Wood & Steam. Charlie Whinney
For Casper
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Kyle Books, an imprint of Kyle Cathie Ltd, Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ, www.kylebooks.co.uk
This version published by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.
Text copyright 2019 © Charlie Whinney
Photography copyright 2019 © Andrew Montgomery
Design and layout copyright 2019 © Kyle Cathie Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Free downloads for all templates and jigs mentioned in the book are available at www.learnsteambending.com/shop – just enter code “Wood & Steam.”
ISBN 978-1-56523-999-9
eISBN 9781607656883
Publisher: Joanna Copestick
Project editor: Tara O’Sullivan
Photography: Andrew Montgomery
Design: Laura Woussen
Illustrations: Esther Coombs
Copyeditor: Sian Parkhouse
Editorial assistant: Sarah Kyle
Production: Lisa Pinnell
The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.
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Safety notice: Working with wood, tools, steam, and heat sources can be dangerous. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and take appropriate safety precautions. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for any accident, loss, or injury that may result from material presented in this publication.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE DOORS, FLOORS, AND STAIRCASE in your house – maybe even the walls and roof – they hold a secret, and it goes right to the top of the trees outside and back millennia in time. Deep in the fibers, bound up in the very molecules of the wood, is the hidden secret. It’s been there all along, a potential known only to the initiated. When the conditions are right, the grain aligned and hot mist rising, you can take each end of a plank and bend it, twist it, tie it in a knot – with just your hands.
This book is all about the ability of wood to soften and become malleable when heated to boiling point. In these pages you will find a wide variety of intriguing and fun projects that make use of this little-known but very useful aspect of the material. There are 18 new designs created to help people of all abilities discover this amazing process in different ways, most made for the first time in this book. I have tried to show the designs and prototypes in their simplest possible form so you can understand the essence of each work and then develop it in your own way.
I believe that as we move through this century it will become ever more vital in design to use appropriate materials as we try to meet our needs and maintain our level of lifestyle in the context of climate change, pollution, species loss, and our ever-increasing population. In many industries, such as engineering and medicine, highly processed materials such as plastic and metal will always be essential; however, in the spheres of “homewares” and “luxury goods” almost any material can be used as long as the end result is desirable. Given that these items only exist to make us happier and more comfortable, it is clearly counterintuitive to use materials that are energy intensive or polluting; the net benefit to the customer will be negative in the long-term. As you explore different techniques using wood and steam, I hope to give you options – simple and beautiful ways of meeting our needs directly using branches