Wild Weekend Bender at the Charlie Whinney Studio

Edmond Salter is one half of Cabinet of Curiosity Studio. He is currently a recipient of an Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice grant to enable time and space during 2021 to research, experiment and enhance his craft by exploring timber techniques, technologies and fabrication processes that can be used to create artworks. This has included undertaking a recent professional training in steam bending wood techniques at the Charlie Whinney Studio in Cumbria. 

I have recently completed an extended weekend course which demonstrated the magic of steam bending from the miniature to the monumental. The Charlie Whinney Studio exists to 'explore the relationships between materials, people and the environment – and sometimes find where beauty and usefulness meet. The studio researches the existing methodology of steam-bending as well as developing cutting-edge processes, innovations and ideas to facilitate new work. Charlie believes it is essential to spread knowledge of this process to help enable low-embodied energy wood products to compete and take the place of other less eco-friendly materials where possible'.

The three day professional steam bending course took place within Charlie’s studio housed in a converted barn in the beautiful Lake District National Park, Cumbria, UK. Charlie works professionally as a designer maker and has an expertise in steam bending wood at a variety of scales. He has carried out numerous commissions in the UK and internationally, so participating in his workshop was a fantastic opportunity to learn the secrets of this unique craft.

The workshop started with a visit to a neighbouring forest to source timber from ash trees to be harvested and carried back to the studio. Whilst in the forest Charlie discussed how to identify the best trees for steam bending: green wood, free of disease, with straight trunks. 

An introduction to sculptural steam bending provided an overview of the physics of the steam bending process accompanied by a demonstration of bending techniques using jigs and compression straps. With this knowledge I was able to design and make a small batch production object: a prototype for a foldable wooden bag. This involved creating and cutting a plywood jig that was used to shape steamed strips of wood into the desired form for my bag design.

A chair making project provided the opportunity to collaborate on steam bending wood on a larger scale. Working in partnership with a fellow workshop participant, who was from a furniture design background, initial sketches were transformed into a working prototype. I discovered through the chair making exercise that steam bending is a very physical activity that requires at least two people, continuous hydration of participants and carefully choreographed actions to successfully realise the desired outcome.  The physicality of the process and team dynamics involved in this craft techniques was highlighted towards the end of the workshop when Charlie demonstrated monumental steam bending. This required two additional assistants, heavy duty winches and equipment to bend a slice taken from a full length tree trunk into a curved bench.

Charlie believes that ‘Steam Bending is a process that opens a lot of doors creatively. Knowledge of the process not only allows makers, wood workers and artists to gain a deeper, more accurate insight into the real nature of wood, but also provides the practical tools to fabricate designs that wouldn't otherwise be achievable by any other process. 

The long-weekend workshop I participated in provided the principles and practicalities of steam bending through hands-on learning that has inspired ideas for ways in which this technique can be incorporated into my own practice.