Hank Miller

I quite often bend thick trunks which have been split with a trunk splitter. Generally I split the the trunk into 2, 4 or 6 sections depending on the size of the trunk. I usually then carefully wrap the split trunk with raffia (or Chinese string), tightly enough so that that the split sections line up as perfectly as possible. This helps to avoid any shearing in the trunk when bent. The trunk should be wrapped above and below the split section. I then place some thick copper or aluminum wire along the trunk (perpendicular to the wrapping) and wrap tightly again with raffia or Chinese string. The trunk can now be bent. It is advisable to bend only once and to use guy wires to hold the bent trunk in place. The binding should be left on long enough for the sections to fuse together but not too long which will retard the thickening of the bound section and lead to a narrowing of the trunk in the bent region. Before splitting one should remember that splitting the trunk thickens the trunk in the area of the wounds when they have healed ( the first wrapping if done carefully minimizes this) and that the split area beneath the bend should be longer than that above. If the trunk is pliable enough one can wrap without splitting and use guy wires or levers to bend the trunk. This alternative, if possible, is preferable.
Hank