Bending stair railing - GIF

[Jon]

Bending stair railing.





Previously:

Using a mini excavator up a stairwell - GIF
stair cart wheels GIF
Cupboard stairs - video
Wheelchair climbing stairs GIF
Bending glass tubes - GIF
CNC wire/bar bender - GIF
Nitinol paper clip returns to form after bending - GIF
Pipe bending GIF

[Philip Davies]

No geometry required!

[PJs]

Doesn't look like wood. Wood would take moisture to relax it that much if even possible, not an electric blanket. Some kind of plastic? Nice bend though!

[Jon]

Anyone know what it's made of? That's quite a bend for a...digital camo heating pad? I wonder what it feels like, or if you could deform it by holding it in your warm hand for a little while. Also, nice balusters.

[wizard69]

To some extent it depends until on the wood. Bending wood is often as much art as it is science. Classical guitar makers, actually many types of instrument makers, bend wood with what amounts to a hot iron. Moisture isn’t needed in all cases.

Doesn't look like wood. Wood would take moisture to relax it that much if even possible, not an electric blanket. Some kind of plastic? Nice bend though!

All that being said it could be plastic. Get PVC and some polypros to the right temperature and they will behave like a wet noodle. Sometimes these short clips end up frustrating people as we want to know more. I was also thinking bamboo but I’m not sure how you would keep the laminations glued together.

[mwmkravchenko]

I have bent lots of wood over a great many years. This is not wood. Some kind of plastic. If it was wood it would have to be steamed. and making a bend like this would require some serious clamping power to the tune of multiple tons. Plus you would require compression banding on the exterior of the bend to keep the wood fibers in place. and making the tight radius is near impossible under any circumstance. Something that tight in that diameter of wood is usually machined.