To bend wood you can steam it. My sons ex girlfreinds dad did it, all the time. Don't know too much about it, but you can build your own steamer.
General method is to connect a boiler (can be any closed vessel with a spout and a burner underneath), to a pipe (PVC pipe does fine but you have to support it as it gets soft with steam.) via a length of hose.
You close the other end of the pipe with a loose piece of rag. Not too tight as you want the steam to flow.
Get the boiler up to full steam. Remove the rag and insert your wood and replace the rag. Leave to cook for 1 Hour for each inch of the woods thickness. Since it is not an exact science, it is customary to put some offcuts in at the same time. When times up, take out one of the offcuts and attempt to bend it. If it breaks, leave for another 10 minutes and try again.
The success rate depends on the wood you have chosen. Willow would be absolutely brilliant, but most of the hardwoods (such as Oak Mahogany and Walnut) are not too bad. As for the softwoods, forget it.
Once the wood comes out of the steamer, you have to clamp it to a former within seconds. Leave for 24 Hours, and Fannies your aunt.
Have you seen
This stuff Sounds quite remarkable.