1. Before you bend anything, you might try soaking the wood in water (hot or cold) for about 60 minutes. You only have to soak the area that will be bent. I use an old plastic pill bottle for soaking when I only have to bend the end of a plank.
2. You will probably be able to bend just about anything with your hands using this technique.
3. Clamp the wood to any 'jig-creation' that will produce a bend close to what you need and let the wood dry over night; the jig bend does not have to be perfect. I have used a door knob, a random pile of scrap wood, a jig-saw table, etc. for this clamping. I clamp everything with Harbor Freight's plastic squeeze clamps.
4. The next day the wood will be 'kind of dry'. Final fit this 'kind-of dry' wood to your model. Use your hands to put in any final fit bends as necessary.
Do any sanding, carving, trimming, edge bevelling, coloring for caulking, etc at this stage. The damp portion of the plank wood will be just a tad larger than it was when it was totally dry. You can make the fit of the damp area a little tighter than normal to compensate. If you are installing a plank between two other planks (filling a hole), you can use a small hammer to pound the new damp plank in to make sure it is really seated tight against the frame (makes a great tight fit). Let everything dry for a day or two.
5. Check your work from the previous day (correct as necessary). Glue the plank on using CYA. Drill holes and put the dowels in. Sand and/or file smooth as necessary. Works every time.