How to Prevent Springback in Curved Laminated Wood

Build a temporary form to which the laminate strips will be attached. Use the actual form for building a template. Build the template from cardboard. For example, if you are laminating wood to fit around the curved section of a countertop, place a piece of cardboard flat on the countertop and trace the outline.

Place the template onto a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood and mark the plywood. Cut out the temporary form. Attach the strips of wood to the temporary form, one piece at a time. Mark the strips with numbers, with number 1 representing the strips that are located first. Steam the strips with a handheld steamer or a steam iron and clamp them into place, bending them to the temporary form.

Clamp each strip in place and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Steam all wood pieces and clamp them in place without gluing. Let the strips remain clamped in place overnight.

Remove the strips after 24 hours, leaving them bunched together. Place the strips onto the permanent form. Apply waterproof glue between laminated pieces, smoothing the glue and distributing it evenly. Clamp all strips in place with wood clamps and wipe the curved laminated wood with a damp cloth to remove glue before it dries. Once the curved wood dries in place, sand it to desired smoothness and paint or stain.

Reattach the wood clamps to the curved wood and leave in everything place for 48 hours to ensure that the laminated pieces remain attached. If any piece begins to spring back after 48 hours, place more wood glue between the laminate and reclamp.