There are three conventional ways to bend wood: Bent Laminations, Kerf Cutting and Steam Bending. Steam bending is one of the most popular techniques because it's easy, clean, and magical. The principle is to use steam to inject heat into the cellular tubes of the wood which softens the lignin (glue in a tree) allowing the cellular tubes to slide past each other to curve.
How do you select wood for steam bending?
The grain should be straight no burls, knots, or wavy grain. Certain woods bend better than others. In my experience, the best woods to use in order are Ash, White oak, Beech, Maple, Walnut, Mahogany. though there are