Steam bending

Heat and moisture from steam can soften wood fibres enough so they can be bent and stretched, and when cooled down they will hold their new shape.

It doesn't need the expense or drying time of glues to join several wood pieces to make the desired shape.

Once steamed and then fastened or clamped into the desired position and left to dry, the wood will hold the new shape.

The largest steam boxes are used in boat building to bend the large planks for the frame and hull.

However, smaller ones are used in making a variety of consumer items, such as rocking chairs, musical instruments and walking canes.

[4][5] Bentwood objects are those made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns.

It is also a popular technique in the worldwide production of furniture with frames made of heavy cane, which is commonly imported into European and Western shops.

Today many are made for collectors and can be purchased from museums, gift shops and online sites as well as directly commissioned from the artists.

[6][7][8][9] The Aleut or Unangan People of Alaska made hunting visors, called chagudax, out of driftwood using the bentwood method.