My jaw actually dropped when an old timer told me white oak needs at least 15% moisture content before you even think about steaming it for bending

I was reading through a 1980s Fine Woodworking archive a buddy gave me and stumbled on that stat, and after wrecking a $200 piece of white oak last spring by steaming it bone dry, I'm wondering if anyone else has a moisture meter trick they swear by for tricky bends?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_webb17d ago

That 15% number is actually a bit high for white oak. Most folks I know aim for 12-14% when steaming for bends, and going that wet can cause the wood to collapse or wrinkle on the inside of the curve.

barbarah1916d ago

My buddy Rick tried steaming at 15% and his oak split right at the bend, @blair_webb.

lunag3013d ago

my last batch of white oak was at like 14.5% and i got some nasty rippling on the inside of one chair leg. i was dead set on that higher number cause i read it somewhere online and thought i was playing it safe. hearing you and barbarah's friend rick both having issues around that range makes me rethink my whole approach. i'm gonna pull my stock back to 12-13% next time and see if i can avoid that collapse problem. that little extra moisture really does seem to push it over the edge for no good reason.