Steam Box
Steam Box
I picked up a cheap $4.00 steam kettle from Wal-Mart this weekend and I will build a steam box next weekend. So I would like to hear what you guys have used for steam boxes. What has worked and what hasn't. Should the design be flexible enough to steam large pieces such planks and gunwales?
HI It's Me
I have used steam boxes for quite a while now. Everything from plastic pipes and steam kettles to an industrial sized one. I have a steamer that will hold over sixty ribs for cedar boats but it needs vast amounts of steam. A small steamer made out of boards is the easiest to use. Plastic will bend unless you suport it with a board. I would make it as long as the material you expect to bend. Keep the interior small so the steam generated will keep the box hot. I like 4 inches by 4 inches for the interior. A small box made for scrap cedar is a nice addition to your shop and the smell is also nice.
Regards, Erich.
I have used steam boxes for quite a while now. Everything from plastic pipes and steam kettles to an industrial sized one. I have a steamer that will hold over sixty ribs for cedar boats but it needs vast amounts of steam. A small steamer made out of boards is the easiest to use. Plastic will bend unless you suport it with a board. I would make it as long as the material you expect to bend. Keep the interior small so the steam generated will keep the box hot. I like 4 inches by 4 inches for the interior. A small box made for scrap cedar is a nice addition to your shop and the smell is also nice.
Regards, Erich.
- Juneaudave
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For what it is worth. I had a heck of a time getting my stems to bend without breaking utilizing the steam box. So I went back to what I knew worked, and soaked the stem pieces in the tub over night. Worked like charm. So, if you want to save some time building a box out of whatever, the soak method works also.
- Patricks Dad
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- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
- Location: Warrenville, Illinois
We built following steamer out of a bucket, funnel and PVC pipe sealed with strips of spounges (between bucket, funnel and pipe). The top of the pipe simply was plugged with a rag. Sitting on top of the gas grill and leaning up against the side of the garage, it did a fine job. Water that condensed out of the pipe trickled back into the bucket. We also soaked the wood in the bathtub over night. We used cherry for our stems but I was fairly sure it was kiln dried so soaking was the safe (belt and suspenders) thing to do. Once soaked and steamed, the cherry bent easily. Quite an enjoyable experience.
I used a 4' piece of 4" PVC capped at the ends with removable PVC caps. Viewing the pipe horizontally, I drilled 1/4" holes through about 8" in from either end. I placed 1/4" dowels in through these holes so any wood I steamed was up, out of the condensate. I drilled a small hole in the top of the pipe to act as a relief port. A small hole was drilled at one end of the bottom of the pipe to allow condensate to drain out. A section of brake hose runs to a 3/8" hole in the middle of the bottom to a tea kettle heated on a Coleman stove. It is actually easier to make than it is to descirbe and works quite well.
Jim
Jim
An electric Wagner wallpaper steamer is an excellent source of steam, about $30.00 at HD. My unit will run for about 2 hours on a full tank of water. A few plumbing parts, 2 hose clamps, and a short section of heater hose connects this to a 5 foot long box made out of 1X8 pine. 1/2 inch dowel rods thru the sides help to insure the wood gets fully cooked on all sides.