Need some advise from the experts before I mess up the good stuff.

[Silas Smith]

I recently made a vanity for my daughter and the top was very basic. I simply laminated two 1/2" plywood pieces and then edge glued 1" X 3/4" poplar strips around the front to hide the plywood edge. I sanded everything to be flush and then painted the top. Its been about a month and I noticed that the poplar has seemed to expand to the point that there is a noticable lip around the top. I know that wood moves, but is it normal for a 1" thick strip of poplar to move that much? How could I prevent this in the future as I am making a sewing machine cabinet out of cherry for my wife and I was planning on using the same technique.

[Jim Dunn]

Silas,
The first thing that comes to mind is how long did the popular set in your shop before you cut it up. My understanding is that the materials should aclimate to your enviroment for 2-3 weeks before using. I don't know if this applys to plywood or not. Second how did you attach the popular to the plywood? Was it with nails, biscuits or some other method?

Regretably I can't answer how to attach the materials to prevent the swelling from going up over the plywood but I'm sure someone on here could. I'm just asking questions, as usual!

[Doug Shepard]

You might not be able to control the swelling, but you might be able to redirect where it goes. If you only glue or put biscuits along the top half of the ply and banding, the path of least resistance (movement-wise) would be toward the bottom, where you're not likely to see it, or run your hand over it to feel the lip. The theory is to make it easier for the wood to expand downward than upward, but there's no gaurantee that you wont still get some movement in the up direction.

[Silas Smith]

I just nailed then glued the strip to the front. Should I plan on letting my other project sit for a while befor applying the finish? I might try leaving the bottom of the trim dry and see if that helps also. Does cherry move very much. Here in Texas, you don't run into it very much. Maybe some of you in the northeast could enlighten me.