: Submerge the wood in water for at least 3 days. A steam "box" can
: be a plastic bag over a boiling kettle! Anything will work as long as it
: holds the steam. Always wear gloves and be careful around steam! You can
: dry wood out by steaming it for too long. For thin stuff of 1/4"
: thickness 5 or 6 mins is enough - depending on the wood. Do a few test
: runs to work out the bugs.

: Redwood is poor for steaming so you might be better off with cutting thin
: strips and laminating them.
When reframing a boat with 1/2 x 2 oak my homemade steamer was quite basic. A piece of 4" pipe with a plate welded over one end. Fill with water and build a fire around the end of the pipe. After 20 minutes or so the oak was amazingly limber.
Good luck JT