Homemade Bent Wood Frames
Bent wood snoe shoes are classics. In addition to their natural beauty, their continued popularity attests to their practicality in all types of terrain and conditions. You can buy bent wood snowshoe kits from several different suppliers and then lace them up yourself, but the kits are pricey. Another approach is to bend the frames yourself. One design appeared in a 1986 Boy's Life;
Download the 1986 Boy's Life Bent Wood Snowshoe Plans (PDF - 155KB)
Another approach that doesn't require the cutting of green saplings is to bend commercially available hardwood into the shapes you need for snowshoe frames. Steaming the wood is the most common way to prepare the wood for bending. Several sites discuss the equipment and techniques for doing this;
The Steam Bending Booklet (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?page=43626&category=1,42172&ccurrency=3&sid=) copy & paste into your browser's Address field
How To Make A Steam Box For Bending Wood (http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-steambox-for-bending-wood/) copy & paste into your browser's Address field
How To Bend Wood (http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/WOODWORKINGBENDING_WOOD.htm) copy & paste into your browser's Address field
The Ultimate Steambox (http://www.geocities.com/bawanewsletter/steambox/steambox.html) copy & paste into your browser's Address field
These techniques all use low pressure steam that produces very effective results. While caution must be exercised (steam burns on contact!), steamers can be built very cost effectively. Grass Valley's Troop 4 built this steamer for under $20, plus misc parts from several family workshops!
Made from scrap lumber, the stand folds for easy storage (note the ropes supporting the X-legs to allow folding). Cross braces are glued and screwed to the legs. The right end is ~2" lower than the left to allow condensate to drain back to the steam supply tube. The photo shows a 5' length of scrap angle iron laying across the frame to add support for the PVC steam tube. This was inadequate. 10' lengths of 1/2" EMT worked much better (see later photos). The tube is a 10' length of 3" heavy duty PVC conduit, open on the left end and fitted with a threaded collar on the right (steam supply) end.
The steam supply tube is 3/4" copper with a threaded adapter friction threaded into a 15/16" hole drilled in the fitting and the pipe. The 3/4" copper tube is connected to the steamer pot with 1" dishwasher drain hose (Home Depot). A 3" threaded cap seals the fitting during steaming. It is hand tightened only so it can be removed when the tube is a full temperature.
The 3" threaded fitting is protected with a scrap of insulation and a sheet metal blank. The screw in the blank is for ease of removal during steaming. The copper steam supply tube is friction threaded into both the threaded fitting and tube - nearly 1/2" of PVC. The steam supply tube is threaded in until the metal threaded fitting is flush with the inside of the PVC steam tube to allow condensate to drain back into the steam tube.
A thermometer (Harbor Freight) is fitted into the left end of the tube. The steamer should be a full temperature (min 200deg) before sliding wood into the tube. On colder days, insulation wrap may be necessary to get the tube to full temperature. Note that the thermometer probe is in the center of the steam tube. Just behind the thermometer you can see the first of 5 steel wood supports used to keep the wood off the bottom of the steam tube (and out of the condensate). These are salvaged 3/16" bolts held in place with a silicone caulk. The supports are about 3/4" below the centerline of the steam tube to allow larger pieces of wood to be steamed in the 3" steam tube. This open end of the steam tube is cloed with a rag after steam is flowing through the tube. When the steam tube is at full temperature, wood in inserted into the tube from the opposite end. The rag traps steam in the tube, insulates the open end and prevents pressure from building up in this low pressure steamer.
The steam generator uses a garage sale camp stove, a salvaged 5gal propane tank (vented in the open and well rinsed), salvaged 3/4" plumbing fittings and a length of 1" dishwasher drain hose with clamps (Home Depot). The blue funnel is used to pour water into the tank using a gallon milk jug.
With 1 gallon of water and the stove at full heat, steam generation started in ~15 minutes (58F outdoor temp, 56F water temp, breezy). With a rag loosely stuffed in the open end, the pipe got to 200F (at the thermometer) in ~25 minutes. Wood would be inserted atthis time. A stable temperature of 204F was reached after ~30 minutes. The steamer held this temperature for the next hour (a typical steaming time) with no problems. About 3 pints of water were used in this 1 hour live steam test run (leaving 5 pints in the tank). Note the 3 pieces of 1/2" EMT supporting the PVC steam tube.
In addition to a steamer, you'll need a bending form to hold the steamed wood in its final shape as it cools. A good reference for this is Gil Gilpatrick's book, "Building Snowshoes and Snowshoe Furniture" May 2001, where he details forms for several popular snowshoe styles.
Watch this page for details of a bending frame being built by a local unit!
This page revised April 14, 2008