There are several heating irons for bending wood available from luthier suppliers.   Although they are more costly than the one in the video they are electric and do not require a torch and an open flame.

thanx for the idea. My bender was originally used to create top and bottom ring parts for drums :-).

Inspired by your answer I've found some other opportunities too in the mean time:

  - a german guy used an old pan upside down with five candles under it
    (and no, he has not burnt down his garage so far)

  - somebody else used and old electric iron

  - arabic ouda builders bend their wood over an open fire
    (not recommended to do that in your garage or living room)

  - I've seen something similar with a long stretched narrow fire-line
    used to heat a really thick wet wood plank used to build a
    fisherman's boat in Southern Italy some time ago

  - somebody else use the gas torch alone to heat the wood

Seems that there are a lot of different opportunities ... safe ones and all the others

Happy bending!

If you lay the wood to be bent atop some bubble wrap, then heat a damp towel in the microwave and place it atop the wood.  THEN, wrap it up in the bubble wrap and let "STEAM" for 12 to 18 minutes, the ash/oak/spruce  will bend easily...~BRUCE~