Bending wood with steam opens up a new dimension for your furniture designs & woodworking projects. A few examples include arms & backs for Windsor chairs, as well as many bent components for wooden boats. Plans for low-cost homemade steam generators are available, but often involve combustible fuels & an open flame. This compact electric steamer, designed for stripping wallpaper, remedies these safety concerns since the heating element runs on standard 120v current, far safer than an open burner. The unit has a small 8" x 12" footprint so you can set-up just about anywhere in your home or shop. Providing plenty of steam for a small to medium homemade steam box, our tests with this unit had it making steam in just 20 minutes & then heating up our homemade 6" diameter x 62" long PVC steam box (tube) to 212° in another 10 minutes. (For large steam boxes, you'll need 2 steamers to reach & maintain optimum temperature within the box.) The water reservoir holds 1.2 gallons & provides 130 minutes of steam time without refilling. Safety cut-out on heating element prevents overheating if water boils low. 12' double walled hose. 1200 Watts.