I am considering making an oval table, but I'm at a loss to determine how to bend the wood.

The flat top is simple- just cut an oval.    But how would I make a trim/flange just below the edge?  I'm fguring that this flange might be 4" long or more.

Is there a way to bend the wood into position?  Is there some method or technique to this?

Thanks!

Mike

I am not fully understanding you.  I think you have an oval table that you want to "belt" with a contrasting 4" strip, girdling the edge of the table right?  So hypothetically speaking, if the inner oval was 128" long, and you slapped the strip around the table, you'd have a total dimension of 136" ?  


You could possibly heat or steam the wood, but 4" is a lot of wood to bend, steamed or not, especially for someone who doesn't have a hydraulic press or the like.   This lip really has to be 4" deep?  

1) You might be best off curve-cutting a larger flitch to dimension and attaching it that way.  You are looking at a fair amount of waste in this method.

2) alternatively, you could bend and glue up .5 to 1 inch strips and build up the edge to 4", but that is a lot of glue interfaces where things have to be fitted well.

Hope someone else can think of something I am not.  

You make a template the size of the oval you want out of a couple of pieces of particle board with blocks to hold them apart to your 4" dimension. You resaw and plane down your material to 1/8" or 1/4" thick strips. Add them together with glue to your desired thickness and clamp the shit out of them.

Preban, take the material for the skirt and determine which surface you want facing out.  Then on the inside surface cut regualarly spaced 'channels' that are approximately 2/3 the thickness of your material.  This will allow you to easily bend and curve to the shape you want.  For tighter curves and bends, increase the depth of the 'channel' and decrease the spacing between them.  Have fun.

Dan