Any woodtechs around tonight?

Any @woodtechs in this evening?

I’d like to experiment with cutting thin strips off some timber to make flexible battens for a bench I’m working on with the youth group

It’s to link the slats of the backrest to spread the load and create a graceful curve…damn comfortable bench that – designed from the ground up by the youth group for a homeless charity in Streatham

Bit more detail: it’s call the ‘Talk or not talk Bench’ – depending where you sit it encourages conversation, or allows peaceful contemplation…and it actually works

3 Likes

3mm ply cut into narrow strips with the outside grain running the ‘wrong’ way is quite flexible. Glue 3 or 4 layers together and it will be strong enough to hold the shape I’d think.

Maybe you could use the base of the bench as a mould?

We could restrain it with builder’s strapping - which was the original unappealing plan - and fix layers of that to the shape of the back

I’ll be about this evening. Give me a bell next time as not often checking here.

@Jeremy_Clark’s steam bender worth a whizz? Simple jig to give some shallow C or S shaped curves?

1 Like

Thanks to @Jonty_Bottomley I cut a bunch of 4mm strips of softwood…

Backrest cut to shape, rear support added, the whole lot Osmo’d…ready for it’s new home

2 Likes