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Bending Form

A template and bending form are created for the Kitchen Cafe Table.

From "Freeform Furniture"
episode DFFF-109

In this first segment Host Amy Devers cuts the template and makes a complete bending form for the Kitchen Cafe Table.

Host Amy Devers begins the bending form process for the legs of the acrylic table.

This is a view of the table before Amy performed her magic.

And here's a bird's-eye view of the finished Kitchen Cafe Table.

Materials:

Jig drawing
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF--available at home improvement stores)
Spray adhesive
Respirator
Safety glasses
Dowels
Yellow glue
Screws
Ash
Cork sheeting
Packing tape
Push stick
Backer board
Urea formaldehyde glue
Spoon
Roller
Clamps
Glue scraper
Spokeshave
180-grit sandpaper
220-grit sandpaper
Wipe-on polyurethane
Cloth
Masking tape
Shims
Paintbrush
Cauls
Acrylic resin (tabletop)
Face shield
Carbide tipped blade
Bull nose bit
Hardboard fence
Abrasive for finishing acrylic surfaces
Spray bottle
Polyurethane
Silicone dots

Tools:

Band saw
Drill press
Disc sander
Flush trimmer
Hammer
Screw gun
Jointer
Planer
Table saw
Hand held router

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

Bending Form

The first step in building a café table like this one is to make the bending form for the legs. You need to make a template for the design of the legs of the table.
Use spray adhesive to mount the drawing onto a piece of MDF (figure A).
Drill some dowel holes and rough it out on the band saw.
Take the template to the drill press, stack it on top of three pieces of MDF that will be used to create the bending form, and make pilot holes.
Use the band saw to rough cut the template (figure B) making sure to guide the blade in a fluid motion.
Note: If you don't have a band saw you can use a jigsaw to cut out the shape for the bending form.
You need to smooth out these rough edges and inconsistencies with a disc sander. (This is the perfect tool because of the high speed abrasive pad and the flat backing surface.) Run the form against medium grit paper on the disc sander (figure C), applying light pressure. Make sure to clean right up to the pencil line.
Note: If you don't have a disc sander, hand sanding and filing will work fine.
With the edges cleaned, insert dowels through the pilot holes that were drilled in the template. Use the template as a guide and trace the shape onto the blanks (figure D).
Repeat the same process for the remaining pieces of the bending form.
Rough cut all the components for the bending form to size on the band saw. Cut the pieces about 1/8" proud.
Note: Proud just means to cut a little oversized.
Attach the roughed out piece to the template and clean up the edges using a flush trim router bit.
The trimmer bit has a bearing on the top that follows the template and cuts off the unwanted material (figure E).
Continue to clean up the remaining pieces for the bending form.
With all the pieces rough cut for the form, hammer the dowels in place (to help insure proper alignment).
Add yellow glue to the master template and attach one of the pieces for the form so it sits flush.
Drill the pilot holes.
For extra stability, screw the pieces together.
To join the remaining components to construct the bending form, repeat the process.
Cover the edge with a piece of thin cork sheeting (figure F) so that when you clamp up the thin pieces of ash, it absorbs any inconsistencies in the clamping pressure so you will have nice uniform curves.
Note: Cork sheeting is sold at craft stores.
To get started, apply the spray adhesive to the bending form and to the backside of the cork sheeting.
Attach the cork to the form and flatten it in place.
Trim the cork so it sits flush with the template.
Cover the cork with packing tape so that when you glue up the lamination, the legs don't stick to the bending form.