The art of steam bending

Steam bending is one of the oldest ways to make a curve in solid timber. The method is simple to describe and tricky to master: heat the wood in steam until the lignin softens, then bend it around a former before it cools.

Choosing the timber

Not every board will bend. Straight-grained ash and oak are ideal, with no knots or run-out in the fibres. We select boards individually and test a sample from each batch.

The race against the clock

Once the timber comes out of the steam box we have around a minute before it stiffens. Everything, from clamps to former, is set up in advance so the bend happens in one smooth movement.