Hi,

I am new to the concept of steam bending and am experimenting with
very little success.

In easy terms to understand how flexible would a piece of oak that is
1" thick x 3" wide become?

How tight of radius can be formed before breaking the piece?

I experimented with laying a short piece on top of a boiling pot of
water with a lid above the oak for 1.5 hours and could not tell any
difference between before and after. It was still very rigid.

How flexible should the wood be if using a steam box? I understand
how to build the steam box.

I just don't have a bench mark to estimate how much or little force is
needed to bend. I have heard people say that it turns the wood into a
noodle for a short amount of time. Based on my limited
experiment...I find this hard to believe.

One more question is how much of the integrity is lost after
application of the steam? I have heard that the steam destroys the
cell structure of the wood.

My alternate is to saw the wood from thicker to make the frames
needed.

thanks,
marshall