Steaming, Bending & Laminating

Deforming wood

Wood is not a material that lends itself to being reformed or deformed (bending) but in its pulped state it can be mixed with resin to make MDF, and it can be formed into a variety of shapes not just sheet material.

Wood is not typically deformed as it is more easily joined, but there are a few deformation techniques.

Steam bending

This process involves bombarding the wood with steam until it becomes flexible. It is then bent into shape and held in place with clamps while the water content is slowly removed from the wood leaving the wood ‘bent’ into shape. Traditionally used to make Windsor style chairs.

Kerfing

This process is not actually deforming the wood (it could be considered wasting!) but involves cutting grooves into the wood in order to make deforming by bending much easier. This has become more common in MDF and Plywood to create more complex shapes.

Guitar and Violin shells were traditionally made this way and many still are.

Laminating

This is not a way of deforming solid timber like you can with steam bending. Thin sheets (Veneers) of wood are stacked with glue in between them and then they are placed in a mould. Once the glue has set the veneered wood is removed and retains the shape of the mould. This is how skateboards are made.

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