Bending B & Q pine mouldings

[OldWood]

Can this be done ? Having searched through various places, it does look as if I'm wasting my time trying.

It's just that one solution to finishing off the edge of some shelves on which I've planted 30 x 5mm pine reed moulding, would be to bend it round the end on a 50 -75mm radius.

I've tried wrapping a bit in wet kitchen roll and microwaving for up to 5 minutes without any willingness to move.

Thanks

Rob

 

[DaveL]

Rob,

I don't think your microwaving will work but if you steam the end of the moulding you may well be able to bend it. Do you have a wallpaper steamer? If not look round the boots fairs, the free advert papers or freecycle and try and pick one up. Make a box to hold the end of your moulding and contain the steam around it. This is the way that some chair hoops are bent, I think there was a write up a few months ago on the box used in the chair making process.

I think Good Surname or What? has done a chair making course, he may be able to offer first hand advice on the technique.

 

[Scrit]

I will add is this - only certain species will steam bend well. For example beech is good for steam bending, hence it's use in bentwood chairs, etc. whilst poplar is rubbish for steam bending. The other thing is that kiln-dried timbers will fail much more often than green or even air dried stock. I'm afraid to say that most softwoods have a poor steam bending characteristics, although I believe that Douglas Fir and Cedar and both somewhat better than other softwoods and are often used for thin steam-bent laminations in canoes and kayaks. And there'e someting else I've been told about by one opf our boatbuilding members - boat yards often throw planks to be bent into water and leave them there for several woeeks before bending them, however, the radii they are bending to are nowhere near as tight as what you are considering.

Scrit

 

[JFC]

Isn't B&Q moulding Ramin not pine ?

 

[OldWood]

Thanks for your replies, guys. Decided to abandon that idea anyway as it was clearly going to be a problem, and as this is a bookshelf it will need some sort of book end anyway, so back to the drawing board. Shows how well I prepare my projects doesn't it !! Excuse - this is a SWMBO request so doesn't get quite the same concentration as my own - what an admission !

There are some ramin mouldings at B & Q but quite a lot are pine.

Rob

 

[Woodmagnet]

I thought all wood from B&Q was already bent. :lol:

 

[mailee]

I have done this sort of thing with a computer desk before. I laminated the layers of pine and then after glueing them in place on the shelf routed the moulding into it. B&Q do do pine as well as Ramin mouldings and yes Kevin most of the wood from them is usually bent. :lol:

 

[JFC]

I seem to remember the reeded stuff was Ramin , probably wrong . Not had a customer supply some for a while .

 

[Inspector]

OldWood

Turn the profile on a disc of similar wood, and after quartering, cut out the inside with a bandsaw to leave the thickness needed. To get the best face grain, orientate the quarters to have the long grain run across the middle of two of them. Will only yield two good ones but the weaker end grain is minimized.

After gluing to the corners of the shelf you can fill in the face and ends with the straight moldings. If you don't have a lathe maybe one of the members near you with one could help.

 

[ike]

I thought all wood from B&Q was already bent.

Not always.... but just leave it a week and it will be. :lol: