Now what do I do?

[Dee Gallo]

I have some 6" x 24" pieces of 1/8" cherry I need to flatten. I wet both sides, set on the counter with the bow up and most boards straightened out. But one of them keeps bowing one way then the other then back again. Is it hopeless?

This is not my area... :) Thank you for any suggestions!

cheers, dee

[Dan Hintz]

Wet both sides, then flip over halfway through the drying process?

[Robert Walters]

I don't know how extreme your bowing is, but when they bend wood for things like making pianos, they soak the wood in hot water (at least 180F) for about 10 to 30 minutes to soften it, then bend and clamp in place.

You could do the same, then place on a flat surface and weight down the top with a couple of bricks or heavy books. The more bowed it is, the more weight you want to apply.

Sandwiching the wet/soft wood between two pieces of plywood (or other very flat substrates) then placing heavy weights on top would help distribute the load evenly, allowing the weight to do it's job better.

Getting wood wet usually will raise the grain (fuzzies?), so a very light sanding after it's dry can get rid of that if it's an issue.

[Dee Gallo]

Thanks Robert, I will try soaking the wood longer. I did wet one and press it but it snapped in half... no good! So I'll have to get it floopier before clamping this time.

:) dee

[Robert Walters]

Thanks Robert, I will try soaking the wood longer. I did wet one and press it but it snapped in half... no good! So I'll have to get it floopier before clamping this time.

:) dee

It's not just the WET part, but HOT - almost boiling water and letting it soak a bit to get into the pores and soften the fibers.

[Mike Null]

Dee

Get a new piece of wood. A warp cannot be straightened unless you want to cut and join it.

Bending of wood is normally done with steam, not water, and then secured in a jig. Even this is not likely to remove a twist or warp.

[Dee Gallo]

Dee

Get a new piece of wood. A warp cannot be straightened unless you want to cut and join it.

Bending of wood is normally done with steam, not water, and then secured in a jig. Even this is not likely to remove a twist or warp.

Thanks Mike - I kind of suspected it was hopeless. But I only want to make a bunch of very small boxes (3" x 4" x 1.5") so I thought I could use these pieces... I've got a lot of them! I wonder if I do get it flat if it will twist later on after the boxes are made...

cheers, dee

[Frank Corker]

.....me miss, me, I know....I know, make bendy boxes - TADA !!!

[Dee Gallo]

Many thanks Frank, you're a big help!

I found that if I put water down the middle of the inside curve, it will unbend the curve. If the curve is more than 1/16" off flat, it takes two or three tries. When dry, I coat it with shellac on both sides to hopefully keep it flat.

We shall see if the boxes turn out okay....

thanks everyone, dee