Heath's Woodworking Projects

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 4:05 pm

heathicus wrote:http://www.ubr.com/clocks/frequently-asked-questions-faq/clocks-and-time-faq-10-10-hand-positions.aspx

Oh the trivial things some folks wring their hands over!

You gots a good 'excuse'. None of those things that hands could cover up at any time.

joedw00 · Post by **joedw00** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:24 pm

Nice looking clock. I had never noticed the 10:10. I did a search for clock images, and a lot of them were set at 10:10. Learn something new every day.

berry · Post by **berry** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:37 pm

Very nice set of dominoes!

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 12:57 pm

One of the domino sets went to my dad. My mom placed them out on display in relative close proximity to the fireplace. WhenI went to visit this weekend, I noticed the lid had warped.

It's more exaggerated when one side is pressed down.

My questions: What could I have done to help prevent this? Can anything be done to "fix" it now?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:32 pm

heathicus wrote:One of the domino sets went to my dad. My mom placed them out on display in relative close proximity to the fireplace. WhenI went to visit this weekend, I noticed the lid had warped.

My questions: What could I have done to help prevent this? Can anything be done to "fix" it now?

Shucks! Sorry that happened!

I can't see the end grain of the lid because it is hidden by the well done edging but my guess is it is made from face grain wood.. I'm looking at the photo in post #171.

The only way to prevent warping of lids or table tops is to avoid face grain wood and use only quartersawn or rift grain only. Sometimes it is a pain to select this wood, but always well worth it. One way to select wood is to rip out the rift and quartersawn sections and join them together.

How to fix? Maybe a couple (2 or 3) cross grain cleats screwed to the tip of the box.. Giving your talents, you can probably make the cleats decorative.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 1:45 pm

Heath -- don't feel bad.... My recent thread on Machinist Chest Refurb has me installing a new lapped-board back on the chest -- because the factory solid back had warped. There are a few ways in designs to allow for solid wood movement -- experience being a great teacher !

bffulgham · Post by **bffulgham** » Mon Feb 11, 2013 6:56 pm

You might try moving it to a location where there is high humidity and let it sit for a month or so. It may straighten itself back out when the internal moisture builds back up.

Yeah, the curse of flat-sawn wood.

tomsalwasser · Post by **tomsalwasser** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 5:32 am

Heath, thanks for sharing your dilemma. For the first time ever I am suffering from wood movement in a project so this is helpful. Most of the time my dresser sides are veneered plywood or painted mdf. Never a problem. My last dresser was solid birch. Now I can't get the drawers out. I already fixed it once with some sanding and planing but now the drawers are stuck again. This is really good that finally I'm being forced to think about all the instruction I've received in controlling wood movement. I always try to alternate the grain in each piece of a glue up but if it is prettier one way or another I tend to go with that.

I have never worked with quartersawn or rift sawn wood because it's expensive and hard to find but I'm going to start looking into it...thanks charlese.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 8:50 am

It likely was the lid that caused the problem; the outer surface of the lid lost more moisture than the inner surface causing the bow in the lid. And, it's also likely the wood wasn't as dry as it could or should have been when the box was assembled. Putting it near the fireplace sped up the moisture loss.

You may be able to correct the warp by applying moisture to the top surface using a damp towel and then leaving the box open while the lid dries. Keep the damp towel on the lid until it returns to its original shape. A couple of cauls and clamps would help hold it flat while the lid dries.

Thinner, dry wood for the lid would reduce the likelihood that the top of the box would cup. As would keeping it away from a heat source and direct sun light also would help.

You can determine which direction the wood will cup by looking at the end grain. When the board cups, the wood in essence is trying to straighten those curved grain line you see on the end of the board.

heathicus · Post by **heathicus** » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:20 am

The box is cherry that came from an assortment that mbcabinetmaker sent me about 3 or 4 years ago. I had *assumed* that it was as dry as it needed to be at this point. I guess it's a painful reminder of what happens when you *assume* and also a hard lesson learned in grain patterns and wood movement.