An easy and old way of bending wood without a steam box is to first soak it, then to bend it around a hot piece of pipe, about 600 degrees F. or so. The pipe may be heated by putting it in a vise and directing a blow torch through it. Simply bend the soaked wood around it and it will tend to bend and set immediately without a form. This was traditionally used to bend guitar and musical instrument sides. I recommend beginners gather the courage to just experiment on a small amount of material. This method also works well with green split wood, tending to set it immediately, and it works better on thin crossections than on hefty pieces, works well on pieces such as ribs. Wood can also be heated ober a campfire and bent, ant this method is as old as humankind.