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Edge bending

This is an expensive bending iron used by instrument builders... works great. If I wanted to edge bend with this- I'd simply get a couple of other pieces of wood the same thickness as the width of the strip you're bending- stack them together so the thin edge is exposed between the 2 scraps- to provide side support- and bend away!
Other bending irons have been made with a piece of pipe and a propane torch heating the tube... a baffle on the outside end helps keep the heat in the tube.

Bending Iron - StewMac

Controlled heat bending form for guitar, mandolin, violin and dulcimer sides.
www.stewmac.com www.stewmac.com
 
MarTay6 said:
This is an expensive bending iron used by instrument builders....works great
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MarTay6
It looks like a very nice unit but I cannot picture how you did edge bending to the shape you needed with it. If you don't mind, could you post a picture or two on how you did this? It is a bit expensive, and could be worth the investment if it works better than simpler methods, but none of the photos show edge bending. Thank you very much for your help.
Allan
 
I haven't actually done edge bending as you describe- however this is how it's done for purfling on a guitar/musical instrument. The middle piece being the piece you want to edge bend- you would simply hold the 3 pieces together and bend slowly and carefully around the hot pipe/bending iron. You can find more guidance if you Google "Bending purfling with a bending iron". The 2 side pieces keep the middle piece lined up properly- and help keep from buckling sideways.

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I've always had good results soaking wood in regular house hold Ammonia. Get a container long enough (of course) to hold the wood. Now pour enough Ammonia to cover the wood, get a couple of weights to keep the wood submerged. Let it soak overnight. Next day, pull a strip out wipe it with a rag and work it onto a jig. Use small clamps and tape to hold it in place. When it dries and you remove it from the jig it will spring back a little but it should now bend into place easily. Bends a nice curve in flat strips of wood. Occasionally move the clamps and tape so it dries evenly. I've done this for small strips of wood for models all the way up to 3/16 which × 3 inch wide to 10 feet long laminates for 40 foot hulls.. Works great!
 
James Frost said:
I've always had good results soaking wood in regular house hold Ammonia.
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This definitely works, but at our scales water does just as well in softening the lignin so it can be shaped, even for edge bending. The smell of ammonia versus water..... not for all of us. ;)
Allan
 
HI ALL MARTY I HAVE THE BENDING IRON BUT NOT FROM STU MAC TO EXPESIVE BOUGHT THE SAME THING ON AMAZON FOR $100.00 YEA IT WORS SUPER GREAT INVESTMENT I HAVE TRIED ALL OF THE ABOVE EXAMPLES THIS IS THE BEST I MEAN THE BEST YOU CAN THROW OUT ALL YOUR JIGS YHIS WORKS I HAVE NOT TRIED EDGE BENDING SO I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT. I HAVE BENT VERY THICK AND VERY THIN ALL TYPES OF MATERIAL IT WORKS. GOD BLESS STAY SAFE ALL DON
 
donfarr said:
I HAVE NOT TRIED EDGE BENDING
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Edge bending is an entirely different thing and heated bending irons do not work as well for this. Edge bending is a must to prevent lifting at the bows when planking. Actually, the amount of curve varies a bit so I use different shapes every few strakes, but I can see how the device above can be made to be adjustable. For more on edge bending take a look at the four part video.

Badras Kahn, would it be easier to taper the breadth of the planks before shaping the bend? Thanks for sharing your design. Next up - will you design an adjustable unit?? :)

Allan
 
While limited "edge setting" can be accomplished with narrow strip wood, assuming the wood species is amenable to bending, which many aren't, it is not the best practice to do so other than when the bend is very slight. Essentially, edge setting is "torturing" the wood. The far better practice is to spile and cut planks to the exact size required. Planking that must curve to follow the shape of the hull, running parallel to the centerline, is perfectly acceptable, but edge setting is a short cut that often is more of a fool's errand than anything else. Some kit manufacturers advocate edge setting (especially in models that are intended to be finished bright, rather than painted) because it permits them to supply narrower strip stock in their kits, thereby saving production costs. This is to be expected, perhaps, but more often than not edge setting strip stock without proper spiling and shaping of the plank results in planking seams which do not run as they would have in real life and result in only an approximate depiction of a planked hull, rather than an actually accurate miniature representation of one.
 
A technique I have seen described (but have not tried for myself) is to plane your stock down to the same thickness as the width of plank you want to bend (i.e.: if you want 1/4" wide planks, plane your stock to 1/4" thickness). Using your preferred traditional bending technique, bend the stock to the shape you want your finished plank to have, then simply rip off a strip of the desired thickness.

I hope that brief description makes sense.
 
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