Hi Glen one jaw has a blade the other is flat so as not to mark the side of the plank u will see

place plank in jaws and squeeze (crimp)this will put a cut on the inside face of the plank that u will be offering against the hull (harder u squeeze deeper the cut)

the closer the cuts are too each other the greater the bend in the plank u can achieve (in theory)

not needed for thin planks like launch more for the hull as thicker

whether u need to soak the planks 1st not sure maybe one of the experienced guys can help here

as we will probably only recieve enough planks for the job not leaving much room for error/practise
i would reccommend purchasing some strips of planking for playing with to get used to or reaquainted with the tool
hope this helps

If I can just add to what Budgie has said. I have a similar plank bender which I have used in the past. If you are attempting a small radius curve, the fibres on the outside will have a tendency to split/splinter if the wood is dry. I would strongly suggest that you soak the planks first, then fibres tend to follow the curvature that you are trying to achieve.

Mike T

This is just my opinion from having used it....
put it in a bag and drop it in the bin then get yourself a soldering iron or electric plank bender soak or better still steam your planks first ( I use a babies bottle steriliser to steam them).

J

Having tried just about every technique in the book on plank bending,I think I have sussed it.Buy a cheap kettle fill with water and actually put the end to be curved in the kettle through the spout(remove any mesh or filter from the spout).Boil once for mild bends and leave ten mins for mild bends or three times at ten min intervals for severe bends.Three boils and the wood is pliable like rubber,with care you will be amazed at how tight a bend the wood will take clamp in position and allow to dry(wood will dry quicker than if you just soaked it in water.Short planks can be simply dropped in the kettle,boil and then poor the water out to retrieve.If you decide to use the kitchen kettle be warned walnut turns the water yellow as my wife had noticed
Regards Nigel