bending qld maple

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GregL
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bending qld maple

Post by GregL » Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:17 am

Hi,

I've got a lump of highly figured Queensland Maple (Flindersia breyleyana) and was wondering how it bends?

Thanks,
GregL.

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Steve.Toscano
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Re: bending qld maple

Post by Steve.Toscano » Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:21 pm

All the qld maple ive built with bends very easily. I soak for 15mins in hot water first.
In saying this ive never used really highly figured qld maple, only what id call medium figure.

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nkforster
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Re: bending qld maple

Post by nkforster » Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:49 pm

If it looks like it might cause trouble, I soak in hot water and fabric softener for 20-30 mins. Usually does the job. The alternative, which I do more and more of these days is to cut or thin the wood down to veneer thickness and laminate it to something more bendable.

GregL
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Re: bending qld maple

Post by GregL » Sun Oct 22, 2017 9:24 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. Here's a pic of the timber:
low_01.jpg
low_01.jpg (96.01 KiB) Viewed 6271 times
(It's 2" thick)
I'm thinking of slicing it up for B&S for a terz (ie Martin size 5).
I'll cut the sides thin and soak in hot water and fabric softener and try to bend by hand on an iron.

Thanks,
GregL.

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nkforster
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Re: bending qld maple

Post by nkforster » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:24 am

Lovely looking stuff. Just cut one set and try in water and maple. If it snaps (and short grain can, even with fabric softener) I'd be hunting someone with a good quality saw to make that into veneers. In Germany here, there are several shops who offer the service.

Vacuum veneering is a lot easier than folk think.

blackalex1952
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Re: bending qld maple

Post by blackalex1952 » Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:08 pm

Pay attention to the grain in the section which goes in the cutaway if doing one or even on the tighter curves at the waist. To avoid splits and uneven bending, particularly in the cutaway where the wood usually has to be thinned in order to bend. Uneven gnarly grain has a tendency to misbehave when the wood is thinner, but won't bend successfully if too thick for the curve required. The more figured grain also looks better for the large convex surfaces rather than being hidden in the inside curves.
Ross
"Everything I say on the topic is based solely upon inexperience and assumption!"

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