Home DIY

Cut the kerfs so there is around 2mm left at what will be the front of the riser. The blade I use for this is 2.1mm thick I try to leave 2-3mm in between cuts, I've attached a photo of the boards before assembly. With a lot of timber it will be possible to bend to the desired shape once the kerfs are cut but oak is a pretty hard timber and it is therefore brittle, it may be possible to bend it into shape once the cuts are made but you risk the face cracking. This is why I chose to bend it with steam as well (you could also steam bend the whole board if you can make or have access to a steam oven, but this would mean the seasoned, joinery grade would be less dimensionally stable for a while).

Once the kerfs are cut in the wood heat up the iron and attach the longer side of workpiece to the tread. I use wet blue paper towel that has been saturated with water and put this on the face of the riser then use the iron to apply heat. As the lignan in the wood softens it will begin to sag under its own weight when this starts to happen I apply gentle pressure to start bending it into shape. Keep applying heat / steam to the wood and gently bending it to the desired shape, while doing this keep listening for any cracking noises if you hear any stop and apply heat to the area it was coming from for a good 5 minutes before proceeding. When everything is in place clamp it all down and leave to cool, then fix it in place. Job done.

2 Attachments