The art of bending wood confounds most woodworkers, yet it is surprisingly easy to do with the four basic methods in this complete guide. The techniques are presented in step-by-step photo sequences that leave nothing to the imagination and show woodworkers exactly how it's done: bending green wood or twigs, bending with heat or steam, and bending panels or laminations. There are seven step-by-step projects presented, including shaker boxes, a bow for an arrow, a rustic chair, the sides of a guitar, and bent panels used for tables and pedestals. All the necessary tools and equipment are discussed with an eye to budget and practicality, making this appeal to both amateur and professionals of all skill levels.

Jonathan Benson is a professional furniture maker who specializes in contemporary curved pieces with extensive veneer figures. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has won numerous prestigious design awards and is the author of Wood Art Today. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jonathan Benson is a professional furniture maker who specializes in contemporary curved pieces with extensive veneer figures. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has won numerous prestigious design awards and is the author of Wood Art Today. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

Occasionally we run into situations wher a straight board or a right angle miter joint just won't cut it. We need to think outside of that wooden box. This week's book can help you do just that.

Many woodworkers pretty much stick to straight line or right angle styling when designing their furniture primarily due to the lack of wood-bending knowledge. Jonathan Benson takes the fear of bending and throws it away. Bending wood is simplified in Benson's book, he shows the reader what species of wood bend better than others and he offers a number of bending methods. The author walks you through the history of wood bending and tells you which bending method is best suited for the type of work you are planning.

Whether it be heat, water, steam or microwave, Benson explains the pros and cons of each. He also provides some sample testing methods with demonstration projects. Benson shows the reader how to make forms and molds for various bending and curving procedures. An archer's bow is produced with the steam method and bowed doors are made using vacuum forms. Benson' methods will open a whole new world of woodworking for those willing to follow his easy directions.

Fox Chapel Publishing has released two new books: "Woodworker's Guide to Bending Wood" by Jonathan Benson (ISBN: 978-1-56523-360-7), and "Woodworker's Guide to Dovetails" by Ernie Conover (ISBN: 978-1-56523-387-4).

The Woodworker's Guide to Bending Wood is a comprehensive instructional guide that teaches woodworkers how to easily enhance their woodworking with curved surfaces, like those found on beautiful pedestal tables, guitars, shaker boxes, curved handrails and more. It provides methods for bending with heat, steam, water, and how to bend green wood, veneers and laminations.

Woodworker's Guide to Dovetails is a comprehensive instructional guide that teaches woodworkers how to create both hand-cut and machined dovetails. Scott Phillips, the Host of American Woodshop, has called this book a "masterpiece!"

Woodworker's Guide to Bending Wood, by Jonathan Benson, offers instruction for using heat, steam and water to bend wood, veneers and laminations. Using seven step-by-step projects with sequenced photographs, readers learn how to make curved Shaker boxes, a bow for an arrow, a rustic chair, the sides of a guitar, and bent panels used for tables and pedastals. All of the necessary tools and equipment are discussed with consideration to budget and practicality. Benson is a professional furniture maker whose work has been exhibited in 40 galleries nationwide.

An excerpt ran in the March-April 2009 Woodworker West under the Tools & Techniques section with the article titled "Bending Thin Wood Using Heat"

One of the most impressive pieces of bent wood furniture that I have ever seen was in a craft centre in New Zealand; green willow was bent into a chair similar to the one featured on page 36 of Fox Chapel Publishing's Bending Wood. The chair was literally alive, the willow had taken and the chair was covered in green shoots! (Willow is not only a pliable timber when green, it also will sucker and shoot given half a chance.)

Bending Wood begins with a history of bending wood before moving onto an introduction to techniques and a review
of the best timbers for bending. The chapter on green rustic furniture takes you step-by-step through the construction
of a green willow chair. This format is repeated in chapters on steam bending and building a steam box, laminations
and vacuum veneering, culminating in a chapter on edge treatment. Any woodworker interested in building
curved furniture, Shaker-style boxes or musical instruments will find this publication enlightening.

Learning to bend wood has the ability to take the woodworker in all sorts of new directions, opening up a whole range of possibilities as to what can be achieved, from making canoes, guitars, and curved furniture. This guide from maker Jonathan Benson, will show you the four basic principles of learning this age-old technique: bending green wood; using heat, water and steam; bending panels; and bending laminations. You will learn how to bend green wood by hand, glue thin laminations and vacuum press complex curves. There are seven illustrated step-by-step projects to get you on your way such as shaker boxes, a bow for arrows, a rustic chair and the sides of a guitar. This is a great book to demystify the techniques on
bending wood.