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TATAR MAPLE FIRST BENDING(advice is needed)

15 posts2012live thread
Vonegelut
Here two laths that I bend at the Fridays night. It was my first experience with a such sharp angle bending the wood.
The first lath bend well (without crackings & splitters)
Vonegelut
But the second lath has a too much curve at kasan/tip transition :? .
Damn it maybe I was too hurry while bending it & didn't pressed well in that section or other reason :x .
So is it too negative for my future work?
scemdonmez
İt is not big problem.

Cem
jiao
Vonegelut, see cem' topic yew core, it can help you, and other pic show how use small size tree
Vonegelut
Ok. I shall check it out. Thanx for opinion guys!
Vonegelut
Cem cok guzel yay! You used yew 15 cm diametr. My trunk was about 14 cm. And I leaved 1.8 cm at the tips and 1.5 other (except a kasan / tip transition where i rounded a bit to 1.3 cm
scemdonmez
Vonegelut,

Wood diameter and thickness is good but angle of kasan/tip must be sharper. You can make little lamination in kasan/tip from back side.

Cem
Vonegelut

scemdonmez wrote:

Vonegelut,

Wood diameter and thickness is good but angle of kasan/tip must be sharper. You can make little lamination in kasan/tip from back side.

Cem

Ok, Cem I avoided too much sharp angle at forms when I worked on them ( cause I thought the lath could brake) But now I see that the green maple core is pretty flexible. I think lamination maybe needed in future. So as Adam says in his book 1 week of drying on a forms will be enough? And then 3-4 month between wooden blocks
scemdonmez
One week on the form is not enough for green maples , it is good for dry ones. İf the laths are air dried 3-4 week is enough as Adam say. I waited the laths min 6 month. Humidity is important for waiting time too.

Cem
Vonegelut

scemdonmez wrote:

One week on the form is not enough for green maples , it is good for dry ones. İf the laths are air dried 3-4 week is enough as Adam say. I waited the laths min 6 month. Humidity is important for waiting time too.

Cem

I put them to the most dry room at home (where the stove is heating at least for 2 month until the cold leave the Almaty) So the level of humidity is very low. ok I shall not get them from forms for that time.
ulubatlihasan
YOU NEED CUT THE FORM LITTLE SHARPER
Patrick Menzies
Looks like you are using the outside of the tree as the outer part of the curve which should minimize cracking since it should be an unbroken growth ring.
The main problem seems to be that the inside of the curve is very irregular and the wood wants to collapse wherever there is a gouge or dip.
You need to have that side pretty smooth and flat if you want predictable bending.
Vonegelut

ulubatlihasan wrote:

YOU NEED CUT THE FORM LITTLE SHARPER

Thanx! Yes that were my first forms & I made them sharper a bit more .
Vonegelut

Patrick Menzies wrote:

Looks like you are using the outside of the tree as the outer part of the curve which should minimize cracking since it should be an unbroken growth ring.
The main problem seems to be that the inside of the curve is very irregular and the wood wants to collapse wherever there is a gouge or dip.
You need to have that side pretty smooth and flat if you want predictable bending.

Patrick & others! This was my first attempt & it showed me that Tatar maple(from my country) is too knotty & too soft for bow making (0,45-0,47 specific gravity). And one of that lath had a knot on a kasan/bash area. That knot wasn't on a most stressed areas however it gave crack lenght wise. So my own experience show that it much better to use a Norway maple(Acer platanoides)
Vonegelut

Vonegelut wrote:

Patrick Menzies wrote:

Looks like you are using the outside of the tree as the outer part of the curve which should minimize cracking since it should be an unbroken growth ring.
The main problem seems to be that the inside of the curve is very irregular and the wood wants to collapse wherever there is a gouge or dip.
You need to have that side pretty smooth and flat if you want predictable bending.

Patrick & others! This was my first attempt & it showed me that Tatar maple(from my country) is too knotty & too soft for bow making (0,45-0,47 specific gravity). And one of that lath had a knot on a kasan/bash area. That knot wasn't on a most stressed areas however it gave crack lenght wise. So my own experience show that it much better to use a Norway maple(Acer platanoides)