Build a Curved Spa-Style Towel Rack with Bent Lamination

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What is Bent Lamination?

Bent lamination is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of bending a thick board, you:

1. Cut the wood into thin strips

2. Apply glue to each strip

3. Stack them together

4. Clamp the stack around a curved form

Once the glue dries, the laminated stack holds the curved shape permanently. The result is strong, stable, and surprisingly elegant.

Designing the Bending Form

Everything starts with the form. Whatever shape you build into the form will ultimately define the final curve.

For this towel rack, I drew the curve directly onto sheet material and cut it out using typical shop tools. A CNC would make this quick work, but honestly this is an easy job with basic tools too.

The first cut piece becomes the template. I stacked several layers together to get the thickness needed for the form, then glued and nailed them together before flush trimming them to match the template perfectly.

Because the finished bent part is about ½″ thick, the mating half of the form needs a complementary curve offset by that amount. You could measure and draw that offset, but sometimes you get lucky, like when a washer happens to be the perfect size to trace the curve.

Bending the Lamination

With the form complete, the process is pretty straightforward:

• Cut thin strips of wood
• Apply glue to each strip
• Stack them together
• Clamp the stack tightly around the form

This pressure forces the strips to take on the curve of the form. After the glue cures, the laminated piece holds its shape permanently.

A Practical Bathroom Upgrade

The final result is a simple spa-inspired towel rack designed to hold multiple clean towels without making the bathroom feel cluttered. The gentle curves created by bent lamination give the piece a soft, modern look while keeping the construction strong and lightweight.

Bent lamination might sound intimidating, but once you try it, it quickly becomes one of the most versatile techniques in your woodworking toolkit.

One of the most satisfying things in woodworking is convincing wood to do something it doesn’t naturally want to do. Sometimes you coax it. Sometimes you force it. Either way, the results can be pretty amazing when you learn the art of bent lamination.

In this project I’m building a spa-style towel rack with bent lamination for our bathroom. It’s a great way to create smooth curves that would otherwise be difficult, or impossible, to achieve with solid wood.

Video Links

• Under Table Saw Cabinet
• Hardwax Oil Test 
• Bent Lamination Quilt Rack
• Mastering Bent Lamination Course

Stuff You Need

• Titebond Cold Press Glue
• Natura Onecoat
• Circle Template
• Preppin’ Weapon

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