Hot Pipe Bending
A one-day workshop in transforming solid timber into bent form.
Heat changes things. A thin strip of timber moved against a hot pipe will soften, yield, and take a curve. Cool it and the new shape holds. The transformation is immediate, physical, and deeply satisfying.
Hot pipe bending is one of the most accessible and expressive of all bending techniques. It requires minimal setup, no moulds, and no complex equipment. Just heat, timber, and your feeling hands. It is also one of the most direct ways to understand what wood is and what it can and can't do. You can do this on your kitchen table.
This one-day workshop is an introduction to that experience. You will work with thin timber and heat, exploring what the material offers when it is pushed toward its limits. Hot pipe bending can be used to produce instruments, sculpture, jewellery, lighting and frames and furniture parts.
What you will cover
The day is structured around making and discovering rather than following a set of steps. You will work with hot pipe technique to bend and shape thin timber, developing a feel for heat, timing and material response.
There is time to experiment, to follow what interests you, and to work with the material on its own terms.
Workshop details
Duration: 1 day
Location: Mount Egerton VIC 3352
Group size: Maximum 6 participants
Experience: Open to all levels, no prior woodworking experience required
Price: $150 per person (all materials supplied)
Dates: Dates announced to the EOI list first, register your interest below
Mount Egerton is located on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria, approximately 90 minutes from Melbourne and 30 minutes from Ballarat. The studio is easily reached from Melbourne's west and from Geelong, Daylesford and regional Victoria.
Who this workshop suits
This workshop is for anyone curious about what wood can do. It suits complete beginners, makers from other disciplines, designers who want a physical experience of material, and woodworkers who have never bent anything and want to understand what they have been missing.
It is also a good way to find out whether the broader bending program at Moonlite Studios is for you.
What past participants say
"I'll never look at wood in the same way again." — Martin Stanley, Sturt School for Wood, 2025
About the teaching
Ross Annels has been working with bent form for over 25 years. Hot pipe bending is part of his practice as a maker and a tool he uses for design, prototyping and finished work.
The day is informal, hands-on and responsive. There is time to experiment and to talk about where bending might fit in your own practice.
Express your interest
Dates for this workshop are announced to the interest list first. If you would like to be notified when bookings open, contact Ross directly.
Where this leads
Hot pipe bending is the beginning of a conversation with bent form. Those who want to go further can explore:
Introduction to Wood Bending, a 2-day comparative introduction to steam, kerf, laminated and coopered bending
Bent Form: Design and Studio Practice, a 2-day design-focused workshop using bending as a creative tool
The Bent Stick and the Sculptural Form, a 5-day masterclass in bending wood and expanding practice
Moonlite Studios is a working furniture making and creative practice based in Mount Egerton, on Wadawurrung Country in Central Victoria. Courses and mentoring are offered year-round in small groups within a studio environment.
View all courses and workshops · Frequently Asked Questions · Mentoring with Ross · Contact