Things don’t go exactly as planned. In fact, when bending wood, it happens more often than with most other operations. I’ve come to take a fatalistic approach to bending projects, failures are to be expected, and allowed for.
The photo above shows the aftermath of a minor explosion. When I inserted the tapered core into the band of my largest attempted bentwood box, the stressed wood split and sprung apart with a small bang.
I’ve been learning a lot about these little boxes. Each one requires its own variation of technique to bend, secure and fasten it into the proper shape. Small ones require a nimble dexterity to get the tiny tacks in place, while the larger take a firm hand and all the digits that you can muster to keep them together without splitting out between wooden fingers.
I spent most of my shop time last week roughing out stock for dozens of these boxes. My work is cut out for me, and my education continues apace.
Cheers,
Tom
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"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi