Flattening Warped Panels

[Phydeaux]

I appreciate all the input. I'm going to try sanding the panels smooth, since that's necessary anyway, and see what effect that has. Some of them are slightly uneven. I intend to avoid as much as I can sanding near the edges that will get the box joints.

The front and back panels have the worst of the problem. They're about 16" x 38" and the twist puts one corner about 1/4 inch up when the opposite is down. They're easy to hold flat. My sense is once I've sanded them reasonably smooth they might get better and if I'm careful cutting the box joints with my Incra jig the assembly and gluing will square it all up.

[fredhargis]

Be sure to let us know how things work out.

[WoodTinker]

Be sure to let us know how things work out.

Does the panel float?

You could cut the panels in two or three, install a center style divider or two. This should cut down on the size of the panel and reduce the amount of wood that needs to be removed to make it flat.

Just a thought.

[Phydeaux]

I noticed in my last post I said sand the joints when I meant sand the panels. Fixed that.


Assuming I survive the stress, I'll report back with how it worked out and eventually in a new thread with a picture of the chest.

It's the most complicated thing I've tried to make. The article I found it in calls it a "better blanket chest design" because it's allegedly a distillation of many designs and building techniques to come up with one that's a good balance of reasonable to build but still a piece of nice, practical furniture.

[Derek Cohen]

DON’T sand them flat! They will simply warp again.

Add a caul to flatten them, and then make the joinery and glue it up. The joints will act as clamps to keep it flat.

For future reference, I add weights (or use clamps) to my stickered stock after jointing and thicknessing ...



Regards from Perth

Derek