I just dimensioned some longish rails of white oak. Because one side was already finished I planes them all on just one side. now i notice that my once fairly flat rails are pretty bowed inward toward the side I planed. what happened and more importantly how do i fix it? i can’t plane the other side because the rails are the thickness i need right now. Is this not really a problem because the rails flex easily enough?–they are the long rails of a sideboard.
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I'd give them a few days to see if they equalize. Usually, such warping occurs due to differential moisture levels--the side you planed dried out when you removed the finish. If this were summer, it might have absorbed moisture and warped the other direction. Wood moves, as you've discovered. Sometimes, construction methods make allowances for some minor warping with fasteners or joints pulling components into alignment. It depends on your particular situation whether you can live with the warp or must 1)wait for it to equalize, or 2)start over with more stable wood. A third, but quite risky option, is to attempt to "re warp" the rails by applying moisture to one side (the concave side) in an attempt to swell the wood fibers, thereby encouraging an "anti-warp." If all else fails, go to your local lumber yard at warp 9.
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