I am refinishing a 100 yr old redoak table. It is round and has a two inch skirt just under the top. One end of the skirt on one side of the table has twisted by 5 to 10 degrees. How do I heat it to correct the twist? Is the wood too old and might break?
I have thought of holding it over a boiling pot and heating with moist steam. Will this work? Of course the skirt is in two half circles because the table can open to insert leaves.
Replies
No. For the steam to do any good, it would have to be in an enclosed chamber for 30 minutes per inch of thickness to soften the wood.
Maybe you can add a piece of wood behind it which is connected to the top and or maybe the other side; if the slides are not too much in the way; and draw it back in with that.
Pogo, You are credited with the saying, "I have seen the enemy, and it is us." That was over 30 years ago. were you looking into your crystal ball, seeing into the future and meaning "Us here and now"?
Edited 5/8/2005 11:17 pm ET by rootburl
"it would have to be in an enclosed chamber for 30 minutes per inch of thickness to soften the wood"
When steam bending, the wood is kept in the steam box for 1 hour for every inch of thickness.Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Thanks for the help.
Thanks,You are correct. If there is one thing I hate more than getting bad advice, is for it to be ME giving bad advice.
Thanks for replying. I guess I will have to use a piece in back to do the job.
Wouldn't it be fun if Walt Kelly were alive today to tear up these politicians.
One of my favorite phrases from pogo is "are you or have you ever been a member of an investigating committee?"
Datachanel
Doing things the hard way
Poppie's tool box, which was severely twisted after Dad dropped it while attempting to take it off the wall by himself, had copious quantities of linseed oil applied to it, which restored some flexibility to the wood, allowing it to be tweaked back. It's nearly perfect today. The work was done more than 40 years after the crash.
Might work.
Po, if the skirt can be 'relieved' from the back by a series of kerfs cut partway through, it will flex enough to overcome the twist . Stein
Thanks for the suggestion. The twist is in the final 5 inches of the curve and I don't think I am good enough to make the kerf's.
If the piece is 100years old, I don't know that I would want to damage it with kerf bending techniques. Check the phone book or any clubs and see if there is place or person that does steam bending - might find someone with the equipment - other than that it is a leave as is or try to jury rig some equipment to try steam bending and then a jig properly shaped to secure it to to dry1 - measure the board twice
2 - cut it once
3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go
4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
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