 |
TIPS |
|
TIPS |
BENDING WOOD BY LAMINATION
The concept is that two pieces of wood laminated together have different radii, and therefore will hold whatever camber has been created. The resulting beam will be much stronger than a single piece of wood which has been bent or cut to the camber required.
I took a piece of
scrap wood, and drew on its face the camber of the beams required. This could be
a wale, planking, or any other piece of a ship requiring a curve. I cut the
piece of wood into two pieces, thereby creating the jig for the lamination.
The beams were to be 1/8th inch thick, therefore I cut pieces 1/16th inch thick and approximately the length required for the beams, and glued them together using Titebond wood glue. I then placed them between the two pieces of the jig while the glue was still quite wet, and clamped the jig together. Rubber bands served this purpose quite well. The result is a beam with the correct camber which will not lose its shape.
I tried both steaming the wood and pre-bending it before laminating, and also laminating the wood without pre-bending. Both methods worked quite well. More severe cambers might require pre-bending.
The accompanying drawing should make the procedure quite clear.