walnut

[tomthumbtom8]

I'm doing some work in the work shop OK is my Garage

I'm in tending to shape some walnut

Now would it be best to cut it down to 3mm thick lengths and laminate it on the template or just steam it and then bend it

I've never bent walnut so advice will be greatly received

will walnut bend if I just soak it in water or do I have to steam bend it the finish thickness will be around 10mm give or take


Tom

 

[Mr T]

Hi Tom

I don't think just soaking the walnut will be enough to bend it. If I was doing the job I would band saw some 2 or 3mm laminations then laminate them on a former. The thickness of the laminations depends on how tight you want to bend it. If you don't have a band saw then steam bending may be a better option.

Chris

 

[Cheshirechappie]

According to 'World Woods in Colour' by Bill Lincoln, walnut (both Black and European) has good steam bending properties. Just soaking in water won't do enough, though - it'll have to be steamed. How long to steam it for is probably something you'll have to experiment with.

 

[marcus]

Which way is best depends on several factors.

How accurate does the shape need to be? Steamed components spring back a lot more than laminated ones.

Will the component be secured by others? (steam bent components tend to straighten somewhat over time if not held in position).

Will you be shaping it a lot after it is bent (possible problems with glue lines showing/not taking finish properly with laminated components).

Cheers

Marcus

 

[houtslager]

steam bent walnut needs + 10% of the curve to allow for "spring back"
other option is the luthiers'manner of bending on a hot bending iron

hth

K

 

[dunbarhamlin]

3/8" sounds a lot to bend over a pipe (more than thrice what I've bent this way anyway) - might veneering the finished shape be an option?

 

[tomthumbtom8]

dunbarhamlin
You miss understand me 3/8 is the finished thickness I plan on using 3-4 lengths to achieve this

and my curve is about 400mm in diameter plus one around 325mm in diameter

Tom

 

[marcus]

What are you making?

 

[tomthumbtom8]

I'm going to try and make an electric cello of my own design

But along the same line as the Yamaha SVC-100

at the moment I'm just collect dater and materials and extra tool I will need for the project

Tom

 

[marcus]

Had a look at the cello and I think that laminating would be the way to go - more controllable, stronger, and more in fitting with the contemporary look of the instrument....

 

[tomthumbtom8]

thank you for the advice marcus
I agree laminating would be better how thick should I cut my laminate I was thinking of around 3mm on the band saw and the double sided tape onto some mdf and planning it to 2mm ??

Tom

 

[marcus]

2mm final thickness would probably be about right. I would cut a test piece at 2mm on the bandsaw just to see how it beds. At that thickness it should go round the radius you need fairly easily.

 

[MIGNAL]

Make formers and laminate. Walnut bends pretty well on a hot pipe, although 3 mm is on the thick side. As long as any part of the curve isn't too tight it should be possible. A good trick is to wrap the wood in foil. The foil contains both the heat and the moisture, makes bending easier. You might get some spring back but you can always rebend a little with the foil removed. Just watch the foil. It gets very hot!!
Just watch the mating surfaces across the width of the wood. Bending often introduces corrugations/ripples or scoops. You may have to force them into submission or sand/scrape them flat.

 

[tomthumbtom8]

Hello all it's been some time since I started thinking about bending some walnut but I've been ill (had a pacemaker refitted as the old one stop doing what it should do)


any way just a small up date
I made a forma jig and bought a bending iron (violin one from ebay).
I cut my walnut down to 2mm and then put it through the planer and finished up with a over all thickness of around 1.4mm as a planer will not feed stock under 5mm (I think that's right) I mounted it on some MDF with double sided tape. The double sided tape give you a hole new can of worms, Yes getting the walnut of in one piece but that why it's call wood work "you have to work at it" so after I was happy with the finish walnut I just bent it with the rib iron whooo whooo it worked out pritty amazing I do have four more laminations to add to the over all thickness of this piece and I will be doing this at the weekend.

also in the image you will see the scaled down shape of my cello body I'm really quite pleased with the shape even if I had to learn some NEW SOFTWARE but I think it was all worth it.

Tom

 

[marcus]

That looks nice