Bowfront Console Table: Bent Lamination

[Phil Gaudio]

First attempt at using bent lamination technique for a curved table apron. Was not as difficult as I had first imagined.

Make a bending form:
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Slice 1/8" strips on bandsaw and clean up each with pass through planer using sled I cobbled together (sorry, could not find pic of this)

Glue up: I learned to use cauls next time:

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The resulting curved apron prior to joinery

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Tenons created: full size sketch of parts was used for this

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Dry fitup

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Finished (well finish is not quite cured at this point but its close enough)

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[Ron Citerone]

Very nice piece. Thanks for the how too photos.

[Mark Rainey]

Phil, nice project - you needed all the clamps you could find for that glue up! Beautiful cherry. What was the glue?

[Phil Gaudio]

Phil, nice project - you needed all the clamps you could find for that glue up! Beautiful cherry. What was the glue?

Thanks! The glue was Unbind 800: applied with small roller. Some springback, but not too bad.

[Mike Cutler]

Ohhh. !!! Very, very nice! Well done!

PS.
It's really hard to let go of a bending form like that, when the project is complete.

Once again, nice work.

[Jim Becker]

Really excellent result, Phil!!

[Dan Barber]

Thanks for sharing that, very nice work. The curved detail really adds to that piece.

[Frederick Skelly]

Man, I love your work.

[Jim Reffner]

Nice work Phil, thanks for the photos. Piece turned out really well.

[John TenEyck]

Beautiful table. Very nice.

I noticed the glue lines on the bent lamination are quite visible, as if the joints didn't get much clamping pressure. Cauls would improve that, as you said, but a vacuum bag makes it much simpler and guarantees uniform pressure. If you plan to do much lamination work, curved or flat, you might want to build/buy a vacuum bag system.

John

[Phil Gaudio]

Thanks gents for the kind words!

John: Wait, are you offering me an opportunity to spend more $$ on woodworking accoutrements? Challenge accepted!

[glenn bradley]

First try!?! Great result. What a looker. Thanks for the tag-a-long pics. Always enjoyable.

[John TenEyck]

Thanks gents for the kind words!

John: Wait, are you offering me an opportunity to spend more $$ on woodworking accoutrements? Challenge accepted!

Always happy to help others spend their money. Several have returned the favor.

You can build a vacuum bag system for not much money. I make my own bags from sheet PVC, which can be glued with regular plastic pipe cement. Most any vacuum pump will work. I spent less than $100 total about 20 years ago. I still have that original bag, after 100's of uses, but have since made another for other work. You don't need fancy automatic vacuum maintainers, either. Buy a pump that can run continuously or use a simple on/off timer (my choice). You can spend a lot, but you don't need to. In any case, a vacuum bag opens up a whole 'nother world of woodworking to you, curved work, veneering, even making specialty plywood.

John

[Todd Zucker]

Really nice work.

[Phil Gaudio]

Thanks Todd!

One more pic showing the table in its new habitat (gave finish a week to cure before moving it into place):
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