This mini-workshop will discuss two crucial elements of traditional woodworking that involve curved or bent pieces. First, we will discuss splitting, riving, and processing billets of wood straight from the log... following the wood fibers along the length of the whole piece to retain maximum strength. Second, by using either steam (or one of several other ways) to heat the moisture that is within the green (freshly cut) wood we will bend curves that are as strong as possible while also using the least amount of material. Snowshoes, basket handles, hayforks, and many other traditional wooden products were made using some form of hot bending and with a knowledge of the inherent strength of the wood itself.