Steaming Teak

[TOC]

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the course of my career I have steamed a fairly wide variety of woods, English Oak to Spruce. I now find my self in the position where steaming would be an advantage due to 1) scarcity of required dimensional stock, 2) Quality of dimensional stock, 3) as little wastage as possible as a conservation measure.
Yes – we are talking about Teak. I have never tried to steam it, and my concerns would be, A) Oil content and its negative / positive effect on steaming, B) The condition of the teak after prolonged exposure to steam, C) Minimum required exposure to steam to achieve the required result.
When I look at some of the larger vessels built in teak, (HMS Trincomalee – built in Bombay in 1817) I can’t help but think that some of the curve and twists would have been unachievable without the use of a steam box.
Any thoughts, views or experiences would be appreciated
Best wishes
Charles A. Curren

[Steve Paskey]

If you don't get an answer here, you might try asking Roger Crawford of Crawford Boatbuilding in Hull, Mass. (See www.melonseed.com (http://www.melonseed.com) for his e-mail address.)

Roger builds "traditionally-styled" boats in fiberglass (the British would call them "character" boats). These days he mostly builds melonseed skiffs, but one of his earlier models was a sailing swampscott dory, and a teak sheerstrake was offered as an option. (He also did a gunning dory in fiberglass.)

I have one of his swampscott dories, and was marveling at that teak last weekend. The lumber is 3/4 inch thick by as much as 5 or 6 inches. A swampscott dory is nearly a double-ender, and Roger's dory is beamy for her length (to stand up to sail better), so there's quite a bit of bend in that teak. If he did it without steaming, I'd love to know how.

[ 03-26-2003, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: Steve Paskey ]

[Cedarhill Boatworks]

You can steam teak all day and all night. It will have almost no effect on its flexibility.

[Thaddeus J. Van Gilder]

Pretty much, that is what I have found...

I just break teak when I try to steam it...

[Stephen Hutchins]

Teak veneers bend just fine for me. I have bent them 180 degrees around an 8" radius to build door jambs for Hinckley. Also 90 degrees around a 1.5" radius. For these difficult bends Hinckley uses sheet metal straps on the outside of the bend. 3/8" threaded rod welded on the ends of the strap are run through holes in angle irons that are mounted on the molds. Nuts are cranked on, then strong backs are fitted over the straps with c-clamps, then the nuts are tightend again, and so on. The 180 degree bend can be done without strong backs using clamps only, however you have to use great care(time)to insure desirable results. For a one time bend, I recomend no strongbacks. For production work, use strongbacks. For the 180 degree bend mentiond above they use dry veneers. For the 90 degree bend I had to soak them in water for a day. (Use salt water, fresh water makes it stink) Also, I have seen builders steam and pre-bend heavy pieces of teak for coamings without using straps. Do you feel more confident? Good, then get to work!

[Cedarhill Boatworks]

How thick are the veneers?

[Stephen Hutchins]

At Hinckley, about 1/6" or 3/32". Another shop I worked at used veneers almost 1/4" thick for door jambs. Also, some builders clean the teak with rubing alcohol to get rid of some of the oil in the wood, and others don't treat it at all. One builder I know who has been finishing boats for 30 years doesn't treat the teak at all and he reports no problems with delamination. He is a very efficient builder and views cleaning the teak as a waste of time. Unless you have the knowledge of the above mentioned builder,I think the teak should be cleaned, especially if you are gluing larger dimensiond wood (such as laminated teak decks or cabin sides.)