How to bend wood - vacuum methods

While researching bending methods for a counter-top wine rack I am designing, I came across this excellent post on JoeWoodworker.com.  I found the author's real-world expertise informative, as he describes a few tricks of the trade I haven't seen elsewhere.  If you want to bend wood with a vacuum bag, check this site. 

The site also offers plans and materials for building your own vacuum press.  These are relatively sophisticated systems and there are many options and parameters to consider.  Take a deep dive into vacuum press FAQs here. 

...And stay tuned for pics of my new "Wine Wave" counter-top wine rack!

could hollow wood tubes be a part of the next product from Wine on Deck?

One great thing about plywood and veneer is bendability.  Veneers are easy to bend, relative to steam bending solid wood, and the finished piece can be very strong.  Another great thing about plywood?  Manufacturers are beginning to make pre-fab shapes for builders, eliminating the bending step of a project altogether.  One such shape is the hollow wood tube.  Made en masse in a plywood factory, pre-fab wood tubes are perfectly round, have strong seams, and have clean veneered surfaces. 

Since I make wine racks, and I'm looking for a good design for a counter-top wine rack, I took a special interest when I became aware of the existence of wooden tubes. 

One maker is R.J. Woodworking.  Another is Lenderink.  Both suppliers make tubes from very narrow to very wide, so you can make anything from a soda straw to a Greek column. 

Obviously, working with veneered wooden tubes will present challenges.  One challenge in particular jumps out at me: drilling through a tube at an angle, or off-center.  Once my samples arrive, I will begin exploring milling techniques, and I will report my findings here on the blog. 

New Video: the Wine Bar Video Tour

I am so happy about my new Wine Bars, I want to tell the world!  But I'll settle for a YouTube video...

Here is my second YouTube video - the Wine Bar Video Tour.  It's another narrated slideshow, telling all about how I make Wine Bars, their design, and how they can be used to solve all sorts of wine-related challenges in your home or business. 

It's available on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/rN_Skx1jx3A

and also embedded in this post, here: