The Art and Science of Steam Bending | Woodbender Journal
When wood enters our steam chamber, remarkable changes occur at the cellular level. The steam softens the lignin that binds wood fibres together, making them able to slide past each other and allowing the wood to take new shapes.
Inside the Steam Chamber
Different thicknesses require different steaming times. Too little, and the wood will crack during bending. Too much, and it becomes weak.
Our craftspeople have developed an intuition for precisely the right moment, a skill that comes only from years of experience.
The Bending Process
Once removed from the steam chamber, speed is essential. The wood cools quickly and becomes rigid again within minutes. Our craftspeople work with practised efficiency, bending the wood around forms before it cools.
Our Distinctive Approach
Nearly four decades of experience have given us deep understanding of our materials and methods. We have developed techniques that consistently produce beautiful, durable bends in a wide range of designs.
This expertise cannot be replicated by machines or shortcuts. It represents the accumulated knowledge of generations of craftspeople, refined and passed down through our workshop.