bending-machine

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An apparatus for bending to shape timber, rails, iron beams for ships, plates for boilers, etc.
2. n. In wood-working, a power-machine for bending wood into the various forms required in making vehicles, agricultural tools, and furniture. Two types are in use: in one the wood, while soft and hot from the steaming-bath, is bent without additional heat; in the other the machine itself is steam-heated to assist in keeping the steamed wood hot until the bending is complete. In all machines there is a master-form of metal fixed in the machine, to give the wood the required shape, and a second form for holding the wood in place until bent. In some machines the form is removed with the wood to keep it bent until cold and rigid; in others the wood is bound by a shackle or other device for retaining its bent form, and removed from the machine and allowed to cool, when the shackle can be removed.