Nautical Research Journal 361


1.T e cabin sides and coamings on this model of a US One Design racing sloop are pear and the bends were gentle so I could hand bend them dry and glue them in place. Wood strips cut to the inside cabin shape were added to the base as formers before the sides were bent. All photographs by the author.


T oughts on Bending Wood By Steve Wheeler


Ship models are curved objects and almost nothing on them can be made without having to bend the wood used to build them. Bending wood can be frustrating sometimes, but here are a few thoughts that could make that easier. T ese notes discuss methods that work for me; be aware that every situation is diff erent and what may work in one case may not in another. T ere are many ways to attack the problem and these examples only scratch the surface.


Put simply, wood basically comprises two materials: cellulose and lignin. Cellulose is the fi brous structure of wood and lignin is a complex organic material that holds together those wood fi bers. If you can soſt en the lignin the cellulose fi bers can slide past one another and that is what allows wood to be bent. Lignin can be soſt ened with heat and, when it re-solidifi es, it will “re-glue” together the bent wood’s fi bers so that the wood will retain much, or all of its new shape.


In general, hardwoods bend more readily than soſt woods, and some of our domestic hardwoods usually bend more easily than those from the tropics, such as ebony (though some mahoganies bend well). Fruitwoods—apple, pear, cherry and the like—are among the most easily bent domestic hardwoods. Birch and alder, which is related to birch, also bend well, as do aspen, basswood, poplar, and walnut. Note that the pore size and grain structure of walnut and most mahoganies sometimes precludes their use in most applications, but they are widely found in kits and do have a place in the hobby. In the soſt wood family, cedar bends pretty well; I have used bent close-grained cedar stock for deck planking. We can use many other woods in our models; I have the most experience with those listed. Always test the bendability of diff erent woods before committing them to a model, and it is always advisable to have a spare piece or two in case you run into trouble with the fi rst attempt.


T inner stock bends more easily than thicker pieces


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