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View Full Version : Taking out a warp


Jim Colombo
08-30-2015, 3:11 PM
I glued 2 strips of Knotty Alder to form a larger board. Now I have a warped board on one end. What do you guys recommend to take the warp out of boards?

Thanks,
Jim:mad:
Allan Speers
08-30-2015, 3:21 PM
Steam. (or just heat, but steam is better.)

But of course, you'll have to watch out that the joint doesn't open up.
Roy Harding
08-30-2015, 3:27 PM
Did you leave a bit of extra thickness on the boards before you glued the panel? If so - treat the panel as a single board - IE, jointer, planer, etcetera.

Otherwise - Allan's solution may be your best bet.
Robert Engel
08-30-2015, 4:14 PM
Assuming you're talking about an edge to edge glue up, could consider re-ripping and figuring out which piece is the culprit.
With any luck you've got two boards warping and you can glue them up so as to counteract each other.
Otherwise, re-glue them after a good bit of acclimation and checking for grain direction, etc.

Bottom line is you're probably screwed unless you're way oversized like the previous poster said.
Wade Lippman
08-30-2015, 4:40 PM
Steam won't help at all. Try sawing and re-gluing. Might work, but probably a lost cause.

The important thing is to figure out why it warped so it doesn't happen again.
Mike Hollingsworth
08-30-2015, 6:03 PM
lay it on the lawn, cup down like on jointer.
Dan Hahr
08-30-2015, 8:32 PM
You can't take the warp out. You can take some wood around the warp off, but that could just make it warp more. You can move it mechanically, but that's going to require some redesigning. If you want it perfect, you probably need to start over.

Dan
Chris Parks
08-30-2015, 9:01 PM
lay it on the lawn, cup down like on jointer.

I have just finished a project where I dealt with about 10 warped panels both before and after glue up, a total of 32 were made for the project. I sprayed the concave side lightly with water and laid it down on the workshop floor and in each case they came near enough to flat again. You do have to watch the boards reaction as sometimes as little as an hour was needed and in others it was overnight. BTW this was in 3/4'' thick pine not hardwood if that is significant.
Allan Speers
08-30-2015, 9:31 PM
Steam won't help at all. Try sawing and re-gluing. Might work, but probably a lost cause.

The important thing is to figure out why it warped so it doesn't happen again.


Steam will absolutely help, just not a lot. (and it's certainly a last resort.) I've done this type of thing many times.