VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Steam bending wood.

Has anybody out there tried steam bending wood. I've got a few smaller sized body pieces that if they do not glue up well I will need to remake. Are there any books that might give a little insight into this technique? :eek:

I don't know whether this will help ,but, I saw a piece about a fellow up in your neck of the woods (New England) he was a boat builder and he built a box put some oak boards in it and rigged up a steamer , steamed the wood for a few hours and then bent it around a form, looked to be made of plywood, eazy as pie, you might want to check with some of the wooden boat builders or restoreors, hope this helps.

The "New Yankee Workshop" had a deal on TV about steam bending mouldings and etc. for furniture. However, instead of a box Norm used a large diameter PVC pipe with fittings on the top for the steam. One end of the pipe was sealed and the other end had a threaded cap. :cool2:

There are three methods to get strong, stable curved wooden pieces. Steam bending is the least stable of them but relatively easy to do. The pipe method will work. Be sure that you do not have any restrictions on the venting of the steam so pressure is built up inside the steam generator or pipe. Steam hurt real bad if it gets on skin.

The method used by Chevrolet was finger jointing. Use short pieces and align the grain to be as parallel with the arc as possible. That will give the max. strength. It is not necessary to use finger joints. Two or more pieces glued together with the joints in the wood staggered will work well. Make sure to use water proof glue!

A third method is lamination. Make a fixture the same as with steam bending but instead of a single piece use 1/8" to 1/4" pieces of wood. Alternate the grain and glue them together in the shape. You can bend the individual thin pieces to make nearly any arc. Once the water proof glue is cured the piece will be extremely stable and strong. The best of the three options. It takes a few clamps and is a bit messy but not too difficult.

There are books by "The Woodwright Shop" that also explains how to make a wood steamer and how to bend wood. Your public library should have them. :cool2: Check for the videos there also.

If you are talking about the curved pieces for the top of a Coupe, as an example, try a wood knee. You cut a piece from a tree that is next to a branch. The curve is already there. A bandsaw can then cut the curved piece you need.

Norm of the New Yankee Workshop did the lamination bit. That would be the strongest. The toughest part would be to make the jig to form it in.

NO WORRY ABOUT BENDING, WHEN YOU BUY YOUR WOOD PIECES FROM JIM RODMAN. :) :) :) :)

Thanks for the input. I'm going to try some pieces steamed in the lobster boiler set on a gas grill. Might do some lobsters and clams after. I'll let you know how things work out.

Donald , some of us would recoil and pass out when we saw how much Rodman charges for a small piece of bare wood shaped just so. But not only that, but the feeling of accomplishment, when you can say" I made this with my own grubby little hands (and $20k worth of wood working tools) "and a $500 home-made steamer box! :p

Jim Rodman is the only way to go. I know several professional wood workers who purchased their Chevy wood kits from Rodman instead of making them theirselves, and are they ever happy that they did.

If you get the wood from Rodman, can you get it assembled or do you have to do it yourself? :confused: Or isn't it that hard? :rolleyes:

If you take all of your sheet metal to Rodman, he will assemble all of the wood for you, including the doors, but for a fee of course. :eek: :eek:

I SENT MY TWO DOORS ON MY 32 COUPE TO JIM RODMAN AND HE INSTALLED THE WOOD IN THEM. BILL BARKER ALSO SENT HIS DOORS AND HAD JIM DO HIS DOORS. AS FOR THE REST OF THE WOOD KIT THAT HE SENT ME,I PUT IT TOGETHER, AND IT WAS NOT THAT HARD TO DO. THE WOOD WENT TOGETHER WITH VERY FEW PROBLEMS. I COULD NOT IMAGINE TRYING TO MAKE THE WOOD PIECES MYSELF. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED ABOUT JIM RODMAN DOING YOUR WOOD WORK, JUST GIVE HIM A CALL AND HE WILL BE GLAD TO TALK TO YOU. HIS PHONE NUMBER IS 219-797-3775 JIM HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR 28 YEARS AND HIS WORK IS THE VERY BEST. :) :) :) :)