Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have thought of, tried out and improved upon after building projects from our books.
Send us your own ideas! Email kara@lostartpress.com. You can read more about the submission process here.
Today’s pick is courtesy of Sam Robinson. In the third issue of The Stick Chair Journal, coming in January, you’ll find full plans for building a Lincolnshire Windsor, which has steam-bent arms. (Paid subscribers to The American Peasant Substack have access to this article now.) Sam’s method is a great way to bend the arms without a box. Thanks, Sam!
— Kara Gebhart Uhl
Steam boxes take time to make and space to store. This is a quick alternative using inexpensive, flexible, tubular plastic (sold in the U.K. as lay-flat tubing).
All you do is cut the plastic to length, slide the wood* and the steamer hose inside and seal the ends (by folding them over and tying with string or cable/zip ties).
Turn on the steamer, stand back and enjoy watching it inflate.
Pierce a tiny hole in the top of the bag for the steam to escape and at the bottom for it to relieve itself of the condensed water.
One big advantage of this over steam boxes is that you can bend the wood while it’s still in the bag – just turn off the steamer and bend the whole deflated thing. This means the wood stays hot for longer and you don’t have the issue of it cooling down fast once it’s left the box. Alternatively, you can treat it like a steam box by sliding the wood out and bend it as normal.
It is possible to reuse the bag if you’re careful with it, although using it in a compression strap like this is asking a lot.
Steam boxes have their place, especially if you’re doing multiple components at one time. But this is a handy, quick alternative – and being able to bend without removing the wood from the box can certainly increase the odds in your favor on difficult bends.
— Sam Robinson
* I slide green wood right inside. With dry wood, either kiln dried or air dried,I soak it for a few days first.
I have used this technique before, with good success, with just plastic sheeting with the edges folded over and held by binder clips.