One of the most vital pieces of equipment in the whaleboat's boatbuilding class is the steambox. This is a box (not always made of wood) which steams wood and makes it softer. Wood is placed into this box and steam is added through a hose or pipe. The wood absorbs the steam and softens it. After the wood has been in for the right amount of time (half an hour per inch in thickness) it is to be taken out. It is then very flexible and can be bent into different shapes. In Whaleboat, the steambox crew is using the steamed wood in three different jigs that we have made. These jigs are molds that bend the wood used to make the front, back, and inside of the boat.

The steambox crew of SRHS started their steambox a couple of weeks after school began in 1995. To begin making the box the steambox crew needed background information. Students found the information on the steambox. After the crew had the information they made plans, got the wood and went to work. The steambox crew consisted of P.J. , Chris , Jim , Jason, Stephanie, Nate, and Steve.

The steambox crew took about a month to build the box. They did everything step by step and came out with a mighty fine box. On the inside of the box there are two inch thick boards which give it it's final inside dimensions. Next there is two inch thick insulation which is wrapped around the outside of the boards. After the insulation there is a vapor barrier. This barrier is to keep the condensation and steam inside the box. On the outside of the barrier there are one inch thick boards which give it it's final outside dimensions. On one end of the steambox there is a plug like piece that fills in the end so steam doesn't escape. On the other end there is a door used to open and close the steambox, allowing people to put wood in and out with ease.

The steambox is now in the boiler room of the high school and has already been used quite a lot. It has been used to steam the ribs for the boat. The ribs are the inside of the boat which give it strength.

While steaming the stem and stern (a.k.a. the front and back of the boat), the crew ran into a few problems. The stem has not been working too well for the steambox crew. They have steamed and bent it four times and they still haven't got it right. It has broken four times and one was warped so it wouldn't have done a good job. To keep the wood from twisting, the crew added a piece of thin wood to the top of the jig. Also, the piece that needed to be steamed was to long for the steambox. For this problem the crew added a plastic bag to the end of the steambox. The steambox crew thought this was going to work but it didn't. The bag was letting too much steam out so the wood was drying out and breaking Mr. T, the workshop teacher of SRHS contacted a friend about the breaking and was told that the steambox may be getting too hot. When the temperature was checked, it was found to be too hot by several hundred degrees. This has been fixed by taking out the steambox's insulation. By doing this, less heat will be created helping to keep the wood from drying out.

If all works well, it is hoped that other classes will be able to use the steambox in the years to come.