I carved the design into the doors with my CNC,  the arch, the trees, the Elvish script, all of it. Getting the file dialed in and the toolpaths right took longer than I'd like to admit, but the moment that machine started cutting into the walnut, I knew it was going to work. There's nothing like watching a design that's lived on a screen for weeks suddenly show up in real wood.

Steam bending is a process that uses heat and moisture to make wood pliable. When wood is exposed to steam, typically at around 212°F, the heat softens the lignin, which is the natural glue that holds wood fibers together. Once the lignin is softened, the wood can be carefully bent into curved shapes without cracking or breaking.
This project kicked off with a pretty straightforward goal: build a box that could reliably steam wood blanks for bending. I wanted something simple, solid, and reusable. I also wanted to avoid overbuilding it because, well, it’s literally a hot wooden box.

Square and rectangular frames are great, don’t get me wrong, but an octagon has that extra bit of wow factor. It plays nicely with mirrors, adds visual interest, and is just complicated enough to be a fun challenge.