My "new" top bows arrived today

[ironhorse]

Very nice work John thank you a lot now maybe I can finish this '25

after

[Duey_C]

Those are gorgeous G. R.!
Keep us up to speed.

[Altair]

I bent my own top wood some years ago and it was a very challenging experience. I was told by the "experts" that steamed oak will bend like spaghetti, not true. I made a steam box and steamed the oak pieces (originally they were two pieces fitted in the clasps) to make it easier I made it a three piece component. I steamed the wood for 30 minutes to get it real soft and when I removed it from the steam box and tried to bend (the spaghetti) it snapped like Bakelite. After about an hour of this frustration and a garbage can full of oak firewood I called a steam expert and he informed me that the process I was using I was KILN drying the wood. I was using dry steam instead of wet steam, I didn't think there was any difference. I redesigned my steam box and introduced water with the steam and cut the time in half, there is a time for thickness formula. With the new steam box design and new procedure information the oak bent real easy, however it still had to be bent very quickly just a few moments of hesitation and the wood was like Bakelite again. I had a jig made and as soon as the wood was removed from the steam box it was bent immediately and placed in the jig. In seconds I could remove it from the jig and throw the piece on the floor and it was permanently bent. There is some science involved and a lot of trial and error. I also used the natural elements to assist in bending oak, I made wood fellows by laminating eight 1/8 thick pieces and gluing them together. I did this in the rainy season and left the pieces on the lawn in the rain for two weeks, I then used a rim as a mould and bent and clamped the individual pieces in side and held them there until they dried. They were then glued and clamped, edges re-sawn with a band saw, edges shaped and sanded, cut to length and drilled for the spokes then riveted to the rim. A metal clasp is riveted over the joints and when finished and painted you can't tell.

[Original Smith]

Good read. This is the real purpose of this forum!