Would cork work to keep panels from rattling?

[Will Brauneis]

I'm currently working on a bed that has raised panels on the head and toe boards. My shop is unheated so the humidity is much higher than the house and i am worried that when i bring the bed inside that the panels will shrink and possibly not fit as tight and rattle. I made them almost too tight to try and compensate for this but i would like to make sure they don't. I could use space balls but as i have made the bed with all neander tools i would like to something less modern. I was thinking i might use little chunks of cork to do the same thing as the space balls. would this work well? I could also put a brad through the back of the rails into the panel but i am leaning towards the cork idea. What do you guys think?

[Pam Niedermayer]

When cork dries out it sort of rots and crumbles. How about rubber bumpers?

Pam

[Jim Koepke]

I have heard of some people putting glue at the center of the panels tops and bottom to keep them from moving. There could still be some rattling.

Just put a pillow up against them, that should work as a temporary fix whenever needed.

jim

[Brian J McMillan]

Lee Valley sells these panel barrels

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=58675&cat=1,250,43298

[Caspar Hauser]

If an artificial product would be unsatisfactory and cork would crumble, then a drop of glue in the centre at the top and bottom of the panel would help. You might also try slivers of Balsa wood, it's available at model shops and 'craft' stores.

CH

[Casey Gooding]

I've had good luck with just a drop of glue. Make sure to just put a dot at the center on the top and bottom of the panel. None on the sides or it will split when the wood moves.

[Will Brauneis]

Ok thanks for the info! I will probably use the glue method.

[Eric Brown]

You could also make your grooves deeper and insert a wooden spring. Of course this might also loosen up with time and shrinkage.
Personally I use the LV rubber ones.

Eric

[Richard Niemiec]

Do yourself a favor, use the space balls. Panel rattling could really ruin the "moment" so to speak.......:o:o:o:o

[Jim Barry]

I usually have some space balls but needed some in hurry and only had two. I'm not sure where I read this tip but I drew a bead of caulk on a pane of glass, and ofter a few hours sliced it into little pieces about an inch long. I then inserted them in the channel and it worked great. Just enough cushion to hold the panel and still allow for expansion. I have also used the center glue method with sucess.

[Howie French]

how about scraps of foam weather stripping

[Brian Ashton]

I'm currently working on a bed that has raised panels on the head and toe boards. My shop is unheated so the humidity is much higher than the house and i am worried that when i bring the bed inside that the panels will shrink and possibly not fit as tight and rattle. I made them almost too tight to try and compensate for this but i would like to make sure they don't. I could use space balls but as i have made the bed with all neander tools i would like to something less modern. I was thinking i might use little chunks of cork to do the same thing as the space balls. would this work well? I could also put a brad through the back of the rails into the panel but i am leaning towards the cork idea. What do you guys think?


Some years back, before I moved down under, I lived in Victoria BC. The weather and humidity would be the same as what you would expect... At that time I worked for an unheated shop (translation - old barn) where we made heaps of raised panel doors (Got so cold sometimes we had to take the glue home over night so it didn't freeze). I don't recall any problems with any of the panels shrinking too much. Unless! the wood was too wet before we started. We were working with recycled fir at that time and there was the odd time we got wood that had been left out in the elements before we got hold of it so we had to put it aside for a few months but that's about it. So, as long as the wood is reasonably dry before you start there shouldn't be any problems. A foot note to that is, we never went over a 2 foot wide panel so YMMV.

[Harry Goodwin]

Someone some place on the net or a mgazine claimed you could take clear silacone (sp) sealant and squeeze a long round worm on cardboard or scrap and allow to dry and snip off what you need. Harry