Box Lid Making a Dry Curl

[Eric Schniewind]

I made a box out of ash with a two piece glued up top (resawn bookmatch). It is about 8" x 12" x 1/2" thick. It was initially finished with two coats of shellac, but then I thought it might have been too thin so I put two coats of pure linseed oil (Tried and True) on it. I'm happy with the aesthetics of the finish - I can still feel the wood but its smooth to the touch - however, the top seems pretty sensitive to the humidity. When the weather heats up a little and the air is dry ( I live in NW), the top curls up quite a bit. Does this mean I don't have a good seal on the lid? Or is there a difference between the seal on the bottom versus the top of the lid? Or is this the nature of using these natural finishes as opposed to a polyurethane or other man-made product?

Thanks for your input.

Eric

[Scott Holmes]

The linseed oil did little to nothing after you sealed the wood with shellac.

Did you finish both sides?

[Eric Schniewind]

Yes I finished both sides but may have given an extra coat on the top side.

How could the linseed oil have done nothing when the feel is notably smoother? Do you mean the shellac (two coats) would have provided the seal? I mean clearly the wood is being affected by the moisture in the air which leads me to believe that there is an exchange going on. I'm just wondering if this is unavoidable or not or whether it would behoove me to put another coat of something on it. Preferrably the tried and true.

Thanks.