Member Book & Video Reviews
Steambending for Woodworkers

Steambending for Woodworkers
With Rollin Thurlow
Northwoods Canoe Company, 1993
VHS, 65 minutes, $27 + $3 shipping

Reviewed by Chris Merigold (Wooden Canoe Issue #69)
June 1995

This video, produced by Rollin Thurlow and his colleague Andy Cook at the Northwoods Canoe shop in Maine, has received very complimentary reviews in both Wooden Boat and Fine Woodworking magazines.

The reviewers agree that the tape is more like a friendly and informative visit to a working shop than a polished professional production. As viewers, they felt "comfortable with" and "grateful" for the lessons being taught.

The tape covers selecting and preparing stock. There is a demonstration of compression and tension of the actual fibers during the bending process. Descriptions in the reviews of the equipment designed and used by Thurlow Ń steamers, bending jigs, steamboxes Ń contain such words as "fiendishly simple", "low-tech," "clever," "scrounging" and "cheap" along with "safe" and "reliable."

Actual demonstrations on the video include bending pieces which range in size and shape from an 18" coaming strip to deck pieces of several square feet.

...and from the column "It's in Really Great Shape, but..." from the same issue

As I began to think about a subject for this edition I realed that I had some material left over from a gathering I attended this past fall. At that gathering we were entertained by a new video tape on steam bending. To be more specific about this, Rollin Thurlow has offered a video tape on steam bending and I must say that it is a truly terrific tape. He covers every area concerning bending.

The first segment is about wood itself and some of the problems presented by various woods. He talks about the various stress factors and how they affect bending. I found a number of things most interesting. I have been bending for some time, but I never heard anyone really discuss what I was doing. I found the use of the compression straps most interesting as I was bending some gunwales for a restoration project. I canŐt tell you the number of times I heard the resounding "crack" of the wood and just went back to the drawing board. In the video, Rollin points out the use of compression straps and I have yet to break another piece.

He also discusses the bending box and the heat generated. This too was a great help to me. So many times common sense is easily pointed out by someone else. Obviously heat rises. Of course that would mean that the top part of the box would be the hottest and thatŐs where the wood should be. Another great tip!

The bulk of the tape addresses various types of bending from the thickest pieces to the thinnest rib. From gunwales to decks it is all there for your enjoyment including a wonderful twist for a bending box use at the end.

The tape is $30 and is available directly from RollinŐs shop. This tape is a must for anyone who is interested in repair and restoration or wants to experiment with wood bending. I enjoy the wonderful smells that fill my shop as I begin to steam the wood. It also adds some great humidity in the winter time. Get this tape. You will not regret the investment.

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