Woodworkingform

Woodworkingform is a term encountered in some hobbyist and maker communities to describe a set of methods and artifacts used to shape wood into a prescribed external form. The concept centers on using forms, templates, jigs, or molds as guides to produce repeatable shapes in woodwork. Because the term is not standardized, its exact meaning can vary by author, project, or craft tradition.

Forms may be physical molds made from melamine, plywood, or other rigid substrates; they may also be templates or patterns. Techniques associated with woodworkingform include lamination on curved forms, steam bending or kerf bending against a form, carving against a pre-shaped form, and turning or molding parts over or around a form.

Process typically involves: design a form, cut and assemble the form, prepare the workpiece, apply bending or laminate to the form, secure while the part sets, release, and finish. Applications include furniture with curved components (such as chair backs and legs), bowls and hollow vessels, lids and boxes, and architectural woodwork.

Tools and materials are forms or jigs, clamps, glue, veneers or stock, heat and moisture sources, and finishing supplies. Because this usage is not standardized, practitioners may emphasize different aspects such as lamination, bending, or pattern making within the same broad idea.

See also: bending, lamination, veneering, pattern making.