IthacaBill
WCHA Member #7902
can anyone help me bend stems, I have a jig and sort of a steamer. Need hands. Near Ihaca, NY
stems
- Thread starter IthacaBill
- Start date
Rollin Thurlow
member since 1980
Brian Knowles
Curious about Wooden Canoes
Extra hand
Thats to funny Rollin, way to go
Thats to funny Rollin, way to go
Dave Wermuth
Who hid my paddle?
I actually lol
not that lol that people merely type but a real live out loud chuckle.
Bill, I can help long distance only. Now if you were in Dryden Mi that would be a different story. So, long distance, here's what I do.
I break them sometimes but barring that:
Select a stick that is as straight grained as you can find. Orient the grain to minimize its chances of splitting.
Soak stem for a week in water. Some soak in kerosene.
I boil but you can steam- one hour per inch of thickness.
Use a flexible metal backing band on the outside to keep any grain from lifting.
I like to use steady pressure and let the wood bend at its own pace.
You can feel it relax as it goes.
Have all your clamps and wedges and that ready to go.
I bend a stem that is double wide and saw it in two after it has set.
If you have the books, now would be a good time to review
Also, Rollin has a video on steam bending that I shall buy for myself someday.
Are there any members near you?
Is there a local chapter nearby?
It seems odd to say but I learn more when I break them than when they bend fine. It is ok to find out what doesn't work.
Sometimes if the grain lifts a little bit it still may be ok because that part will get removed while tapering the shape of the stem. I've never measured the angle, just make it fair to the rest of the hull. I cut the notches with saw and chisel, after careful dry fit and measuring.
Go for it and let us know how it went.
regards, Dave.
not that lol that people merely type but a real live out loud chuckle.
Bill, I can help long distance only. Now if you were in Dryden Mi that would be a different story. So, long distance, here's what I do.
I break them sometimes but barring that:
Select a stick that is as straight grained as you can find. Orient the grain to minimize its chances of splitting.
Soak stem for a week in water. Some soak in kerosene.
I boil but you can steam- one hour per inch of thickness.
Use a flexible metal backing band on the outside to keep any grain from lifting.
I like to use steady pressure and let the wood bend at its own pace.
You can feel it relax as it goes.
Have all your clamps and wedges and that ready to go.
I bend a stem that is double wide and saw it in two after it has set.
If you have the books, now would be a good time to review
Also, Rollin has a video on steam bending that I shall buy for myself someday.
Are there any members near you?
Is there a local chapter nearby?
It seems odd to say but I learn more when I break them than when they bend fine. It is ok to find out what doesn't work.
Sometimes if the grain lifts a little bit it still may be ok because that part will get removed while tapering the shape of the stem. I've never measured the angle, just make it fair to the rest of the hull. I cut the notches with saw and chisel, after careful dry fit and measuring.
Go for it and let us know how it went.
regards, Dave.
