A new wood product capable of being bent rather than steamed into shape could inject new life into the market for contoured timber.
Bendywood, produced from temperate hardwoods in Fulham by Mallinson Ltd, is supplied to customers ‘wet’ and wrapped in polythene for it be formed into the required shape and dried in position. It can also be supplied in a permanently flexible state.
The product, which costs from £123-200 per 2.8m length (120x180mm section) depending on the variety of temperate hardwood, is manufactured using a patented Danish process which uses 60 tonnes of pressure to compress wood 20% to create a concertina-like cellular structure.
Guy Mallinson, proprietor of Mallinson, predicts buoyant demand from furniture and joinery manufacturers, shopfitters and builders keen to save time by using the process.
‘Bendywood works out being very economic when you think, for example, of a curving handrail and the amount of labour and wasted material used when making it in the traditional manner,’ said Mr Mallinson.
He predicts that the product could prompt furniture designers to be more adventurous in their use of wood.
‘This will blow away furniture designers – they will be able to mould timber into new shapes and use it in a three dimensional form that hasn’t been seen until now,’ he said.
Mallinson’s Fulham factory is capable of producing 7,680 2.8m lengths per year on a single shift basis but can move up to three shifts per year if demand warrants it.
