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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: ocd on January 01, 2010, 08:36:00 PM

Title: when to use steam
Post by: ocd on January 01, 2010, 08:36:00 PM
a buddy of mine is working on an osage stave and wants to straighten it. My question is this;When is the appropriate time to use dry heat as to steam heat?
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: Jesse Peltan on January 01, 2010, 08:46:00 PM
Use dry heat when the stave is dry. Use stream on a green or wet stave.  If you use them the other way around the stave will crack.
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: DVSHUNTER on January 01, 2010, 08:49:00 PM
dry wooduse dry heat, wet wood, steam. I tried to find  the line between the two but wasn't able to  find it. When in doubt about steam I just work the stave down to floor tillered size and let it dry until I feeli can use the heat gun
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: DVSHUNTER on January 01, 2010, 08:51:00 PM
dry wooduse dry heat, wet wood, steam. I tried to find  the line between the two but wasn't able to  find it. When in doubt about steam I just work the stave down to floor tillered size and let it dry until I feeli can use the heat gun
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: ranger 3 on January 01, 2010, 08:56:00 PM
If you use dry heat use a little cooking oil on it, helps form scorching.
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: George Tsoukalas on January 01, 2010, 09:31:00 PM
Dry wood can be steamed or heated. Wet wood should only be steamed. Jawge
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: 4est trekker on January 01, 2010, 10:57:00 PM
Right on, George.  Cured hickory, for example, takes well to steaming.  However, cured osage doesn't take steam as well.  I do follow the wet/steam dry/heat philosophy, as I don't like adding massive amounts of moisture to a cured stave.  But, when making snowshoes and fish nets, I only use steam on cured woods (or bend them green.)
Title: Re: when to use steam
Post by: ocd on January 03, 2010, 09:32:00 PM
thanks guy's