New project... 17.5' Atkinson Traveler

[Patrick Corry]

Stem blanks are off the stem form, and on the canoe form! No bending defects. I was a little surprised by the amount of spring back once off the stem form, but clamps brought them tight to the canoe form. The stem blanks are not yet notched for ribs, or shaped for the planking bevel. This will reduce the stiffness, and presumably result in less resistance to bending into the canoe form.

 

[Patrick Corry]

Stems notched for ribs and rough tapered.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Here's the grain orientation diagram:

Patrick, another non-builder question from me so I can understand this process better.

I understand your diagram to show two different grain orientations for the stems. But is it meant also to suggest that you bent only one piece of wood on the first try, but two pieces of wood on the second try? Stated differently, do you bend one piece of wood on the form to create both stems and then saw that bent piece in half to create two stems; or do you use the form twice, once for each stem?

 

[Patrick Corry]

Patrick, another non-builder question from me so I can understand this process better.

I understand your diagram to show two different grain orientations for the stems. But is it meant also to suggest that you bent only one piece of wood on the first try, but two pieces of wood on the second try? Stated differently, do you bend one piece of wood on the form to create both stems and then saw that bent piece in half to create two stems; or do you use the form twice, once for each stem?

Glenn, I think the standard practice is to bend one blank which is subsequently sawn lengthwise to create two bent stems. After my initial failure I decided to rip the next double-wide blank into two 7/8" square blanks, and rotating them 90 degrees into vertical grain orientation. I then bent them together. There were absolutely no defects on the resulting bends.

The failures I saw in the first bend were all associated with the flat grain orientation so I decided to try vertical. It worked.

I watched a number of steam bending videos here, which were very helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgTlht-PsNniRIuaax4m8Q

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

. . . two 7/8" square blanks. . . . I then bent them together.

Oh, I missed that in your second video. Watching it again, I can see there are two pieces as you carry them out of the steam box. Thanks.