: Ben, I am using the bending jib with a leather backing strap suggested in
: Cunninghams book.
: Richard

You may have to go to a different technique. You cna cut kerfs in the inside of the stock at the location of the bend, or you cna reduce the thickness of the entire rib piece until it is thin enough to bend without cracking. The thinner stock heats up in the steamer faster. Of course, if you reduce the thickness of the stock enough you can bend it without any steaming.

If you make your stock half the desired thickness, you cna bend two of these thinner pieces in your jig at the same time. Once they cool and hold their shape you can glue them together to give you back the desired thickness.

If your stock STILL cracks when it is half the desired thickness, then go down to 1/3rd or 1/4 of the thickness you need and use stacks of 3 or 4 pieces.

A heat gun aimed at the inside of the bend of the steam-heated wood may give a bit more of a kick to that area and assist in the bending.

Some kiln-dried woods just don't want to bend by heat or steam, and then you are reduced to just using lots of very thin pieces and lots of waterproof glue.

Good luck with this

PGJ