Preventing thin wood warp'age ?

[Mike vonBuelow]

Ok, so I got some 1/16" wood to play around with, and I came up with this 18" x 10" laser cut eagle project - might say it's a puzzle (?)

eagle.jpg

But when I tried to glue the outer pieces, they curled up on me, despite having a flat weight on top. Does anyone have any tips to prevent this?

Note* The middle/eagle pieces went on without a hitch, but I did cut & glue them down during the warmer afternoon. The outer pieces were cut this morning, when it was cool. Would this be a factor?

Thanks in advance

[Mike Null]

Mike

I think I would clamp them if that's an option for you. Otherwise glue both surfaces, cover with wax paper, and use a large piece of wood and a weight to hold them flat.

It's possible that moisture in the wood is causing the problem. I've had 1/8" ply warped enough that no amount of clamping would fix it.

[Lee Schierer]

My Dad used to do Marquetry when he was alive, He would place all of his thin veneers face down on a masking tape surface. Once all the pieces were assembled, he would spread glue on the back side and glue it to a substrate (usually plywood) and then place it in a heavy duty book press for a couple of weeks as the glue dried. This prevented the moisture in the glue from warping and bowing the thin wood. You might want to get a book on Marquetry to read their techniques for working with thin woods.