Ways to bend plywood that you can use at home. You can give the desired bend to almost all types of plywood of different thicknesses.

Plywood is used in construction and furniture production. When it becomes necessary to bend plywood parts, you can use several methods: use flexible plywood, contact a specialized company, or bend the part yourself.

Flexible plywood can be purchased at building supermarkets. It is of small thickness (3-4 mm) and is suitable for constructing arches. Cut out the part of the required size and fasten it with screws to the frame. Chinese-made flexible plywood is on sale - this is the best combination of price and quality.

To create more rigid bent structures, steaming, notching, gluing, and combinations of these methods are used.

When using any method,the following principle must be observed - the fibers of the upper layer of the sheet should not be located across the bend.

Steaming

In industrial processing, steaming is carried out using special installations and the necessary bending is carried out by a press. At home, a sheet of plywood can be steamed over containers with boiling water or an iron with uninterrupted steam supply.

Also, a sheet or part can simply be soaked in water (in the bathroom, for example). The soaking time depends on the thickness of the sheet and the direction of the bend. For bakelite plywood, it is less than for bakelite plywood. Below is a table for calculating the cooking time for plywood at a temperature of 90 - 100 C.

At home, it is quite difficult to ensure the boiling of sheets or parts: there is no container of the required size, it is quite expensive to maintain the boiling temperature for several hours. An alternative to boiling at home is soaking in warm or cold water:

• for soaking at a water temperature of 60C, the time increases by 1.5 - 2 times
• for soaking at a temperature of 15-30C 15-20 times.

After soaking, the part is attached to the template, fixed and kept until completely dry. The greatest allowable bend after steaming or soaking is possible when bending across the fibers. At home, it is better to combine steaming with moisturizing. Steam only the bend and moisturize upper layer veneer.

Plywood notching

This method is used for bending plywood sheets with a thickness of 16 to 22 mm. In the place of the intended bend, cuts are made with a cutter. The depth of the notch should not exceed half the thickness of the sheet and reach the veneer layer of the opposite direction, but not break it - the sheet may crack. .For wood with a thickness of 4 mm, the depth of cut is 2 mm. The number of cuts is the greater m tighter bend radius. Can make cuts different widths than we can ensure that on one side of the plywood the angle will be different. In this way, plywood is bent for the walls of the boat, for example.

The workpiece is clamped on a mold or template, and on top, on outside stick a thin layer of veneer. Drying time - about a day. For bonding use PVA or epoxy glue. You can glue the part with cuts inward and vice versa. In the second case, voids are formed. But they will not affect the rigidity of the part.

Gluing

To create a curved part, it is cut out with a small tolerance (up to 5 mm) from a thin sheet of plywood. The detail (pattern) is laid out on a sheet so that the directions of the veneer alternate in finished product- this will provide greater rigidity and ductility of the part. Layers of plywood glued together epoxy glue and clamped on the workpiece for shaping with clamps for a day. After complete drying, the part is sanded and the bumps and glue along the edges are removed.

USEFUL TIPS

To get a quality part as a result, it is important to consider the following points:

• the bend radius across the fibers is much smaller than along
• bent parts must be stored in a room with low humidity (no more than 10%)
• steamed and soaked parts must be bent with warm

For bending complex structures and a large number of bent parts, it is worth contacting a company that processes wood and plywood. In their arsenal are powerful steam plants, structures for tradition different forms and hot presses.

You can choose how to bend plywood from the suggested methods - they are simple enough to use at home. Provide parts with adequate humidity and wait for complete drying. Use quality adhesives and fix the parts well.

Few people know that plywood bending is a very common operation in carpentry, yet fewer craftsmen familiar with correct technique execution. We propose to consider the features of this material and its behavior during bending, as well as the basic techniques and devices for bending plywood at home.

Features of the behavior of plywood during bending

The veneer from which plywood is made is nothing more than a set of elongated fibers. They are rigid and durable, the space between them is filled with a soft binder. To give the sheets extra strength and compensate for warpage in the plywood layers, the veneer has different direction fibers in adjacent layers. Due to this, plywood is a rigid material that is difficult to bend.

Usually, plywood with an even number of veneer layers is used for bending, that is, it does not have a predominant grain direction. Otherwise, the direction of bending should be calculated across the minimum number of longitudinal fibers, or vice versa - along, if the requirement for increased strength is imposed on the part.

The thinner the plywood, the easier it is to bend. Sheets with three layers easily bend across the fibers of the outer layer, even when cold

When the fibers are parallel to the fold line, they do not interfere with the curvature of the plane. However, the layers located across experience significant loads. Characteristically, the fibers can stretch quite strongly, the necessary conditions for this are provided by their softening due to heating or moisture.

At the same time, the layers located on the inner radius of the bend experience a compressive load, which is not compensated by the elasticity of the material. With sufficient steepness of the bend, folds may form on its inner side. Sometimes the stress at this point is high enough to cause delamination—rupture of the adhesive layer or even of the fibers themselves. This characteristic behavior can be compensated for by a number of techniques, which this article is devoted to.

Necessary tools and equipment

As always, it will not be possible to do without high-quality equipment and tools. Since the main technology involves softening the sheet, shaping it, and then drying it in an immobilized position with taking shape, then at least a set of clamps is needed for bending. Ideally, there should be at least a dozen of them, but you can also bend plywood in stages, rearranging the fasteners.

In this case, along each line across the bend, the workpiece is fixed in three places: at the highest point of the radius and along the edges. In other words, with due diligence, you can get by with six clamps, but keep in mind that the accuracy of observing the dimensions of the finished part may be significantly lower than required.

Bending of plywood is almost always carried out according to templates. The exception is sheets of arbitrary radius, which are pre-bent before sheathing frame structures. For stair risers, chairs, armchairs and other pieces of furniture, the shape of the bent parts is known with high accuracy. Therefore, first it is required to make a spatial figure, to which the softened sheet will be attached for the time of drying and taking the required shape.

There are quite a few types of equipment that provide technological steaming or soaking of the glue. Humidity and temperature must be kept within acceptable limits, otherwise the adhesive may irreversibly lose its strength properties. At home and for one-time work, you can use heaters or films for underfloor heating. Wetting is best done not directly, but through a hygroscopic material that can accumulate and gradually release moisture, for example, through foam rubber, hemp burlap or felt. Also, all available devices for adjustable contraction and compression, such as sling straps or hand jacks, will not be superfluous.

Bending and soaking

When plywood is bent, important rule: The thicker the sheet and the steeper the bend radius, the more trouble will be required to soften. If we do not take into account the difference in the quality of plywood, then after soaking it is possible to achieve a bending radius of the order of 50-70 sheet thickness values. For tighter bends, other methods are recommended.

Soaking or steaming is intended to soften the fibers in the veneer and make the adhesive more pliable, with the expectation that after drying it will seize and securely fix new form details. At the same time, it is not permissible to oversaturate the wood with water, as well as sharp moistening and drying.

Small sheets of thin plywood are easiest to soften in a steam bath in an ordinary saucepan or in a juicer

For proper soaking, plywood must be kept under conditions relative humidity about 90-100% within 2 to 12 hours depending on the thickness. Periodically, you need to check if there is any delamination of the veneer at the ends or swelling in the center. From time to time, you can make attempts to bend. If the part takes shape relatively easily and no crackling is heard, then the plywood can only be thoroughly fixed until it dries completely.

For long parts, it is easier to prepare a box from any suitable material and after softening with steam from the steam generator

Wetting is recommended to be carried out when the plywood is laid on flat base and wrapped on each side with a layer of hygroscopic material. If at the same time the workpiece is not wrapped hermetically in a film, the humidity level should be controlled and periodically re-sprinkle the burlap with water. Heating up to 50-60ºС during wetting helps speed up the process and make the swelling of the adhesive reversible. It is absolutely impossible to allow plywood to overheat, so you should constantly monitor the temperature.

An alternative to softening by wetting is steaming the plywood. In this case, the sheet is fixed above a container with boiling water or not far from it. The disadvantage of this method is that the humidity rises throughout the room with concomitant condensation. The advantage of this method is the uniformity of softening and the low risk of waterlogging or overheating.

The vacuum table speeds up the process of softening the plywood, as well as the subsequent molding according to the pattern.

A softened plywood sheet is wrapped around a pre-prepared frame structure or template, fixed at the key points of each bend. Plywood is pressed with clamps or self-tapping screws with a washer sequentially from one edge to another, while the more often temporary fasteners are installed, and the harder it is, the lower the likelihood that the part will change shape after removal from the template.

Machining methods

In some cases, it makes no sense to resort to softening: for example, if the part is fixed on a sufficiently rigid frame, it will eventually take the desired shape due to natural moisture changes. Another special case is the need to bend plywood under a radius that is less than allowed for a certain thickness. Here it is worth using both softening of the sheet and its mechanical processing.

One of the processing methods before bending is applying to inside bending a series of notches parallel to the folding axis. Notches are best done with a cone cutter using a linear guide. The depth of the grooves should be no more than 3/4 of the thickness of the workpiece, while in the end at least two layers of veneer should remain intact.

If the cuts are turned inside the part and hidden from view, it makes no sense to calculate their number and pitch. Subsequently formed scars can, if necessary, be leveled with automotive putty and sanded to a smooth state. With due diligence, it is possible to calculate the reduction in the length of the arc during bending, using a known angle and bending radius. In this case, the number of notches will be equal to the quotient of arc reduction divided by the thickness of the cutter in the widest part of the lead. The required number of cuts must be evenly distributed over the entire bending radius.

Before fixing on the template, the cuts formed on the plywood are filled quality glue for wood, such as Titebond 2. Excessive adhesive can be removed immediately with a spatula or sanded after drying. During the curing of the glue, the plywood is firmly fixed on the template.

It is also possible to facilitate the softening of thick plywood by perforating the workpiece. Holes with a diameter of 2-3 plywood thicknesses are made with a hole cutter or a Forstner drill in checkerboard pattern with a step of about 80-100 mm between them. The degree of perforation may be greater, this is determined both by the bending flexibility of the plywood and the required final strength of the part. Naturally, this bending method is only suitable for hidden technological elements that do not form a finishing plane. If desired, the bent part can be sheathed on one or both sides with veneer or thin plywood after softening them up.

Template bending

In the simplest case, pieces of solid plywood having the shape of a bend profile can play the role of a template. Since most parts are bent along one contour on both sides, the templates are made in pairs, and then fastened together with spacers slightly less than the width of the part. Templates can also be different if it is necessary to bend an irregularly shaped part, that is, curved along two axes.

Another type of template is a frame made of bars, which does not form an exact bend contour. In this case, the transverse bars are located at the pressure points, that is, on the most protruding and concave parts of the part profile. For fastening at intermediate points, you can add an arbitrary number of jumpers to the frame.

In the manufacture of the frame, it is necessary to take into account the type of clamping devices used. So, on plywood inserts, holes for jaws of clamps can be provided, and the frame itself can be equipped with additional stiffeners in the direction of pressure and tensile loads. If the part has a uniform bend along its entire length, it can be fixed without a frame, for example, by pulling it with a rope, a cable, a chain with a screw towbar or using sling belts.

Manufacturing of composite parts

Bend details complex shape It is possible by alternately gluing layers of steamed veneer onto a workpiece of the required shape. In practice, this is a method to avoid fiddling with thick parts, because on sharp bends it is much easier to deal with thin sheets due to the small allowable radius values.

In the simplest case, the base is formed by a relatively thick perforated plywood sheet, the permissible bending radius of which is obviously lower than the required one. Such a part, most likely, will not have the necessary strength, therefore, subsequently it is “sheathed” with several more thin layers. In each case, an adhesive bond is made over the entire plane, the sheets are preliminarily softened so that they do not straighten the shape of the core.

Sheathing can be performed not only for the purpose of giving strength. In some cases, one or more outer layers pursue a purely decorative function. For example, thin sheets of veneer can hide traces of fastening the workpiece to the template, and plywood will mask perforations or cuts. It is also possible to paste the part with plastic, laminated veneer and other finishing materials, poorly retaining shape.

Plywood is made up of sheets glued together. natural veneer and is by far one of the most common lumber. This popularity is due to its high strength, and, at the same time, ease of processing. Its use has found application in furniture production, construction, shipbuilding, design and other industries. One of the most important properties of plywood is its ability to change shape as a result of bending. This process only at first glance it seems difficult, but how to bend plywood can be mastered even by a non-specialist.

Advantages of plywood

The material is not afraid high humidity and changes in ambient temperature. In addition, it is distinguished by the following features, which speak of undeniable advantages over natural wood in some cases:

• high strength;
• durability and wear resistance;
• ease of processing and installation;
• compatible with other building materials;
• cracks, including through, are absent.

The main differences between lumber are related to the type of wood from which they are made, therefore, when purchasing material, it is necessary to take into account the subsequent scope of its application.

Classification

Speaking about the classification of such material as plywood, it should be noted that there are four grades of this lumber in total.

1. The first grade is the best. However, it is also the most expensive. It is distinguished by a minimum of flaws and deformations.
2. The product of the second grade allows for minor defects such as cracks and knots.
3. The third grade is distinguished by the presence of numerous defects, both in the wood itself and in the lumber itself, such as leakage of the adhesive layer and the presence of inserts.
4. Timber of the fourth grade is suitable only for the manufacture of packaging containers. However, it is also the cheapest, as it has the largest number all sorts of defects.

Flexibility of plywood

Plywood has a very high bending strength factor. For this reason, bending is one of the main methods of its processing. bent plywood widely used in products.

The ease of bending a plywood sheet directly depends on its thickness. Thin sheets are easier to bend, thick sheets are more difficult. In this case, the material bends better along the fibers than across, and the bending angle in this case turns out to be the largest. How to bend plywood in the production of various products, consider below. Several methods are currently known technological process.

Method by heating or steaming

Before bending the sheet, it must be thoroughly heated using steam. A steam iron or a tank of boiling water may be suitable for this. If necessary, the sheet can be impregnated hot water. The processing time directly depends on the thickness of the material and the temperature of the steam or boiling water. However, too long steaming can lead to the destruction of the adhesive layer and delamination of plywood.

Having steamed the sheet, it is bent in the desired configuration, after which this position is fixed with any material at hand, for example, with a rope. The sheet is fixed until completely dry and takes the desired shape.

Cutting and notching method

This method is used when the thickness of the plywood sheet does not exceed 22 mm. It consists in creating conical cuts on the surface of the material with a depth of no more than half of the thickness of the sheet. It is desirable to do them using milling machine, as a different method can lead to cracks and splits.

Having made the necessary cuts, we bend and fix the sheet, treat the surface with glue and apply a sheet of veneer. In this position, the product is left for 24 hours.

Gluing method

Before bending plywood in this way, a pattern is made. Next, the sheet bends along it, smeared with glue and applied new leaf plywood. In this case, the directions of the fibers must alternate. After gluing the layers, fix them with clamps and leave for about a day. After that, the workpiece is subject to the grinding process. This is done in order to remove the remaining glue and give the product a beautiful appearance.

It should be noted that after processing, the product should not be stored in damp rooms.

There are times when you can use a special thin (3-4 mm) plywood specially designed for bending. It is used in the manufacture of products such as arches in doorways.

How to bend plywood sheets without a machine

Plywood enjoys in great demand. It is used for a variety of purposes: in the manufacture of furniture, in construction. If you pay attention, then a large number of parts made of plywood are curved. Can this be achieved at home? Yes! There are several ways and technologies to bend plywood, which will be discussed in this article. At the same time, we will pay attention to how to do everything with our own hands.

In hypermarkets, you can buy ready-made curved plywood. But its thickness will be no more than 4 mm. It will be an excellent option for making an arch. You can meet Chinese flexible plywood which perfectly combines price and quality. If these options do not suit you, then you have to do the bend yourself. In order to bend thicker plywood, you will need to make an effort. There are several types of technologies: for example, steaming, gluing, notching, and more.

It is worth noting a few positive sides this building material. The price of plywood is quite acceptable. It is used to make a variety of custom designs. Moreover, plywood is a material that even a non-professional can work with. The most important thing is to understand the technology of manufacturing curved surfaces from plywood. This will be discussed further.

Attention to every layer

There are several difficulties in the process. What are they related to? Mainly, with the structure of the material and the technological process of a particular bending method. For example:

• It is easier to work with plywood of the smallest thickness. But do not forget that for the manufacture of a banal arch, plywood 10 mm thick is required. It will take effort to bend such a "puff".
• Each layer of veneer is located at a different angle. This is due to the fact that to give the product strength, as well as resistance to bending.
• In special workshops, it is very easy to get plywood bending. It completely soaks under steam and with the help of a special vice the necessary shape is bent.

A similar method can also be used at home. To do this, use the steam from a boiling pot or kettle correctly. Some use household irons that are capable of producing steam.

Given all these nuances, it is important to understand the following. Plywood, like, in principle, all wood cools very quickly. Using the steaming method at home, it is extremely difficult to achieve uniform heating of the sheet. Therefore, this method will be relevant for small workpieces.

Steaming method

A sheet of plywood at home can be steamed over boiling water in a container. It is important that steam is supplied smoothly. Another method is to soak the plywood in a tub. The soaking time will directly depend on the complexity of the bend and on the thickness of the sheet. For example, if the plywood is bakelite, it will take less time. If it is baked, then it will take more time.

• When soaking in water with a temperature of 60 ° C, the soaking time increases up to 2 times.
• When soaking in water with a temperature of 15–30 ° C, the period increases by 20 times.

After the elapsed soaking time, the plywood must be fixed to the template and fixed well. Wait for complete drying. If the bending is carried out across the fibers, then the bend will be as large as possible. If you decide to do a similar operation at home, then it is better to combine moisturizing with steaming. Steaming is carried out directly at the bend, and the top layer of veneer is moistened.

If we return to the method of soaking plywood in a bath of water, then after water treatment plywood will become quite elastic.

There is one danger! There is a very high chance that the plywood can delaminate. Therefore, for starters, it is best to try on a small piece of plywood so as not to spoil the entire future structure.

The work process is as follows:

1. Plywood of the required thickness is soaked in the bath.
2. Every five minutes it is checked for its elasticity.
3. If after thirty minutes the plywood bends easily, then the procedure should be completed.
4. Further, the softened part is installed in its place, while it must be fixed with a self-tapping screw.
5. After complete drying, the manufacture of the required design can be continued.

Here is such a simple and primitive method of bending plywood under the influence of moisture.

If you need to bend plywood with a thickness of 16 to 22 millimeters, then the notching method is the most effective. This will require a cutter. She makes incisions in the intended place of the fold. In this case, the depth of the notch should not exceed half the total thickness of the workpiece. Also, the cut should reach the veneer that is in the opposite direction, to the extent that it does not break it. If on one side an angle is needed on the other, then incisions in these places are made of a different width. According to this principle, plywood for the manufacture of a boat is bent.

It is permissible to glue this or that part both inside and, conversely, with notches. If the cuts are outside, then voids may form.

Gluing

To give the plywood a curved look, a “pattern” detail is cut out of a thin sheet of plywood. It is laid on the sheet in such a way that the direction of the veneer alternates. As a result, the structure will have the necessary plasticity and rigidity. Each layer of plywood is glued together with epoxy glue. To give shape, the workpiece is clamped with clamps for one day. After drying, all irregularities and protruding glue are removed from the part. Upon completion, the workpiece is polished.

Complex plywood constructions

One of the complex structures that can be made from plywood is arch.

Often there is a need for several runs to soak plywood. Especially if you have not yet achieved the required angle.

By any of the above methods, you can bend plywood. If you decide to use the soaking method, then you should first take care of the template. By fixing the part on the template, you definitely do not have to redo everything again. Making this template is easy. To do this, take a rail of the same length as the length of the part. Then cut out several fragments from chipboard and fix them with slats. The number of such fragments will directly depend on the length of the bent sheet. Then, on the already finished frame, fix the plywood puff with self-tapping screws and wait for it to dry completely.

For successful work, it is important to remember a few nuances. The bending radius across is much smaller than along. Store already bent parts in a room where low humidity to 10%. If you have chosen the steaming method, then such structures should be bent when they are still warm. An important factor is the company that produced this plywood sheet. Perhaps they can bend the plywood to the desired angle. Especially, this service will be useful if you do not want or are afraid to spoil the material you bought.

So, we have considered different methods. Most of them are simple and can be easily implemented even at home. You will definitely succeed. Share your comments about perfect experiments in plywood bending.

It is known that plywood is most often used for any construction works and in the manufacture of furniture. Often there is a need to bend such material and give the desired bend.

If you bought plywood on the site http://vs-fanera.ru/article/fanera-10-tsena, bending the sheet does not require special skill. It does not take much time and everything is really very easy.

Ways

In order to bend plywood, there are a large number various ways. Some of them are especially effective. AT construction stores can already be found special plywood, which are sold in a curved form.

But you can make the bend yourself, and for this you need the following methods:

Steaming;
notching method;
gluing;
a combination of the above methods.

If we talk in more detail about such a method as steaming, then it consists in shaping the plywood using a special installation. This is a fairly common option and is considered one of the most effective.

If you decide to use it at home, it will be enough just to put containers with hot water and ensure a constant supply of warm steam. Then bring a sheet of plywood and use steaming to give the desired bend.

Some experts in this field argue that the sheet can be lowered into water (for example, fill a bathroom and put plywood in it). In order to shape a material with a thickness of 10 mm, it will not take a lot of time.

It is worth noting that this way It is not recommended to use at home, as you may not achieve the desired effect. This is due to the fact that when carrying out this method it is very difficult to maintain a constant temperature for a long time.

The gluing method implies the manufacture of a bend according to a specific pattern. Then, with each sheet, you need to do the work according to this sample, laying the sheets on top of each other (the direction of the fibers should alternate).

If you want to get high-quality and reliable work, then do not forget about a few tips.

The first thing to note is the direction of the bend. If you work with the material, giving it a shape not across, but along, the result can be achieved much faster and without much effort.

The sheet you are working with must be stored in a dry place without high humidity. This is very important, because with the receipt of moisture, the material can succumb to deformation.

If you have resorted to the steaming method or have boiled the wood, do not wait until it cools down. You should always start with material that has recently been heat treated.

We bend a tree (wood) and plywood: