I have made several hundred Shaker oval boxes and use a hot water bath.   I think with 36" radius you can probably do cold.  I like the idea of several layers with offset joints.   If you need to do a wet bend (hot water or steam), I'd make a bending form, then glue onto the table top once it's dried.  Your form can have holes drilled for F-clamps to fit into.   Expect some springback, so go with less than 36" diameter.  I've also had good luck with using packing tape to hold down pieces like this until the glue sets.   The tape has a little stretch to it and works well, better than just a few clamps.  Make the strips a little wider than needed and plane and/or sand down to even once you have it all together and dried glue.

 

Oh, and some people are just grumpy and no fun to be around.   I'm always glad when they leave a forum.  They seem to think their way is the only way and everyone else is wrong, and tell them such regularly.

 

On 1/24/2020 at 5:28 PM, Pat Meeuwissen said:

cutting scarf joints

that's how I'd do it.  But joints would require a piece to finish the joint like  on a guitar at the heel but a long slow scarf  joint in plenty strong

Oak is fine but brittle. Obviously the thicker the strips the less it takes, but more of a challenge to make the bend.

 

What do you have for clamps?

Edited February 4, 20206 yr by BillyJack

I managed to get all the layers on with some irregularity but the top is leveled (used a sharp block plane)and shaped edges with my router. 

My clamp collection is fairly good, I think technique was lacking on the first one, which made the others more difficult.