Bending Wood to Make Furniture
Whether on a modern furniture website, in antique stores or art galleries, furniture made from bending wood has been a popular design created for centuries. But how does one bend wood?
Bending wood to make furniture is not as difficult as you might think. There are two ways to accomplish this design. The first method is to steam the wood. The heat and vapor allow for the wood to be flexible and easily reshaped. Once you are able to bend the piece of wood you can clamp it into a new shape; the wood will retain the shape after it has dried. It is important to secure the wood to help retain its shape. It is possible for there to be spring-back if the wood is exposed to high heat and humidity.
The second method is to laminate together several thin pieces of wood and clamp them to a form as they dry. This process uses a rigid adhesive between each layer, which allows for no spring-back. This method was used for the design of our Minimal Series.Take a closer look at the Walnut Bench; you can clearly see the various layers flowing along the front edge of the bench, forming a lovely sculptured line. The sustainably forested wood is the natural focus of the bench.
Bending wood also allows precision control over the design of the furniture; you can see this in the design of our Minimal Bend Nester tables. It would be quite difficult to hand carve nesting tables so seamlessly, not to mention the process would waste a lot of wood. By using the laminate bending process, we are able to create three tables which only take up the space of one until they are needed—and form their own beautifully curved design as they nest.
To learn more about the bent wood furniture we offer, browse our website today or contact us with your questions.