Timber Steaming Test

 I decided to trial a timber steaming system. I initially intended to build something from 90mm diam. PVC plumbing pipe but after a scrounge around under the house I found a plastic tube from a petrol garden blower. The tube's diameter was large enough and the length long enough for both the sheer clamps and the forward section of the gunwales. 

The tube had an angled section on the end that would sit above a boiling jug or saucepan.

 STEAMING TIMBER

Trial One

The first set up involved laying the pipe on a trolly with a boiling kettle supplying steam.

As can be seen here by the escaping steam it worked OK but a lot of heat was lost out of the plastic tube, and I wasn't happy with taping down the "on" switch of the kettle to maintain boiling.

Here is a video of my first home made timber steamer.

Trial Two

The plastic tube was tightly wrapped with towels to keep in the heat.

The unit was placed on sawhorses and angled so the end was lower to allow water to run into a bucket.

A pot of boiling water was placed under the tube and towels used to direct the steam into the pipe.

The starboard sheer clamp was placed inside the pipe. You can see the steam coming from the end of the pipe.

I steamed the starboard sheer clamp for twenty minutes before clamping in place. While the timber did bend OK it still required some force from the clamps, there was no breaks or cracks.

I left it in situ under clamps overnight, when removed the timber maintained a nice bend.