How?

[Mrs C]

Any ideas as to how the curved parts of the back of this seat are made, specifically the top which curves in two different planes?

 

[pe2dave]

3 pieces scarf joined?

 

[Mrs C]

Sorry, I meant specifically each segment

 

[pe2dave]

Block of wood, solid, encompassing required shape. Bandsaw / coping saw whatever you have, to roughly
cut out the required shape (accurate drawing a big help). Then down to saw and planes, chisels etc
to cut to final shape.
Imagination is biggest help?

 

[Mrs C]

Ok, thanks

 

[novocaine]

Could also be steam bent round a form. Both methods are used in production furniture.
Whilst its fitted in 2 planes, when forming it will really just be 1 plane then angled for fitting.

 

[TheTiddles]

If those are like the Barlow Tyrie ones they’re solid sections finger jointed together, probably done with a pattern or a CNC

 

[johnnyb]

this type of thing as has been mentioned is relatively straightforward to make with patterns and aids if your making several(hundred) but would test most people just making one as the patterns take longer to make than the item.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I went to an open day at: Britain's Finest Outdoor Furniture and Kitchens by Gaze Burvill
some years ago. They made all their garden furniture out of French oak and made extensive use of steam bending to get the majority of the large curved sections they use. They had also recently invested in a large room-full of CNC gear for shaping the smaller and more complicated pieces. I think that steam bending makes the most economical use of material, results in physically stronger components which are also arguably more durable as less end-grain is exposed.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

PS They had a store-room for jigs (both bending and cutting/shaping) that was as large as a lot of other people's workshops!

 

[Trainee neophyte]

To get the same shape, you could cut the wood into thin strips and glue them together whilst bending them around a form (ie diy glue-lam). I can't get the photo to zoom, but it looks like there may be a join above each leg / main upright, so they probably weren't done that way. To follow the original you could steam each piece and bend it, or just cut a bent shape out of a larger piece of timber (profligate amount of wastage).

I did a bit of bending glue-lam last summer, and it was much easier (and much messier) than I expected. You just need a LOT of clamps, and polyurethane glue rather than pva. If I was going to copy this design, that would be my preferred option, even if it isn't pukka.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

To get the same shape, you could cut the wood into thin strips and glue them together whilst bending them around a form (ie diy glue-lam). I can't get the photo to zoom, but it looks like there may be a join above each leg / main upright, so they probably weren't done that way. To follow the original you could steam each piece and bend it, or just cut a bent shape out of a larger piece of timber (profligate amount of wastage).

I did a bit of bending glue-lam last summer, and it was much easier (and much messier) than I expected. You just need a LOT of clamps, and polyurethane glue rather than pva. If I was going to copy this design, that would be my preferred option, even if it isn't pukka.

It's easy to underestimate the amount of waste when doing bent laminations, even with a good bandsaw. I think that, with outdoor furniture, the glue lines would become more visible over time even using something that doesn't 'creep' like cascamite.

 

[Tuna808]

I would laminate with 3 mms strips.Mark the full size shape on a plywood sheet then fix some vertical supports on internal and external curves, say about 10cms apart... closer on the ends.
If you have a curve on the horizontal plane cut some wedges with the angle and fit them between the vertical supports, the angle will be the same throughout as its in the sand plane.
The vertical support have to be well secured to be able to take the clamp pressure when gluing the laminates.
You can glue one laminate at a time , a few or all....I would recommend you glue one at a time if you haven’t done it before.
Do a dry run and cut some wedges to aid you clamp the laminates.
I have just finished a laminated stairs handrail which was a nightmare in calculating the curve angles.

 

[David bonner]

I agree with pe2Dave with this but there is another way but if a vat or bath big enough you could possibly bend the whole wood by leaving it in for sometime and bend dry on a former shaped like it also there is another way and that’s steam pressing it with a high powered steam press as well and use the necessary tools to finalise it all off in a or the workshop.