Vol. 64, No. 4 winter 2019 362


either of them. T e use of any chemical also could color the wood or impair the ability of adhesives or paint to stick or cure properly. T e only liquid I use in bending wood is plain water and that always works extremely well.


4. T is piece of alder, 0.080-inch thick, 3/8-inch wide, and about 8 inches long, was soaked in hot water for a couple of minutes and hand twisted into this shape. T e ends were clamped and, aſt er the part dried overnight, there was almost no spring back. Alder is one of the best woods for bending and I use it for much planking.


2. A plank crimping tool. (catalog image) Dry bending


and grain direction plays a large part too; cross- grain, even in usually bendable wood, almost always will cause it to snap or fail in the process.


T e use of chemicals to help soſt en wood for bending is not recommended. Ammonia, according to the Forest Products Laboratory (the national research laboratory of the United States Forest Service), actually destroys the structure of the wood. I have seen references to using both vinegar and fabric soſt ener to aid bending but I have no experience with


Wood, to a degree, is somewhat fl exible so, if the needed bends are gentle, as with some planking and decking and smaller moldings, pieces sometimes can be sprung into place, held with clamps of some sort, and glued down. T is is by far the easiest way to bend wood, but it creates a certain amount of stress in the piece and may cause distortion of the structure to which it is applied. It also is limited to less severe bends. (Figure 1)


Crimping


T ere are a number of tools on the market that allow one to bend wood strips by making “V” shaped crimps in one side. (Figure 2) I have not used any of these and, personally, I suspect they would be of limited use.


Bending with heat alone 3. T e Amati 7205 plank bender. (catalog image).


Heat soſt ens lignin, so wood sometimes can be bent dry over a heated mandrel, such as a length of metal pipe or the shank of a soldering iron. A small iron or commercial bending tool (such as Micro-mark’s P/N 88064 or Amati’s P/N 7205) can also be used. (Figure


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