MarshallE wrote:
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.

First off, the way you're doing it is not going to cut it. Make a real
steam box.

Secondly, the type of wood (green, air-dried, kiln-dried) makes a
substantial difference. Kiln-dried wood is much more difficult to bend.

Third, define "short". If you're talking about a 12" piece of 1x3 oak,
you're never going to notice any difference in stiffness as you don't
have enough leverage to bend it. Stock that size is not going to get
limp, no matter what you do with it and it will require considerable
force to bend it. Start with stock that's at least 24" long and you'll
see the difference.