I glued up some Cherry about 6 months ago for a cabinet . I had cut some dovetails and dado’s into the boards . Because of my work I had to set the project aside. I layed the boards down on a flat surface and and stacked them putting spacer sticks between them . I now have the time to finish the project but some of the wood is warp. Is there anything I can do to straighten this wood out. Planing would not be and option as the wood is at it’s proper thinkness.
Thanks,
Jeff
Replies
To be brief, no there's nothing you can do. Here's where it gets interesting...how can you adapt your plans to the thickness of your newly planed cherry boards?
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Jeff,
If the wood that was stickered warped, as David has said, there is nothing you can do other than re cut and rejoin/replane it.
But you said you laid the wood on a flat surface. If you left some pieces actually on a flat surface, with no stacking sticks between the surface and pieces, they warped due to differential moisture absorption on the exposed face vs the face against the surface. If so, those pieces MAY return to flat if stored flat, and weighted with all surfaces exposed to the air.
Rich
Most likely your warping is from moisture differential, as the others have suggested, but you do have an option not mentioned. Try misting the inside curve sides lightly with water from a spray bottle, or lightly moistened paper towel, and place in a sunny window, outside curve up. With variations, this process can sometimes solve that problem. Also, next time don't sticker the wood, but pile it compactly and cover it fully with a piece of scrap ply. Some very competent old-school cabinetmakers told me about this, its the best way to avoid unequal moisture loss, even over as short a time as overnight. It has never failed me.
I suspect that if you cut dados across the grain that is what caused the warping. Cross grain dados weaken the panel and cause uneven stresses. Cross grain dados should always be filed with their mating parts as soon as possible after cutting.
Depending on the warping, it may be possible to assemble the piece and have the clamping action pull the parts into alignment. This frequently works with things like cabinet carcasses.
I am sure many will frown on it but I just stack my 'sticks' on an old board for ground protection. Lean Em' up against the wall!
You may rip some grooves down the side that will not be seen and straighten them accordingly. The grooves should be a little more than half the thickness of the wood. Once the panel is flat, you can spread bondo into the grooves so the panel has rigidity and move onward to building your project
I had the same thing happen when I went on vacation a few years ago. You can persuade them to flatten out again.
Wood dries out much faster from exposed end grain which is what the dadoes created. This caused it to shrink more than the other side of the panels, causing them to warp. As suggested, mist the side of the panels with the dadoes with water. Lay them on a flat surface and stack weight on them. Don't apply so much weight that the panels flatten completely. Check them every couple of days and re-mist them if they seem dry. They should flatten out in a couple of weeks.
What is the resolution to the warped panels? What did you try? Did it work?
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