Steam bending wood without using a steambox
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ย. 2024
- Shipwright Louis Sauzedde shows us more about how to use a plastic bag to steam wood so it can be bent in place while being steamed. In this video a large piece of mahogany is being bent for the deck of a 38' Friendship sloop.
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An absolutely expert and clear explanation - the only video you need to watch. This video may be many years old - but it is timeless! I'm over 70 and have been designing and building things all my life. But I have never needed to bend wood - now six minutes later and I know how. Mr. Sauzedde, Thank You for such complete excellence. Any apprentice of yours is very lucky.
That bubble-blowing depth gauge is so simple that it's absolute genius! Brilliant!
Seriously! Such a good idea.
YOU SHOULD GET AN AWARD FOR WHAT YOU DID IN THIS VIDEO. YOU ARE A MASTER.
Absolutely agree. Simplicity without extraneous complexity to accomplish goal.
I think you keyboard is faulty.
Why?
This might be the finest video on TH-cam. Mastery of the craft, and really good production value for the video, too! It's a joy to watch a professional at work.
I'm extremely late to the game with this video, but Louis you are a true inspiration, and an excellent teacher. Thank you so much for making this video and sharing it. There are so many little details I picked up from this video to help with my steam bending adventure.
Thanks for sharing how modern creative methods can be used on repairing old boats. I think some people forget your methodology is often the only way to fix the boats. People can be critical all they want, but you got the boat fixed the best possible modern way and got the boat back on the water.
Thank you, what company supplies the plastic bags, great to see wood boats being worked on.
I did my time as a shipwright many years ago and I have never seen it done like that. IT IS GENIUS.
I have boiled canoe stems at home in an electric stile and had to rush to bend them before they cool and cut them into thin laminates to be re glued again after bending or bend them in seperate halves because the boiler was too short to steam the entire length.
All I needed was a couple of feet of hose and a plastic bag.
Thank You!
God I hope your a rich man, because this information your sharing with all of us is more valuable than gold. Like me you have a provincial accent which catches strangers off guard, people at first unaware of the amazing legacy of inventive New England genius. The bubble tube, and the bag were pure magic. Building things sure can be fun, sometimes. Even if a person is purely agnostic, wood is so crucial to human existence, it must be held as sacred in the most broad sense. It is our crib, our boat, and our coffin one day.
You see his reflexes catching that wood at 5:05 . He's going to be around for a long time to enjoy passing on that knowledge.
Well Said Sir very well said and I have never done any type of specialized wood work everything I've done with wood falls under basic home building and remodeling so I've never really thought of wood the way your comment made me see it and now that I have I'll never see it in any other way so thank you for opening my eyes
I'd probably build in a sight glass just like in a steam locomotive. I mean, the rig has proven its worth in gold, it would be a good time investment. :D And the best part about the internet and access at your finger tips, is that you can order a sight glass online from steam model builders, it's already scaled down and it would fit perfectly with just two holes and some heat sealing tape or compound.
Either way, each time you've shown this method it's becoming more and more clear that this is the way to go with steam bending wood. Giant steam boxes are nice, but being able to bend a piece of thick timber like that in situ is beyond anything anyone else can offer, never mind the fact that you can actually do it yourself and it's relatively safe.
I'm planning on adapting this for the restoration of a stair case, now i need to find the right piece of wood for it.
I don’t see how people can dislike a video like this. I mean you’re literally learning a new magical thing. What do want, the internet to bend the wood for you?
I’m starting my first boat build and what I have learned from you in all your informational videos has been invaluable to me. Thank you for sharing your techniques.
The best minds find the simplest solutions! Awesome job! 😃👍
No kidding, my jaw kept dropping
A simple float gauge is all you need. Take a piece of styrofoam or cork that FITS the neck of the tank. Add a dowel rod to it and sit it on the BOTTOM of the empty tank. Mark the dowel at the neck of the tank as ZERO. Take it out then mark 1cm or 1/4 inch ( metric or imperial can be used ) markings increasing as you go down the dowel towards the float. Put in your water and sit the gauge in the tank. When the marks reach the ZERO level, your tank is dry.
Mr Piper did this on his J3 Cub, and many other aircraft use the same simple system. For the same simple reason, IT WORKS. And it costs nothing to make.
The dowel rod can pivot and throw off the readings.
I have assembled all the components you used and just made my first few bends. I started with 1/2" oak and now I'm experimenting with a 1,1/2" railing. The plastic bag makes it really easy. Awesome video. Thanks a lot!!
Takes only a few hours? Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Just discovered this guy. For someone talking about steam he is super cool. Thanks for the great tips, I’m going to try to use your plastic bag technique to straighten Australian native hardwood weatherboards. I’ve subscribed! Thanks again.
When you put a link or let me know where you get your bags? Thanks for the great video!
I struggled with steam bending 20" hoops untill I discovered this exact technique. Cool to see someone else use it.
Blowing bubbles. Simple. Elegant. Genius.
I used this method for bending 3/4 x 4" doug fir for radius window trims. It works awesome. You need to over bend a little to achieve the radius you need . Shipwright you are the man, thank you so much for posting this, it helped me tremendously.
This guy has a very methodic, very soothing voice. I'm going to spend a lot of time tonight watching his videos I bet.
Hey Shipwright - thanks for pointing out the alternative means to bend wood without a steambox. How practical!
I was here with a simple task. Thanks to my short span of attention, I've forgotten why I was here - but I won't forget this method. Looks great and simple.
Man, you nailed it! My congratulations! Your plastic steam hose basically works like industrial steamers. Just one thing, "the steam gets hotter, the less water is in there"- well, as long as there is water in the tank, the steam has a constant temperature!
Ive had trouble finding the poly tubing in a roll... where do you get it and how many mils should it be?
Great .just what I needed. Brilliant. This type of stuff should always be uploaded, simple requirements, nothing heavy
Now THIS is a useful video. I see a lot of videos that aren't quite right, but this one seems to be exactly right. Thanks for providing the information I was looking for.
It looks like the lumber at home depot 😂 That's a fantastic technique. Thank you! Others have mentioned using a hanging scale, like fishers use, to weigh the containers. I think that's a good idea.
Where do you get the endless bags?
Jamestown and Total Boat don't show any results of a search.
Great video. I'll never build a ship, but I love to see how it's done by true craftsmen.
My Great Uncle built boats in Nova Scotia - watching your videos reminds me of him. Scott
Great process used it on my gun rails for my runabout get the plastic from your hardware store 6 mil plastic sheeting. Wouldn't have been able to do it by myself without this process.
I WATCH YOUR VIDEOS OVER AND OVER LOUIS AND YOU ARE THE GO TO GUY. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU GET THE PLASTIC ROLL FOR THE STEAM BENDING PROJECT ??. AND THE RUBBER HOSE PLEASE.
Do you have to dry the wood afterwards like fresh lumber?
Just re-watched as I'm getting ready to steam the keel for the Haven 12 1/2 I'm building. Get information. Love your water level measure.
love the simplicity of the bubble stick water level measuring trick. Brilliant!
You could also use a clear tube and put it down there all way to the bottom and put your hand over the top. Keep it there and pull the tube up. That'll give you the amount of water in the container.
This is genius! Love it! And the trick to measure the water level is simple elegance itself. So glad I stopped by.
Very helpful.Gotta love that everyone who has never done it has a better / alternative way of doing it.Thanks for the post
Thank you, Sir. It is a good experience you are passing on
The water-level measuring technique is brilliant!
Top man...so good to see a professional share his knowledge - gained through practical experience -without trying to make it sound too complicated. Thanks!!
I did it. Amazing to remove the pressure and seeing how the wood does not move a single millimetre when you release the clamps. One correction, the lignin will not melt at steam boiling point of 100 deg C as the melting point of lignin is somewhere above 200 deg C. Rather, the lignin goes plastic -- which is sufficient. Cheers for the video!
You put the awe in awesome. I remember when I first saw this video a couple years ago - I was amazed and delighted.
Now, I'm coming back to the video for an entirely different reason .
Shipbuilding forever.
Warm regards
Jennie
fantastic! best steam bend system ever:). the method for blowing bubbles to check the height of water is genius, sir!
So may I ask where you got the bag? I'm not making a boat, but I'm making a bent wood chair thats 14" wide, so I would need a wider bag.
Also thank you for sharing this technique at all, this whole process is easy to understand and is making wood bending seem much less daunting.
Great video, what bags do you use?
This makes wood bending accessible to just about anyone. Thanks!
Thank you for the information, I steamed the ½” x 3” tall rails for our Vee Birth shelves in Mahogany.
I did get about 15-20 percent spring back and I am not sure why. But it came out
very nice. I let in steaming for 45 minutes but was rather cool out in the carport. You are a big help.
Thanks Paul
Man, this video got me really steamed up. Well done. The plastic certainly works better than the traditional steam box..
This is an awesome technique! Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to try this!
Excellent! . . . I love simple methods to perform "complex" work . . . it totally speaks to good ol' American ingenuity!!!!
great video ! would you mind telling me where i can purchase such a plastic bag on a roll? thank you so much
I'm replacing the grab rails on my boat in the spring and I'll be working with 10' lengths of wood that will curve inward and upward to match the cabin roof. I would never have thought to use the plastic bag. This make so much more sense than a using rigid box and transferring the wood to a mold. Can you tell me about the plastic and what to look for when I buy it? Thank you for a great video and sharing your knowledge.
You could also get a hollow glass or plastic rod. Stick it in the can and then put your thumb on top to seal it. Then you can lift it out ans see exactly how deep the water is.
Trouble is it is boiling so when you lift it out it will pressure out of the Rod ...
@wooosh wooosh Probably too complicated, but put a flotation device at the bottom of a pole and on top of the pole put a cap with a whistle. When the water level drops enough the flotation on the pole will not be enough to keep the cap from forcing the air though the whistle. Kinda like a cross between a tea kettle and a toilet.
I was just about to post your concept when I saw your entry. Great minds think alike sir.
Also LOU . what type of gas can are you using with out no problems . And where do you buy them. ?
Hey, a much simpler way to quickly gauge how much water is left in the tank is to just weigh them. A simple handle scale will let you know how much is left without even having to open the tanks.
i think his idea is simple enough
It's not often I'll concede that anyone taught me something about woodworking but this is genius at work, literally. Especially the part about keeping the steam on it while it's clamped to avoid springback.
Is this Mystic Seaport?
I just used this method to steam the keelson. Worked GREAT. Just used it in my newest video!! Thanks!!!
Great video as usually 👌, I've found out that if you purchase your lumber from Lowe's that it already comes pre bent. Every board in the whole store looks like a banana.
That's super cool. Over-bending it for cool down leaves you with almost zero recoil?
This process is outstanding. I have always avoided steaming because it seemed too difficult. Now I know that it isn’t. Thank you.
This is a great idea. I have a project to bend some 18" drum hoops out of 5/8" strip. What kind of bag material are you using? I can get polythene layflat tube but the softening point of polythene is less than boiling water.
Thank you for this video, I did this to bend a 2in splash rails on my wooden skiff it worked great.
Thanks for trying this for yourself, it's the best way of answering many of the questions that come up about it.
can you tell me is it a regular gas can?
Can you tell me where you are getting your plastic bags I think I have everything I need to do this job except the plastic bags I have to bend some 1x2s for trusses on a fifth wheel camper
I love your video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. You truly are a rare breed of shipwright.
always amazing and enjoyable to watch . Louis should be like a National treasure.Thanks
Fantastic tip. Thank you!
Now I know how I'm going to bend my cedar rails 👍
Freaking genius! So many clever ideas in one video. Thank you so much! And it does not hurt that you also has a knack for teaching stuff. THANK YOU!
That is a great method! Steaming with a plastic bag. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Austria!
As a newbie to wood-bending, this video is a revelation. Thank you!
Brilliant! A clearly explained technique in a most enjoyable video. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Best wishes from Normandie, Andy.
I'm completely new to this so I would be grateful for any help with finding this plastic tubing he is using. I've been searching for weeks and can't seem to find it, locally or otherwise. Thanks in advance
A very fine design Sir. Hats off.
I could not figure out where I've heard your voice from... but finally I think i've found that bit of George Carlin in your voice. Ha! Thanks for doing what you do, i've enjoyed liking and watching!
Great channel, great vid!
Any way you could post some pics of the bracket setup?
I've been planning on using a piece of cast iron sewer pipe with threaded end caps, and a pressure cooker, but I think I like your setup better.
I'm trying to build a Brockway scow. Earl Brockway used to bend his wood using weights over the course of a year.
I currently have a spanish windlass going, but it's not really working, so I'm trying to get a good steam setup going.
Thanks!
Great method! I am building your system, but now I run into the problem of finding the right tubing from the kettle to the steam plastic. Steam tubing is very expensive, like 30 $ a meter. Any suggestions?
Greatest series of videos on TH-cam!
Very clever Technique and tips! Thanks for sharing this!
Could you use this method for any degree you would want the wood to be bent into? Been thinking of the best method for making a covered caravan wagon with a round arch top.
I do like you bag bending technique. You can see what your doing and don't have to remove it from the steam till you done bending it. I like you clamping brackets for bending also, they work really well.
"Water has a funny habit of boiling at 212 degrees"
This dude is just priceless. Mad genius if I may say
He also says that the lower the water level, the higher the temperature. This should not be the case.... the temperature will stay at 212 degrees until the water is gone. Though, I can imagine that perhaps the final 1/8" of water will see a rise in temperature, as during that final 1/8" the metal bottom will only be partially covered with water, because the bubbles take up more area. This will mean a bit of super-heated steam (i.e. above 212 Deg).
Don't forget that the more it empties, the more the top portion of the "kettle" heats up favouring the super heated stem production. Independent of any thermodynamic effects the man seem to be pretty experienced (meaning he made lost of mistakes to get it right) so it wouldn't hurt following his advice
excellent, many thanks for posting this. How long did you have to steam that piece before you were happy to take the bag off.
Still my favorite video on steam bending.
Awesome. Great way to display the skills that time and experience ripens. Wonders of wood and the information about melting the lignan sap priceless to understanding woods nature. Presented with ardour, finese and simplicity describing worlds to folks who have not had the thrall seeing each ring of years, each plank concieved honoring the tree born, only trees in its memory before from the earth torn, so new life, skilled hands a future new, beyond. Thank You ....working on bending parts for a canoe and found you...Pax
Great Video!!
What is the tubing you are using from the cans to the steam bag?
Also how did you connect them to the cans?
THanks
Yes! Wondering about the setup! What bags are used or what gauge plastic even, what kind of pipes from cans to bags, how to attach pipes to bags, etc. the setup is what I’m wondering about. The technique is amazing. We all can see that. But how do we replicate it?
Louis, wonderful video but where do you purchase the plastic bag material in rolls?
Are you sure you are not George Carlin? His voice for sure!
Thanks for this great video.
Awesome work, I am no where near your level but just wanted to share...for smaller scale pieces I use a cheap little garment steamer that is used for taking wrinkles out of clothes, from Walmart, Target, or Craigslist, just don't spend over $30 new & obviously cheaper if used. Works great for steaming wood & I like that I can always see how much water left thanks to the clear canister/tank that they have.
Genius idea, thanks. To know how much water you have in your tank, hook up a scale or weighing system such as a pulley and counterbalance. As the counterbalance moves down, add water to your tank until counterbalance returns to your starting position. 1 litre weighs 1 kilo or 1000gm. You could also use a water tank with tubing and a clamp to drip a constant flow of water into your hot water tank. (kind of like an IV-intervenous infusion, LOL)
Hi, nice video. I was wondering what pipes you use and where to buy them? Thanks
Thank you so much for sharing this really valuable info. Cant learn this behind a desk!!
You water seemed pretty brown, did you mix it with something (like ammonia)?
I thought it was recycled water from the end of the bag.
People are using ammonia to temporarily weaken the wood's cellular bonds, to enable faster, greater bending. Then as the wood sits at room temperature later on, all the ammonia off gasses, leaving the wood hard again. I wonder if he has tried that? He could mix it in with the water, or even use grocery store strength straight.
Hi , I love the video and great explanations from a tradesman .
May I ask a question about the plastic bag sleeves which you mention at 1:12 mins in on the video stating you buy in a roll, Were can you buy this bag or sleeve ?
I was wondering the same. What gauge plastic would be nice even.
very smart water measuring technique, like the simplicity
Can you explain or show the lumber from straight to the point of bending to the bend,or angle you are working to? Outstanding job! Just curious. Great stuff! Thanks for all your knowledge. From East Tennessee.
What a cool idea. I build large musical instruments, not ships, but I will definitely try this out. Thanks.
Thank you for the presentation ! Are you using 10 mil plastic ?
Best rc
in another one of his videos he says 6mil
Love your videos. I have heard that pine does not bend well with steam. Have you tried pine and if so, how did it go? Thanks.
Thank you soooooo much for this video! I use the PVC system to steam. I’m gonna go this route!