Bending irons are used to bend wood for musical instruments and furniture. They can have variable heat settings and are available from woodworking suppliers. Hot bending and heated mat techniques are used, with metal chosen for its ability to conduct heat evenly. Safety precautions are necessary.
A bending iron is a device that is used to bend the wood used to make the sides of musical instruments. Woodworkers may also use irons when making furniture and other woodworking projects with curved and bent features. These devices are available through woodworking suppliers and companies that carry luthier equipment. Some carpenters also make them so they can control the bending characteristics of the iron.
Hot bending of pipes, as it is known, is a traditional way of bending wood for musical instruments. With this technique the craftsman takes a sheet of side wood that has been impregnated and shapes it onto the hot bending iron. The bending iron consists of a simple tube or block that can be round or teardrop-shaped, allowing the craftsman to carefully shape the wood into a series of curves that match the back and front of the tool.
Another technique involves the use of a heated mat and shape, with the soaked wood being heated by the mat and clamped onto the shape. This technique works similar to iron bending, using heat to bend the wood and help it take the desired shape. However, it requires much more space and setup, as the craftsman must create a perfect shape for the wood and have room to set the shape and clamps to bend the wood.
Some irons come with variable heat settings. This can be used to adjust the heat to match the type of wood being used, as some woods require more heat to bend than others. The heating element can be electric or gas, with some bending irons simply consisting of a metal tube heated by a torch. In any case, metal is chosen because it conducts heat evenly and well and will not cool quickly when wet wood is pressed against it.
It’s important to be aware of heat when using an iron to bend wood. Touching the iron can be very painful. People usually wear gloves and may use metal sleeves with small handles on both ends to cover the outside of the wood. The heat will be conducted to the metal, ensuring the wood is exposed to even heat from both sides so it bends without cracking or otherwise being compromised. Many irons ship with these plates and may include practice wood that people can use as they get used to how the iron works.
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