Thursday, February 22, 2007

Shop Notes:

Today I learned to bend wood using a steam box.

I needed to bend a length of Mahogony 3/4" x 2 1/2" x 54" for the cabin's cross beam.

I got the idea about how to build the steam box from my book by the Woodenboat Series... Frame, Stem & Keel Repair at http://www.amazon.com/Frame-Stem-Keel-Repair-Woodenboat/dp/0937822426

This book has some really great information about so many things.

The heater is of course my deisel powered salamander. The water tank is an old fire extinguisher that I had purchased a couple of years ago for $2.00 at a garage sale. It's made of stainless steel and it worked great. The steam box is a length of downspout from the gutter on the back of my wifes "Hut" behind the house. I usually use this downspout to channel water into a 30 gallon plastic drum, mounted sideways with a spigot on one end, so that I can collect rain water for my house plants.


It worked great too. The workpiece is currently laid up in the jig to set and dry. Now I think that I'll mix up a batch of C.P.E.S. and start coating some of the many parts I've made in the past weeks. It's a beautiful day outside and I for one am taking advantage of it.

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