A Bending Solution?

I think I've solved my wood bending problem. Softwood, like the pine I'm using, seems to be on everyone's list of undesirable wood to bend. The main problem I've had with bending the kayak rib reproduction has been that it won't hold the bend. It keeps straightening out. So, I've built a block that will hold the rib in the correct shape. Maybe in a few months or years the reproduction will accept its new shape and stop trying to straighten out, but until then it can live in this little display stand.

I was hoping to have a few finished pieces to show today, but everything that I compared yesterday can be tweaked a little bit more. If I have a couple good days in the workshop I really hope that I can get a bunch of pieces off my plate on my next Rooms visit. Parks is being really good about my deadline on the project, but I have so much other work to get done before the middle of November that I really need to get this project out the door.

I need to make a raw material run out to the west coast soon, too. I really want to get more chert for the winter and I was planning to try to pick up some whalebone along the way from a couple people who I thought might have some. I still need the rock, but I got a surprise offer of whalebone from someone in town who happened to come across some bones while hiking and snorkling. It was such a relief to get these. I used a lot of whalebone this past year and its not the easiest material to replace when you are desperate for it. This takes some pressure off. Thanks Alvan!

The Fine Craft and Design Fair is just around the corner and I have very little product on hand. I'll be there during the second week, November 11-15.

Photo Credits:
Top, Tim Rast
Second, Lori White
Third, Tim Rast
Fourth, Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador

Photo Captions:
Top, The display stand solution to keep the wood from straightening out again.
Second, Antiquing the hell out of the marrow extractor with the blowtorch.
Third, Whalebones!
Fourth, Mark your Calendars - the Fine Craft and Design Fair will be here soon.