: I tried steaming AYC after soaking it for as much as a week and I still
: couldn't get it to bend without breaking. Ash soaked for less time - or
: not at all - worked fine. Is your AYC green lumber as Morris suggests? All
: I could find was kiln-dried AYC flooring.

: Regarding steaming, I've read that you can "over-steam", but my
: experience was the longer, the better. The only time I had a problem was
: when the steamer ran low on water and the wood came out of the steamer
: looking rather dry, rather than dripping wet. It seems to me that if you
: keep plenty of water in the steamer, the temperature will remain pretty
: constant and any extra time should have no detrimental effect. I suspect
: that the "1 hour per inch" rule of thumb is the minimum amount
: of time for steaming, not necessarily the optimum. I steamed the 1/4"
: ash ribs for 5-10 minutes (after soaking for 4+ days), depending on the
: severity of the bend they had to take. The 3/8" coaming ring sat in
: the steamer for a full hour and it bent like butta', despite only having
: been soaked for a day. I'd love to hear from someone with more experience
: regarding this subject. I get the impression that - like finishing - much
: of what is written about steaming is more folklore rather than fact.

: Hmmm, maybe we can get Bob Flexner on the case...

hey you got way ahead of me! the spring run took over for a bit.
my ayc is air dried to about 10%. i've only done one rib (the longest) so far. planning on friday this week for the rest. i soaked the rib in the tub for 24 hours, steamed it for about 15 minutes. it bent good. i agree that steam bending seems to be more folk-lore than science.
daren....