easier bending 1/8" thick pieces than a single 1" thick piece. The U-shaped channel can be routed with a simple bearing setup on a router table after the laminations are done. Probably the easiest way to go without trying to bend really thick stock.

good luck,
JeffD

Thanks!

I can do this - but doesn't the wood try to straighten itself out after you take it out of the clamps?

[Wayne Lomman]

No, the glue prevents the laminations sliding past each other which is what has to happen for it to straighten. This technique works for everything from your piece up to heavy section curved roof beams.

Personally, I do these by cutting and shaping the corner piece and butt jointing it to the straight pieces either side. It's 2 visible joints as opposed to the however many lamination joints. Its your preference. Neither has to be especially structural as the top itself is the structure. Cheers

[rudy de haas]

"do these by cutting and shaping the corner piece and butt jointing it to the straight pieces either side"

Yes, that's what I will be doing - thanks.