Today I used the new steam box to bend a board. But before I started I did some work to make the juggling of all those clamps and cauls easier to deal with. The spring clamps came with plastic tips on them to protect the wood. Plastic tips and very hot wood do not go well together, so I removed the tips.
The Clamps Have Plastic Tips
When I took off the plastic tips, I found the jagged jaws that the clamps have. To avoid denting the wood I had made some cauls out of my first bent board. They worked OK, but it is difficult to juggle them while I am bending the hot wood. So I have decided to make some cauls that will remain on the clamps.
The Jaws of the Clamps are Jagged
I cut up some 1/2" plywood that I found lying around to make the cauls. I don't know how thick it really is because I didn't measure it, but I suspect that it isn't 1/2". I made them about 2 1/2" long.
I Made Some Small Cauls to Put On the Clamps
I sawed a slot for the clamp in each end.
Sawing a Slot
I cut the piece in half to make two cauls.
Cut the Piece in Half
The slots are too wide to make a tight enough fit onto the end of the clamp, so I shimmed them with a piece of paper.
Shim the Cauls With Paper
There you go. Two cauls on the clamp. These will protect the wood and not melt under the heat.
The Two Cauls Stay on the Ends of the Clamps
When the clamps are in use, they will be mostly open like this, so the cauls should be parallel to each other.
When Clamped, the Cauls Will Be Parallel
I made three sets of cauls for three clamps. Here they are, ready to go.
Three Clamps Have Stuck On Cauls
Enough of that. On to the wood bending. Here is how the board goes into the box.
Open the Door and Insert the Board
Then I drop the gate latch hook into the matching eye to hold the door closed.
Latch the Door Shut Using the Gate Latch
We are ready to go. The form is clamped in the vise, and the spring clamps are inside the form for quick access.
The Form and Clamps Are Ready to Go
The steamer is cooking away. The drool is not coming out of the low end of the box into the drool bucket anymore. The steam is condensing and flowing down the hose onto the floor, so I put the Bundt pan under it to catch the drool on that end. Why a Bundt pan? That was all I could find in the panic of the moment.
The Bundt Pan Catches the Drool
Here is a closeup of the new drool pan.
Closeup of the Bundt Pan
While we wait, here is a closeup of the steamer that I use. This is a plain wallpaper steamer that I bought on-line. It cost about $50 (in 2012). It holds plenty of water to steam a board and simply plugs into a regular wall outlet. It takes about a half hour for it to work up enough steam to insert the board. I start it out with hot tap water to speed things up.
The Steamer
Here are the details of how I steamed this board.
- Start the steamer at 8:38
- First Steam at 8:58 - 20 minutes
- Strong steam and insert board at 9:08 - another 10 minutes
- Turn the board over at 9:23 - 15 minutes on first side
- Pull out and bend 9:38 - 15 minutes on second side
After the 30 minute steam I removed the board and wrapped it quickly around the form, clamping it as I went.
The Wood Has Been Bent Around the Form
Here is another view.
Another View of the Bent Wood
Yet another view.
Yet Another View
You may have noticed that I ran out of clamps. I had to throw in another spring clamp with a caul, plus I used the C clamps again because the board bowed out in some places and was not round. I tried to keep from over tightening the C clamps this time to avoid the flat spots I got last time. I don't know why I am getting bulges in the bent wood. We shall see what I got when I remove it from the form after 24 hours.
