STRIP BENDING DEVICE

[mleonc]

Hello everyone, up until now when planking a hull, I used to bend the strips by keeping them in water for a while and then shaping them with a heating iron. With this method, some of them would break, so I have devised a tool to mold them without breaking, giving them the exact curvature required in each case. Here I show you the contraption I have prepared for this purpose.

 

[mleonc]

Basically, it consists of a metal cylinder—specifically made of aluminum—which is kept hot at the desired temperature by means of electric heating elements, a PT100 probe, and a temperature controller. The cylinder moves along some guides I made from DIN rails via a worm screw. On both sides of the cylinder, there are a pair of turrets (or revolving holders) fitted with small stainless steel rollers measuring 10 mm in diameter, which help bend the strips.

 

[mleonc]

Here is how I made the main cylinder and the base to support the whole gadget.

 

[mleonc]

In the following series of photos, I will show you the assembly of the device in detail.

 

[mleonc]

Finally, I'm showing you the temperature controller I used, although any model will work. Here are the cartridge heaters and the PT-100 temperature probe. The final assembly is the one shown at the beginning.

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[mleonc]

I hope you find it interesting, thank you!

 

[Steef66]

Looks like a violin bending iron. AMAZON
nice tool

 

[mleonc]

Looks like a violin bending iron. AMAZON
nice tool

I'm not sure if it looks like a violin bending iron or a cello bending iron, but Amazon might have good tools for that purpose. I made mine using just a few materials and some spare parts I had lying around, and I managed to put it to good use. The fact is, it works perfectly. Whether it's used for bending violins or bagpipes, that's fine by me.

 

[MattInFrance]

If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing! Impressive!

(atm I just use my fingers to bend planks)