Methods of Bending Wood

After building a few simple projects in your shop, you may have the desire get more creative and build something that requires more advanced techniques in woodworking. One of these advanced techniques is wood bending.
There are a few different methods used to bend wood. I will try to give you enough information on most of these wood bending techniques to allow you to get started on your way to more creative furniture. These methods will include Steam Bending, Kerf-cut Bending, Laminated Wood Bending, and for small pieces of wood, Microwave Steaming. You will also need to know how to prepare forms and molds before you can bend the wood.
Forms and Molds for Bending Wood
Before attempting to bend wood you will need to have a mold or form set up. Steam bent wood needs to be placed in the form and clamped in place as quickly as possible after being removed from the steam box. Laminated wood also needs to be placed in the form and clamped before the glue begins to set.
Most forms and molds are easily made from MDF. You will have to glue multiple sheets of MDF together to get the thickness that is about the same as the height of the piece of wood you are forming. After you glue up the MDF and it is dry, you have to square up the ends, for easier clamping later on. Then trace your shape on the form, and cut it with the bandsaw, take care to save both sides of the form. They need to match like a puzzle piece. Then smooth out the cut with a pattern makers file and/or sandpaper, to refine your form’s shape to perfection. Finally, glue a strip of cork to each part of the form. This will help to provide equal clamping pressure to the piece and a slight cushion help prevent marks on your piece of wood.