I've known for some time that a heat gun can be used to bend strips without a form.

I guess it's just one of those things where you build momentum, but it seems lately
I've been talking with people in different places about bending wood and suddenly it
has come all together on the current kayak I'm building.

HEAT GUN! WOW! It's Great!

Every place on your boat were you are twisting or bending a strip into place
can be done with ease by using a heat gun to bend the strip.

As I mentioned before, air dried woods (northern white cedar is THE BEST!) bend very
easily with the heat gun because the natural glue that holds the wood fibers together,
called lignin, becomes plastic when heated.
Kiln dried woods like western red cedar will not bend as well because the lignin has changed
in the drying process. But they will still bend if you go slow and try a few test pieces to get the
feel for working with it.

An important point to remember about wood bending is that nearly all the bending happens
on the compression side of the wood (inside of the curve) so to use a heat gun effectively
you must apply heat to the inside of what will be a curve.

Again, as with any wood bending clear straight grain is important for success.

Clamp one section, near where you will bend the wood and hold the other end with a
leather gloved hand (that heat is very hot!) and apply the heat from the heat gun to the flat
of the strip. Hold the end of the heat nozzle about two inches from the wood and keep it moving
back and forth. Twist or bend the wood with your hand building tension into the wood. You will feel
the tension release as the wood reaches the right temperature. Kiln dried woods will take more heat
often toasting the wood surface before tension is released and sometimes you'll hear the wood start
cracking as it starts to break on the tension surface (outside of the curve).

You have to over bend the piece because it will spring back. If you end up with a tighter bend
than you wish you can just reheat it and straighten it a bit.

I just used the heat gun instead of steam bending to strip the tail piece on my latest baidarka I'm
now working on. It was much easier than ever before!
Try some test pieces of different woods in a vise to get the feel before you work on your boat.

I think you'll love it!

All the best,

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