I bent a maple board this time to see if my previous problems ( splitting and egging ) were the result of trying to bend the oak. Here are the stats:
- Start the steamer at 14:01
- Full steam and insert board at 14:30 - 29 minutes to start
- Turn the board over at 14:45 - 15 minutes on first side
- Pull out and bend 15:01 - 16 minutes on the second side.
The board bent OK, but you can see that it is still egg shaped. The oak wasn't working out, but the maple isn't working out either.
Still Shaped Like an Egg
Here is the closeup of the pointy bit.
Closeup
It also split on the side.
A Strange Looking Split
That is a strange looking split. It is not along the edge like the other ones. It looks almost like it is just a fault in the board. Oh well. I makes the board unusable for a hoop.
The egg shape seems to be a function of something that is basically wrong with how I am bending these boards. It is a constant outcome. I need to give some thought to how I can fix that.
But hey, I'm getting lots of practice using my steamer.
