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A friend of mine had a cutting board that belonged to his mother in law. It had a big bow in it. He wanted to give it to his wife, who I might add is great cook. We steamed it and put some weight on it. Went to lunch at a mexican resturant. Came back and it was amazingly flat.
BAT
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Well thanks for all the ideas. I tried pressing it flat over night but it didn't help. I took it to the local lumber supply yard today and there are some knowledgable guys there. The consensus was to build another piece. They provided a stain that is really close so I'm going to try this and see how it looks. But I'm keeping the original in case I don't like it. Then I'll try some of the other ideas. Keep y'all posted.
Paul
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Norm
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01-22-2019, 02:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-22-2019, 02:47 PM by Handplanesandmore.)
The "build another piece" advice is sound, though "fixing" the twist is a natural response and what everyone including myself would want to try first. Warping or twist is a tricky thing and sometimes a fix will work or may appear to work, but most of the time, it is wood science. If you are making a new one, please choose the wood properly, and make sure it is acclimatized first.
Simon
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(01-22-2019, 02:40 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: The "build another piece" advice is sound, though "fixing" the twist is a natural response and what everyone including myself would want to try first. Warping or twist is a tricky thing and sometimes a fix will work or may appear to work, but most of the time, it is wood science. If you are making a new one, please choose the wood properly, and make sure it is acclimatized first.
Simon ......................
If all else fails, I would be tempted to make some lengthy "plunge cuts" on the inside surfaces in hopes it would "relieve or reduce" the tendency for it to warp..Might even "inlay" those "slots" with a hard exotic wood after the "treatment".......
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01-22-2019, 03:18 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-22-2019, 03:19 PM by Handplanesandmore.)
(01-22-2019, 02:49 PM)Timberwolf Wrote: ......................
If all else fails, I would be tempted to make some lengthy "plunge cuts" on the inside surfaces in hopes it would "relieve or reduce" the tendency for it to warp..Might even "inlay" those "slots" with a hard exotic wood after the "treatment".......
Not saying that might not work...but sounds like more work than making a new one. If we look at the photo, the twist is on opposite corners (as twist is always to be), and there are two, not one, spots that need to be worked on.
Simon
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(01-22-2019, 08:31 AM)AHill Wrote: Disassemble - THEN steam the parts that are warped, bent, or cupped. Looks to me like your rails and right stile are straight. The left stile seems to be the culprit. You may find other parts aren't straight when disassembled, due to lack of constraints of the fasteners. I'm wondering if the frame itself is really screwed together. That would be a very unconventional way to assemble a frame back in the day.
+1 on this.
Mike
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(01-22-2019, 03:29 PM)Scouter Wrote: +1 on this.
I agree with this too. Steam bent wood stays bent. I don't see why it wouldn't stay flat if you flattened with weight and steam and let it dry. Hold it flat or overbend the other way so when/if it relaxes it is in the desired position.
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Forget all ideas about trying force the twist out of it, it won't work except, perhaps, in the very short term. Wood twists because there are stresses in it and those stresses will remain and win out in the end. It's not clear to me from the photograph whether the stile is twisted or just has a bend in it. If you can take it apart this is the best starting point - you can then assess what has happened to each component. If the problem is just with the stile, you then have two options; make a new one and colour match it as best you can or, if you are wedded to reusing that piece of wood, hand plane or machine it to remove the bend/twist. Do it in stages as the wood may move again as you remove material from it. This will involve losing the existing show surface but at least you will start with the same basic wood so colouring should be easier. Of course, removing wood will mean that the stile will end up too thin, but you can laminate another piece of stable wood onto the back to make up for the lost thickness which will itself add stability to the finished component.
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We are assuming its a stress twist, when it can be a warp, caused by moisture. Two different things.
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(01-22-2019, 04:59 PM)Yetloh Wrote: Wood twists because there are stresses in it and those stresses will remain and win out in the end.
Jim
That has been my observation as well, including a frame & panel door that I ended up replacing, and a shop cabinet door that STILL cups and uncups itself as seasons change every year, which I don't bother to replace as it is a shop build. The iron steam method worked on the cupped cabinet door for a while, but after a couple years, the same old story and reminder! Valuable lessons learned from those early years' builds.
Simon
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