Straightening wood.

[Asa Samuel]

How do you go about straightening wood for use in hand drills and the such?

Can you straighten all types of wood? I have some elder growing near me but it's all over the place and I'd like to be able to straighten it.

Thanks for any info
Asa.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

With elder, whilst still green heat it over a fire and gently bend it slightly until it is straight, this may take a few times of heating and bending but will eventually straighten it.

This will work with most wood when green, if it is seasoned you will have to seam it or soak it hot water.

There probably are other ways of doing it but I think this is simplest.

 

[Asa Samuel]

Ok, thanks a lot

 

[Javapuntnl]

Hmm, if you're gonna use a fire to straighten a piece of wood for a hand drill isn't that kinda defeating the purpose of making the hand drill?

 

[belzeebob23]

it's a chicken and egg thing LOL
bob

 

[jojo]

With elder, whilst still green heat it over a fire and gently bend it slightly until it is straight, this may take a few times of heating and bending but will eventually straighten it.

This will work with most wood when green, if it is seasoned you will have to seam it or soak it hot water.

There probably are other ways of doing it but I think this is simplest.

As Matthew says. With the hot water, you can wrap a towel or rag and soak it, it keep the heat better. You can also use steam from a kettle, but need to watch you hands as steam can burn worse that hot water.

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

Hmm, if you're gonna use a fire to straighten a piece of wood for a hand drill isn't that kinda defeating the purpose of making the hand drill?

A hand drill drill is usally made in advance of needing it as it has to be totally dry, unless your up for a challenge

but it can be done without the fire, by just bending and holding it in place for a few sec's so it takes the set, the heat just makes it easier.

 

[Joonsy]

when i have straightened wood i have found you have to just ''overbend'' it slightly for it to set straight, in effect bending it just past the straight, i'm no expert though, i just hold the section to be bent (not the whole stick) over some heat (fire or steam) and bend with hands as near to the bit to be straightened applying pressure by bending against thumbs, repeat as many times as necessary, as i say pesonally i have found by bending just ''past'' the straight it springs back very slightly then sets straight , if i bend to the straight only it springs back very slighlty still leaving a very slight but lesser bend than before. I have heard, but not tried, you can straighten seasoned sticks by burying in very hot wet sand and heating sand, suppose that's a steaming method and the sand protects the wood.

 

[Get Lost !]

Hi the way I straighten walking sticks is with steam.

I use a metal tube on a bench tipped up about 4 inches at one end and put the stick in.
Then I use a steam cleaner ( I'm sure everyone has one and has used it only once) and put the hose in the lover end of the tube, the stick will soon be floppy and bend it straight while it cools.
You can heat it up cool it down as many time as you need to.

Hope this is of help.
James

 

[Gaoler]

I find holding the area to be straightened over the spout of a simmering/boiling kettle allows fairly precise localised bending and doesn't scorch like heat/fire straightening can do. As JoJo says though, steam burns are nasty. Use gardening/work gloves. I learned the hardway.

 

[Staghound]

Apologies for resurrecting an ancient thread but, would this work?

My plan is to use a length of scaffold bar or similar to make a long, thin steamer. Put walking stick stave into steamer and steam heat the entire length. While hot apply tension to both ends of the stave (possibly while it's still in the tube) to pull it straight. Allow to cool under tension, thoughts please.

 

[lannyman8]

could do, the heating in the pole would work very well, all you would have to do is bent it straight after that anyway....

let us know how you get on mate....

 

[jackcbr]

Just a thought, but wouldn't a metal pole conduct the heat away quickly?

 

[Andy T]

To straighten my sticks i lay them along a radiator, turning them occasionally to get even drying. I find this puts enough heat in them to straighten them as well as drying them out. For thicker sticks i have an old scaffold board with alot of one inch holes drilled in it and i turned some pegs on my lathe. I use this to overbend the stick and peg it in place for a few days before i put it on the radiator.