lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Steamed Basswood.... mmm yummy. It appears this is actually going to work.
I cut some 1" thick plywood material into strips 8" long, one of which is about 3/8" thick. That's the inside thickness of the fins. These will act as the fixture to hold the basswood after it's steamed, while it dries.
Then I cut a piece of 1/16" thick Basswood 7-1/4" long x 2-1/2" wide.
I soaked the cut piece of basswood in a pan of hot water for an hour.
Next I steamed the basswood standing on it's edge for 20 minutes. It still seemed to stiff.
So I layed the piece flat on the bottom of the steamer and steamed it for another 20 minutes, flipping it over about every 5 minutes.
It still seemed pretty stiff but I decided to try to form it over the fixture anyway. What I found was the basswood is stiff but tends to bend well with pressure and patience. I slowly applied pressure and bent the basswood over the fixture, with just my hands.
Once it was close to the correct shape I placed the side supports and top support over the basswood and then clamped them in place.
Worth noting, I formed the piece with the longitudinal wood grain. This is referred to as forming it the "easy way", with the grain.
I'll let it sit for 24 hours and then release it from the forms.
I cut some 1" thick plywood material into strips 8" long, one of which is about 3/8" thick. That's the inside thickness of the fins. These will act as the fixture to hold the basswood after it's steamed, while it dries.
Then I cut a piece of 1/16" thick Basswood 7-1/4" long x 2-1/2" wide.
I soaked the cut piece of basswood in a pan of hot water for an hour.
Next I steamed the basswood standing on it's edge for 20 minutes. It still seemed to stiff.
So I layed the piece flat on the bottom of the steamer and steamed it for another 20 minutes, flipping it over about every 5 minutes.
It still seemed pretty stiff but I decided to try to form it over the fixture anyway. What I found was the basswood is stiff but tends to bend well with pressure and patience. I slowly applied pressure and bent the basswood over the fixture, with just my hands.
Once it was close to the correct shape I placed the side supports and top support over the basswood and then clamped them in place.
Worth noting, I formed the piece with the longitudinal wood grain. This is referred to as forming it the "easy way", with the grain.
I'll let it sit for 24 hours and then release it from the forms.