Foo - Wooden Fenders

Anyone ever try to make their own?
If so, how'd you go about it and where'd you source the parts necessary?
I'm toying with trying to do it...I'm thinking I can just get some staves or planks from the local box store and slowly bend them around an old tire/wheel witht the help of some steam. Then cover with poly or some such.

I would search our area for a supplier of exotic woods. Get some strips and then laminate them up in an interesting pattern, cut them out on band saw. Then steam and bend? Here is a link to a no steam laminating method.

http://bikehacks.com/how-to-make-wooden-fenders/

I'm about to, going to put them on my bomber. It's got balloon 700c (29er) tires so I'm going to have to make my own.

I've seen an old wheel used for a form successfully before, but I'm going to cut a form from plywood.
When I built my kayak I used a heat gun instead of steam to bend my strips. It took less setup than steam bending.

I'm starting my fenders this evening. I'll post details in a thread in Forumbuilding. I'd go into more detail now, but work calls. Damn you work!

BTW, I'm not sure where I'm going to source my wood as yet, but I'm going to ask Highland Hardware in Atlanta for sources. I have a cousin that works there and they cater to fine wood workers.

Try this link for some information that may help:

http://www.sonic.net/~maryking/wooden_fenders.html

So, I started bending the wood today.
I have chosed 2" wide red oak to make the fenders out of.
Two peices cost less than $5.00 so the price is right.
I soaked them in my tub for about 30 minutes in the hottest water my hot water heater provided. Also added a couple pots of boiling water to raise the temp even more. I weighted the wood down with 2 5lbs weight plates. After the soaking I bent each board over a spare 700c wheel I have and tied it all around using garden twine. I expect to untie it around wednesday and see if it holds the shape...I think it will.

Here's some photos I took with my phone camera.

My first bending :
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x273/ModoVincere/firstbend.jpg

The garden twine wrapping:
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x273/ModoVincere/tieing.jpg

Both fenders:
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x273/ModoVincere/Both.jpg

I hope it works out for you MV...

You may notice that the wood will spring back when released. One big reason for true steaming is to alter the cells in the wood. Soaking in water just makes the cells more pliable, and also tends to warp it in directions you don't desire it to warp. With both techniques there will be springback to deal with, hopefully just enough to give some clearance. Personally I would choose the glue lamination method with thin veneer layers, but with formaldehyde resin, not Gorilla glue.

It's a horrible pic, but unfortunately the only one I have of some carriage trusses made without steaming, just laminating with formaldehyde resin.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l156/Wordbiker/Fitzgeraldtrusses.jpg

One thing I've learned is that laminates are more dimensionally stable than solids. The more laminations, the stabler your project will be. I've taken perfectly good panels, sawn them apart and glued them back together just to relieve internal pressures and make them more stable.

you should fill up the ol' iron while its still drying and give it a slow go-over. sounds dumb, but if you have one of those ones you can blast steam with, pretty effective.

made a shoe using that method once... it was pretty good.

yeah, I expect some spring back. I don't figure this will be the only time I soak and bend these. I am probably going to have to find a smaller diameter to bend them around so that when the final work is done, they will be about the right diameter. I also expect the hardware to help maintain the proper curve once they are installed....hopefully I can place enough tension on it that it will maintain the proper arc...
I really don't have the tools needed to do this any other way.

Understood MV.

I learned a lot on those trusses too, it being the largest bent lamination I'd taken on. Over 20 years later they're still holding up, even through a few CA earthquakes. :)

I'll let you in on a little-known carpenter's expression: "It's only wood...more has grown during the project than we've used."

Personally I would choose the glue lamination method with thin veneer layers, but with formaldehyde resin, not Gorilla glue.

+1

but with formaldehyde resin, not Gorilla glue.



Why not Gorilla glue? I have some wood being cut so I can laminate them into fenders. I have a lot of Gorilla left over from another project.

ADVANTAGE / DISADVANTAGE

Thanks

If you get it on your skin it may turn into nasty things in your system.
Also it is a famous dog killer, they love to eat the stuff.

With better formaldehyde resins, the craftsman can determine the working time for the project. It can also be mixed thinner to not show a seam once stained. Plywood gets much of its durability from formaldehyde resin. It's the choice of professional stair makers for laminating handrails on curved and helical staircases. It is biodegradable.

Gorilla glue is premixed and has a fixed working time. There is no thinner to make gluelines less visible. It has a tendency to foam and show up in gaps unless thouroughly clamped. It is very tough to remove from your hands, clothing, the workpiece or anything coming into contact with it. It will cause your babies to be born naked (http://www.gorillaglue.com/Portals/0/pdfs/msds/MSDS%20Stronger%20Faster%20English.pdf). It is not biodegradable.

Any glue has its plusses and minuses. For laminating I like to have a bit more control over the consistency and working time, hence my preference for UF (Urea-Formaldehyde) glues. If all you have is Gorilla glue and are happy with the results it produces, by all means, use it up while you can. It has a limited shelf life.

So no issues of not holding up, right.

I am doing this first set of fenders just to get practice. I will make another pair later with some nicer wood. So if the only real problem is cosmetics and time I think I will just use it up. I've done a fair amout of wood work in the past but none with laminating. I am planning on building another guitar and not from a kit this time so thanks for the advice on the formaldehyde.

I really want to make wooden fenders for the boyf. I'm not 'oh god I might break a nail' kind of girly, but definitely not sure where to start. But this thread is great info! :)

I have had good luck laminating thin veneer. you can usually get the veneer from woodworking catalouges. this is a great option because they have many, many pimp kinds of wood for a very unique look. i have made a couple of skateboards in this way. the sheets come in different thicknesses. i used maple and oak for the structure then a couple of exotics for the top and bottom layers. for bonding i used some marine grade epoxy, as for the mixture i put a little less hardener in the epoxy mixture so it would be flexible and not crack. the idea with the laminating is that it is strong in multiple directions and you can use each successive piece to combat the twisting of the others.

Yeesh, a 3 on the MSDS charts for gorilla glue. I sure as heck don't want that crap touching my skin.