I am making a console item relatively small, but still. I just need something to my arm on, because i'm lazy like that, small stash to throw insurance papers, cell phone ... Anyway, i've got 90% of it done, but i am having a hard time making the top for it. I wanted to make it out of wood, over it in 1/4" foam and have it covered to match my seats, but i just can't get wood to bend the way i need it to. I've tried to cut groves in the back side of it, to help it bend, but it just cracks. If i wet the wood to bend it, will a nail / screw rip though it when i try to hold it down? I've never fiberglassed before, and it seems like a pain in the ass... but, would it be a better solution?
what type of wood are you using? some thin "sheet" type material should work without having to get into steaming it and such. How much radius? Maybe you might have to glue up a block and bandsaw the shape you need into it?? Theres a few options available, maybe a pic or some more detail might help determine the best route to be taken.
steam the wood so it loosens up them fibres some and see if that will do the job as long as its not to sharp? and can you clamp it til it dries instead of using a screw to hold it in shape? if so after it dries in the desired position you can drill it then screw it down
the bend is 9 inches long, and drops 4 inches. So it's not too dramatic. I am currently trying to do this with 1/4" ply wood. Maybe another type of wood would be a better choice? here's a quick sketch.
There's a skateboard mfgr next door to Fender Guitars that tosses pieces of wood veneer and a little dumpster diving gets some useable pieces for bent shapes. Maybe you have a skateboard maker in the area? You need to make a bending form, a mold that has the contour of the finished piece in it, but is "open" just enough to let the wood air dry. Then if it's a radical bend wet the wood veneers and bend them and let dry in the mold. Then slather them up with glue and clamp them together bent in the mold. when the glue dries/sets you will have a formed plywood shape.
wow yea. i guess that would work... how slowly should i introduce the bend to the wood? As you can see the piece will probably have two bends in it, i figure i'll make it from two pieces i can imagine a compound bend would be nearly impossible.... what a headache. Thanks for all the awesome ideas folks. Also, i live in michigan, we make fake snow machines, not skate boards
I like that you're "lazy like that" enough to need an armrest, but ambitious enough to steam and bend wood to make a console for that purpose. Irony is so great. Hope it turns out good. Would like to see pictures. Sorry I have no useful information. Wood is kind of stubborn. I like a material that yields nicely to a ball peen hammer.
i'm never lazy when it comes to making something new! minus the fact i don't want to fiberglass.... Shit, what's stopping me from making the top out of sheet metal? never though about that. because it will be covered in foam, HELL YEA!
The veneers/sheets of wood you want to work with are 1/16" thick at the most. YOU make it into "plywood"! Once it's wet it bends almost like silly putty. Just remember to criss cross the grains of alternating layers and make them even and perpendicular to each other. Or if you run one diagonal, run an equal but opposite diagonal piece to compensat for it or the ply will twist on you. Someone in your area has to be making something out of formed laminated wood... Try dumpster diving at Herman Miller in Grand Rapids! (HM makes the Eames Chairs) Or contact them to find out where you might get/purchase some veneer. Wife just told me she saw the Lazyboy mfgr just east of Deerborn last week when she was there on business. They work with veneers too, so there must be sources near you.
You can try two sheets of 1/8 hardwood, Glue them and clamp them down till the glue drys and it will hold its shape. You can soak the wood before you glue but useing 1/8 you shouldnt need to. Thats the way I do the walls on the slot car track and it works good. Good luck
ah, thanks for explaining it ... i didn't know to use couple of sheets of thinner wood. good looking out! i knew even though it was off topic someone here would know how to do it!
Ya know , they sell bendable plywood. It's called wiggle board and it bends like crazy. It is about 3/8 thick and should be available at a lumberyard(no home depot places). About $20 bucks for a 4x8 sheet. G'luck!
You can Kerf Bend thicker plywood,by cutting most of the way through on the INSIDE of the bend.The tighter the radius,the closer the kerfs need to be. Or you can make a Curved Lamination using Wiggle Board and veniers, or sheets of masonite,or even thin strips of hardwood planed smooth. Or you can glue up tapered wood blocks,similar to the way barrels were made, and then blend the shape. Using wood will make it easier to upholster.
this is what I have done inthe past.. glue up a block of Particle board.. and cut to shape with a bandsaw.. works well jeff
A more common industry is specialty furniture manufacturers. They are everywhere, and have any selection of veneers you could need. Get a couple different stains and get creative.
but, the width is something like 12.75 inches... so i would need one crazy bandsaw for that. i think i am going to go look at wobble-bendy-board-wood tonight on the way home, if they don't have what i need, i will make it from metal with wood braces under it... skuff it up with some paper, and spray 3m on it for the foam.
I have never used wiggly wood or what ever it's called, but I think I remember it only able to bend in one direction, ie not compound curves. I could be wrong. DrJ has the best solution and strongest. I have done this many times. Line your mold with wax paper and if you use water to make the bends, be sure your glue reacts with water. Otherwise it won't hold. Once dried you can use a band saw or whatever to trim the laminate pieces and sand it from there. Most large metro cities have specialty hard wood shops, check them out as all of them will have laminate material. Rockler is a nation wide store with locations through out the country and on line ordering. Or, you can make your own laminate sheets if you have the right tools. 12" is pretty big though, so buying sheets is probably the easiest.
If you are going to be covering the entire piece in foam/material, why not cut your plywood that you are trying to bend into strips, then mount them as close to each other as possible? I think you said you were using 1/4" plywood, so maybe cut up several 1/2" strips on a table saw. Once it is covered in foam/etc.. it should look like one uniform piece. Also, a friend of mine made something similiar in his (gasp) minitruck, but he used sheet metal for the top. He used a router to cut a groove into the two sides of his console, and then fit the sheet metal into the groove and carefully made it bend to his will. He left it bare metal and polished it up nice.
The HAMB search feature actually works! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30711&highlight=longboard
I wanted to make it out of wood, over it in 1/4" foam and have it covered to match my seats, but i just can't get wood to bend the way i need it to. I've tried to cut groves in the back side of it, to help it bend, but it just cracks. If i wet the wood to bend it, will a nail / screw rip though it when i try to hold it down? Use 1/4" plywood, cut small shallow "saw kerfs" on the underside of the bend,soak in water for a day or so and bend around a jig made on a table or your armrest. The key is to soak it in water for a day or so. The nail or screw won't pull through. 1/4 soaked probably doesn't even need to be saw kerfed if soaked enough. Don't use O.S.B. ( oriented strand board) or MDF( medium density fiber board) use true plywood or Luann. Luann is used for door skins and comes even thinner than 1/4 ply. The grain in Luann is directional so if you cut it right you won't be fighting the grain. My wife helps me bend my wood!
My .02 bits here.. I did some research into wood bending for a project during the winter and everything I read stated that as general rule hard wood bends, soft wood splits... even after steaming and kerfs. Pretty good explainations here.... http://www.megspace.com/lifestyles/njmarine/Steam.html Just not sure about the "gas can" on the Coleman stove bit.... haha Search "bending wood" on Google for more.........
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