: I came to the same conclusion last night ... my strips, given their current
: dimensions, material stiffness, moisture content etc. ... just aren't
: gonna work. I have to reduce the moment of inertia (Sorry to get technical
: ... I was a stress analysist in a past career!) which is most effectively
: done by reducing the thickness ... that's my best option. My only concerns
: are the stress concentration at the thickness transition and the manor of
: making the bends.

: For the stress concentration I'll try for a ramp about 4 to 6 inches long
: from the thin to thick sections.

: Should I still try to make the bends using steam or other wet heat methods or
: should I try it cold? I'll try cold first and if that doesn't work ...
: steam.

: Thanks!

: Ken

You mentioned that you were using AIR DRIED western red cedar. This will bend more easily
using het/steam methods than kiln dried wood.

I'd suggest using a heat gun to assist. If it has not worked for you before you may not have
applied enough heat. I'd suggest cutting a few short 3/16" thick test strips and see how far
you can go in bending them using the heat gun to make the wood pliable.

If you have not used a heat gun before try clamping one end of the strip in place and then
bend/ twist the wood in the desired direction with one hand while running the heat gun over
the surface with the other hand.

When the wood reaches the right heat saturation you will feel the tension in the wood release
and then you should over bend the piece because there will be some springback after you let it go.

The heat gun really works well once you start playing with it.

All the best,

Rob Macks
Laughing Loon CC&K
www.LaughingLoon.com