Side bending quilted maple

[Dick Hutchings]

I'm having a lot of trouble bending quilted maple using my torch and pipe like I normally do on regular to curly maple. Would it make any difference if I used the StewMac heater? I have some extra money set aside for tools I just don't want to waste it.
Richard Hutchings

[sunburst]

Either method will work.
A bending strap can help a lot on the hot pipe.
Are you getting "flats" in the bends, or grain lifting?

[Dick Hutchings]

Some flat spots but mostly grain lifting. I don't soak the wood, I just spray the side that goes on the iron. I've tried the bending strap, it hasn't helped so far.

[Dennis Russell]

I am interested in the how to bend highly figured maple, I had some sides on one of my recent mandolins that I used a strap and made special molds but the wood still fractured at different places. I thought about building a steam box to get the wood as soft and flexible as spaghetti.
Keep me informed on any new devices or techniques to bend figured maple. the sides I bent, fractured in several areas, I hadnt any more figured maple so I placed fractured maple in a special mold and glued it back to gether.
you would have to look real close at the instrument side to see any fracture lines and a glue joint. guifiddle@earthlink.net

[austin]

if it is an area that contacts a block, you can sand or scrape it a little bit thinner. Just remember you did it and where when it comes time to true the sides before routing your binding ledge.

[Dick Hutchings]

I hadnt any more figured maple so I placed fractured maple in a special mold and glued it back to gether.

I'm almost there. I'm really wondering if a more controlled heat would make a difference.

[sunburst]

Sounds like you're doing everything about right.
Some things to try:
-Thinner wood. If your wood is thicker than about .080" or .090", it can be harder to bend without grain lifting. I've known of builders using side material at .060".
-Hotter iron. If you can't bend the wood without scourching, it's too hot. Otherwise it's not too hot.
-Practice. You just have to find the technique that works for you by bending and breaking some wood.

[Dave Cohen]

There are just some pieces of wood, both in curly and quilt figures, that bend easier than others. I have bent some pieces that would not bend without fracturing. Others that looked very similar were surprisingly easy to bend. Yes, same day, same technique. The only thing close to a generalization I can come up with is that the samples of European maple which I have used were easier to work with. Not only did they carve easily, but they also bent easily.

[John Bertotti]

Tom Durr has bending heat blankets in the classifieds sometimes. John

[mandolinplucker]

I tried the hot pipe deal and had the same problem. I figure whatever it takes to get it done is right. I glued up some plywood to the same thickness as the sides. I cut the shape that I wanted on the bandsaw so that I had an inside and an outside mold. I had to cut the outside mold into a few pieces so that the wood wouldn't bind in the sharp curves. I made a sandwitch - aluminum roof flashing, wet paper towel, figured maple,wet paper towel and roof flashing. I blew hot air from a heat gun on the maple sandwitch as I tightened the molds together with clamps. The gun will heat the wood on both sides untill the molds are tightened together.Worked for me.

[mandomaniac]

OOOPS.....
Hey folks,
It seems I let the classified expiration slip by me.....
I will post another (THANKS SCOTT!)
I do offer a heat blanket system for side bending that will make life incredibly easier. But as others have stated, if you don't attend to proper wood selection and thicknessing, bending will be problematic no matter what. I believe most difficulties can be attributed to sides being too thick as Sunburst pointed out....but lack of patience also equals cracks. With my system and method, the entire side is quickly and evenly brought to "butter temp" and if you slowly, smoothly make the bends it goes like magic. However if I feel I am having difficulty and needing to force things a bit much, I hold it there, let things cool, then start again ....remaking the "sandwich" from that point. Subsequent heat cycle will make it butter again and you can bring it iin to form. I do espouse solid male/female forms.
Check my ad later today!
Tom

[Dick Hutchings]

That sounds like a real interesting and easy idea Tony, almost too good to be true. I'm definately going to try it, at least on the unfinished part, "the scroll". I've got the rest of it bent already. I'll let you know how it turns out, could be a while though, I just got some new toys, Porter Cable 892 with the through table adjuster and a Bench Dogt ProTop router table, that are calling my name. Maybe I can use them to make the heat fixture. Yeah, that's it.

[mandomaniac]

OK....got the ad posted successfully (although no pic yet...later tonight hopefully)
Give me a shout if I can help.
Thanks,
Tom

[mandolinplucker]

Richard, I'm not that inventive or inovative. I got my Idea from Mandomaniac. I saw an application of his heat blanket system. The mold that I saw was an inside mold mounted on a piece of plywood with a bunch of outside mold pieces attached to threaded rod so that as the wood becomes plyable the outside molds can be screwed in to bend the wood to conform to the inside mold. If I ever decide to make more than a couple for me to play I will get his blanket system,but for one off I just rigged something to see if it would work - Happily - it did. I was runnung out of figured maple. One suggestion. If you are like me and don't have a clue what you are doing- Have extra wood on hand. I screwed up a few sides before I got the hang of it.

[mandomaniac]

Here's a link (to save bandwidth) to pic of solid forms for mando ...my Sel-Mac design....to give you an idea. But definitely many form approaches are possible..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums....017.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v69/mandomaniac/Heat%20Bending%20System/P7050017.jpg)
Tom

[Dick Hutchings]

I thought I should share my experience with a borrowed Stew Mac bender, thanks Randy.

This is a major improvement over my pipe setup for a couple of reasons. 1) Because I used it vertically it was much easier to see what I was doing with the strap over the wood. 2) Using the odd radii #I was able to heat up a larger area on the big radius and slide over to a tighter one and because the temperature is so controlled I could leave it on longer and let it take shape. I didn't have any scorching, cracking or flat spots. Yahoo. I'll be staying on Randys good side, at least until I get my own :-)

[RJinRI]

Your welcome, Richard, glad it worked for you...I'll be over to use that new toy you got when I get to the binding stage.
Randy