Replies

1. 
   128MMcD | Aug 17, 2008 05:14pm | #1

   Check how Grain is Running through the Length of the Stock. Cupping could have be caused by Stress being Relieved when you Milled the Board . You could try Laying the Board out in the Sun for the Day (Cupped Side Down) and See weather it will draw the Ends of the Board back into  the same Plane as the Center. If it's Grain Changing Directions through the Length, then your Only option is to Replace Your Material with VERTICAL Grain stock ( Quarter Sawn ) which Would have Been a Better choice for a Exterior Door.  

2. 
   acornw | Aug 18, 2008 04:10pm | #2

   I have had this happen to me numerous times. I have seen it happen to many others over the years. There is no fix, absolutely. All sorts of well meaning, intelligent helpful people will now offer all sorts of advice, from over bending, to water, to voodoo. None will work over time. Trust me. Spend you time and energy on a new stile.

   While I have been there, it is truly the sign of a desperate man to see him clamp a stile in an opposite bow. I sympathize.

   Do spend a bit of time trying to find out how this can happen, so you can prevent it from happening again.

   Dave S
   http://www.acornwoodworks.com

1. 
   joinerswork | Aug 18, 2008 10:17pm | #3

   Dave,

   I've tried all the tricks you mentioned without success, except for the voodoo.  Can you recommend a spell you tried, that didn't work, so I can check it off the list, too?  I can capture a bat if necessary, and have access to Jamaican jerk seasoning.  The moon is still close to full.

   Ray

1. 
   JeffHeath | Aug 19, 2008 07:37pm | #5

   Ray

   A partially full moon won't cut it.  You would have to find a Grecian Wambat, and sacrifice it by slicing from right to left, as you struggle from behind.  They are very difficult to find, especially a few days after the full moon, as they all know that this is bowed-wood-fixing season.  And, since their knees are double jointed, and claws razor sharp, make sure you wear your chain mael on your legs!!

   :)

   Jeff 

1. 
   joinerswork | Aug 20, 2008 02:01am | #7

   Jeff,

   Hmmm, sounds like bad ju-ju, or mojo or something.  Guess I'll skip it after all.

   Cheers,

   Ray

2. 
   cdatty | Aug 20, 2008 04:58am | #8

   Thanks to all for the advice.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but, that's why I asked.  Looks like I will be making a new one.

3. 
   TWG | Aug 18, 2008 11:01pm | #4

   You may not like this answer either. I agree you need to replace the side. And sticker the remaining parts until the new side is ready.

   I have never seen previously bowed wood last very long, particularly for the exterior.

4. 
   BossCrunk | Aug 19, 2008 09:17pm | #6

   End-to-end bow in a part that size is virtually unfixable in the context in which you need to use it.

   Make another workpiece.

5. 
   jfm | Aug 20, 2008 04:58am | #9

   While it's possible that the style that bowed is shot and you will need a new one, there are also some conditions under which this will undo itself to a degree.  Depending on how dry the wood was when you milled it, if a piece this size is left with one side down on a flat surface and the other side exposed to air, the exposed side can dry, and/or absorb moisture faster than the opposite side, leading to bowing.  This is especially likely with freshly milled wood.  I have had this happen with woods that are typically quite stable.  Try leaving the style on edge for a couple of days and see if it improves.  To avoid this in the future, leave your pieces on edge after milling.  Leaving a whole door leaning on a solid surface can likewise cause the entire door to bow.  You want both sides to ideally change evenly in moisture content.

   Good Luck!

1. 
   doorboy | Aug 20, 2008 05:50pm | #10

   After trying all of the tricks, do you want to hang the door on the house with it's climate controlled conditions on the interior and wildly vacillating conditions on the exterior?
   My humble position is that if it's unstable in the shop, then it's always going to be unstable. I'd start with replacing the stile with ####good board.

1. 
   acornw | Aug 20, 2008 06:12pm | #11

   Doorboy is right. Flipping a board and drying or adding moisture is forced, temporary condition that will change as the finished product reaches its EMC. The "leaning the door against a wall will cause it to warp" is a myth. The proof is that a warped - twisted door that is forced closed and latched does not loose its twist - even after years of being forced flat. However, I have seen a door leaned against a wall take a general bow on construction sites where one side is exposed to wet (drywall or paint drying out), and/or the other is exposed to dry heat (jet heaters!). Once the door is removed to a stable environment and allowed free air circulation, it will restore itself to flat. To repeat from above - it is always a good idea to sticker critical parts during storage, even overnight. Free air circulation is our friend. There is one possible fix to this problem that does not require a new stile. Hinge the bowed stile to the jamb with 3 or 4 good 4x4 heavy plate hinges. This will force it flat for life. Then install the glass. If you take the door down in the future, you will chance breaking the glass unless it is removed first. You didn't hear this from me, though. Dave S
   http://www.acornwoodworks.com

6. 
   Talma | Aug 20, 2008 07:45pm | #12

   I would only use 1/4 sawn on the entire door. Just because of the extreme differences on each side of the wood.

   Also look for air dried material. I have never had any problems with bowing or cupping when using air dried material, only kiln drying. The bowing and cupping always seem to show up while drying.

   But that's my $.02 which is probably a nickel more than it's worth.