Straightening out a tool chest

[William Adams]

The a chest which l bought a while back has a bowed front which prevents closing it. At a guess, it was left open for a long while in a humid environment.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?247116-Rehabbing-socketed-chisels-handles-w-traditional-leather-washers

343938

I've put clamps and cauls on it and sponged off the front, but haven't made much progress.

Suggestions on other things to try?

[Jim Koepke]

The extent of the bowing isn't clear in your pictures. How much of a bow are you trying to correct?

It might be necessary to steam the front while pulling it in with clamps. Then let it rest for a few days.

Would it be possible to disassemble the chest? That might make it easier to steam and straighten the warped board.

jtk

[Joe Bailey]

I think we need better pictures, a better description, or both in order to offer suggestions.
As you know, the solution is dictated by the problem

[William Adams]

I think steaming it will be the hot ticket --- I'll try that this evening, and will report back w/ photos one way or the other. Thanks!

[Karl Andersson]

Better pictures would surely help - from the one picture of the box in the prior thread, it looks like the box is made of plywood. If that's the case you might need to get the panel hotter for a longer period than you would with solid wood in order to get the glue between the laminations to give a little. You might try clamping it in a reverse of the bow (at least somewhat) then heat with a heat gun or strong space heater if you have one; just be careful to not overheat and burn the chest.

From what I've read, it's the heat in a steam box, not the water, that softens the lignin in the wood, so you might be able to bend it without having to build a big steam box. I've bent relatively thin (3/4") pieces successfully by suspending them over my wood stove until they were good and hot but not scorched.

It also looks like the front edge of the lid is bowed inwards, but that's probably just an optical effect of the camera lens- you do want to make sure that isn't the real problem, as it's an easier fix.

good luck,
Karl

[Lee Schierer]

If that lid has the panel attached (glued) to the border pieces, you won't be able to permanently straighten it. The wood in the panel has shrunk and the cross pieces are resisting that movement. The recul is bowing of the lid. When making this lids that thin, the panel should be made to float within the frame.

[William Adams]

The problem is the front panel --- don't want to disassemble it 'cause the assembly is just weird.

Good point about the plywood. I'm going to get out my wife's hairdryer and we'll see what happens.