William R. Watt wrote:

Brian Nystrom ) writes:


When I've soaked wood, all it did was make is swell so it no longer fit
where it was supposed to, such as in a mortise. Either that, or if it
was trimmed to fit after steaming, it shrank as it dried and became
loose. Soaking didn't seem to make any difference in the bend-ability of
the wood.


softwoods would have more of a tendancy to swell.

True. Before I knew any better, I tried steam bending a pine breasthook
(my first attempt at steaming anything. It sort of bent (it didn't need
much bend) and I was so excited that I immediately pegged it in place
and and planed it to shape. It looked great. The next morning, I came
down and to my dismay, it had shrunk ~1/8" in width (it was only 2"
wide) and ~ 1/16" in length (over 8 inches).

TF Jones writes that a
nice piece of 15-20 year old oak needs soaking before steam bending.

I haven't worked with anything that old, but I fail to see where age
would make any difference. Once the wood equilibrates to the humidity of
its environment, it's not going to get any drier. If it bends well at a
given moisture content, what difference would age make?

A 1"x1" piece of clear oak properly steamed can be tied in a knot. Not
something I've ever tried.

Me neither, nor have I seen anyone do it. Having worked with green,
clear oak that I've carefully cut from a log myself, I have to wonder
what the success rate of such an endeavor is? I suspect that it's only
possible with wood that has been split, rather than sawn.