Yurt Making - Stem Bending
Yurts basically consist of woods and tarpaulin. The core structure of a Yurt is made from wood, usually ash wood. The wood is them bent to the various shapes required to make the Yurt. Desired shapes are achieved using an method called stem bending.
Stem bending involves placing prepared ash into a steam box which is attached to a drum of boiling water, left in for an hour per inch of thickness of timber. After the prescribed period the timber is removed and placed onto a former upon which it sets into the shape required.
To bend wood it has to reach 100 C at which point the lignum in the wood becomes pliable – steaming is the best medium to achieve this and in doing so also forces out the natural sugars and once removed from the steam leaves the timber effectively seasoned.