I decided to bend another board. I want to make one last refinement to the process to get rid of that very slight pointy part on the previous hoop.... and I want to make sure that I can really do this now. I want to prove to myself that the last one was not a fluke.
The change that I am making is to flip the board end for end when I turn it over instead of just turning it over side to side. Here is what I mean.
Flipping the Board Over
In the drawing, you are looking at the end of the board, and the way I turned it over was to pull it out, flip it over and put it back in. So the same end the board went back into the steam box that came out.
What I am going to do is pull the board out and flip it end to end instead. Like this.
Flipping the Board End to End
In that drawing, you are looking at the long side of the board. I will pull the board out of the steam box and flip it end over end, so the end that was closest to me when it came out will be at the far end of the box when it goes back in.
The logic behind this is that any imbalance between the steam at the ends of the box will be balanced out by flipping the ends of the board. The board will also be turned over in the process so the sides of the board will flipped as well. I am hoping that this will get rid of that very last bit of egg shape that I saw in the previous board.
Other than that, the steps were the same as before. Here are the numbers.
- Start the steamer at 14:02
- Full steam and insert board at 14:36 - 34 minutes to start
- Turn the board over at 14:51 - 15 minutes on first side
- Pull out and bend 15:06 - 15 minutes on the second side.
I steamed it, pulled it out, and wrapped it around the form. It went quite smoothly and was a good bend.
The Board Wrapped Around the Form Smoothly
Here is another view of the board.
Another View of the Board
Where the Ends Overlap
Just Around the Corner from the Overlap
The Back Side of the Board
I don't see any splits or cracks in the wood either, so I think that this bend has worked out well.
