Shiplap Back - Slightly Bowed Slats?

[Jason Lester]

I'm building a large kitchen hutch. The bottom is finished and I'm working on the top part now. It's a hutch where there's a little exposed back at the bottom and then a cabinet above. I'm doing 1/2" shiplapped boards for the back rabbeted into a frame that sets into rabbets of the top cabinet. It's very similar to this one:

011189046-main.jpg

Mine is quarter sawn white oak and the top will have wood doors instead of glass.

Some of the back slats slightly bowed on me. For a couple, the next board's lip straightens it, but for others, it doesn't. Any quick fixes to take the bow out of those couple? I thought about a batten halfway up the back with slotted holes and short screws into the ones that are bowed. Any better suggestions?

[Rod Sheridan]

I would replace them with straight material............Rod.

[Jim Becker]

I would replace them with straight material............Rod.

Yea, I agree with this simply because with this type of back/material, there's no good way to support it to remove the bow/bend given it has to float for wood movement. T&G can be self-correcting, but shiplap only partially contains a piece with those beside it.

[Jason Lester]

I wish I had done T&G instead.

[Mel Fulks]

I would proudly try the battens. I've seen antique pieces that had old clenched hand made nails showing to fix that problem. People find them charming....'course they have to take stuff out to show people the "wonderful nails" but they don't mind!

[Bill Orbine]

You could add a couple cleats behind the ship-lapped boards. This could be metal. It may not kill the bow but at least, what I think bothers you, may tighten up on the gaps. The metal is shallow enough behind cabinet to be inconspicuous.

[lowell holmes]

I have straightened bowed boards by ripping it down the middle and gluing the halves back together with the bows opposite
each other. The board should then be run lightly through a planer.

[Bill Dufour]

Rip off the ship lap and make them tongue and groove unless you want to pack the lap with oakum then pitch or, for a more modern look use tar. Then it will look, and smell, like real ship lap. Glue on a few barnacles for added texture.
You could use it as an excuse to buy some new tools like caulking chisels!
Bill D

[Robert Engel]

The batten would be worth a try but don't be surprised if the result is less than satisfactory.

T/G is the best way to go & what I usually do in cabs like this.

Its a nice piece you can't afford to not do it right.

For me, its too easy to just replace the bowed boards.

[John C Cox]

You guys are going to laugh....

Use a clothes iron.... Turn it up all the way to "Nuclear"
dampen the wood with a light spritz of water....
And iron it. Once it gets hot - it will relax and you can flatten it back down.

Once it's flat but still good and hot - sticker and weight it flat for a couple days to let it dry... You may have to repeat this process once or twice.

Generally oak is pretty cooperative. Once you get it straightened back out - it will stay..

If you had 6 months to ignore it - pitch it out on the deck or lay it up outside and let it sit in the weather... Let it have a good dose of rain, sleet, snow, fresh air, and sun.. Often wood like this will "relax" and straighten back out... For me - this works more than it doesn't...