ridnharley Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I know I've seen somewhere about wetting a piece of wood and putting it in the sun and you can straighten it that way. Has anyone heard of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I've done it. Works best with air dried. The concave goes down toward the grass on a sunny day. Monitor closely, you can invert the cup and introduce ripple. It does not truly flatten, but it does correct some of the cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 It doesn't always work but, it is a nice trick up your sleeve from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Not my best video, but it gets the process across (it was a long day) :-/. Cupping is all about uneven stress within the board and it can be "worked with" by moisture, heat or both. Depending on how severe the cup is it can be managed with good success.. Agree with Schaffer that air dried has more work-a-bility than kiln 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 It's only a temporary fix. Most likely it will go back to its original shape later. The internal stress that's causing the distortion in shape isn't gonna go away, it's only going to be alleviated momentarily. Bowed wood needs to be milled flat. The wet grass trick could be helpful if you have a slightly bowed panel that you need to get into a frame...once it's in there the frame will help keep it flat. But if you have a piece that you need to get flat and stay that way on its own, you're fighting a losing battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I have ripped cupped boards into 3 or 4 inch strips and glued them back together. This seems to relieve the stress and they stay flat. It's more work and you may have joint lines but if your careful they are not to noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 It's only a temporary fix. Most likely it will go back to its original shape later. The internal stress that's causing the distortion in shape isn't gonna go away, it's only going to be alleviated momentarily. Bowed wood needs to be milled flat. The wet grass trick could be helpful if you have a slightly bowed panel that you need to get into a frame...once it's in there the frame will help keep it flat. But if you have a piece that you need to get flat and stay that way on its own, you're fighting a losing battle. Agree completely IF properly dried, stickered and stored. But, if excess moisture ever saw that board you may be correcting abuse instead of warping against internal stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridnharley Posted September 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 The board I have is not cupped. When placed on a flat surface, the center of the board is about 1 inch off of the table. Red Oak slab 8' long and 18" wide by 2" thick. I don't want to mill it flat because then it will only be 1" thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Oh. Yeah, you can forget the wet grass treatment on that. It's too big. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 If you'll be cutting this board to shorter lengths, cut them before you joint and plane them and you will remove a whole lot less of the board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridnharley Posted September 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Problem is I am not cutting this board. It is going to be a kitchen counter/bar top. One side is live edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I have a sneaky suspicion that the counter top will be shorter than planned or you'll have to opt for a different board. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Giant steam box and a front end loader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 That's gonna be one big ass steam box to get a front end loader in it Shaffer, I don't think we're helping his problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Not to get the loader in. This may be impractical, and this is why it is followed by a question mark. The only corrective action I can imagine is based on red oak's good track record with steam bending. You do not need a box big enough for the loader. You steam the slab, pull it out, and use the loader to set something monstrously heavy on the slab. Again, it may well be impractical but this is the only way I see to preserve the slab thickness. Take it with salt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I know, I was just kidding with ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 You had me worried, I won't lie. It is so hard to judge tone in print. (Is digital media "print"?) I sat here thinking "Oh crap, what have I done." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Just use it concave side up so stuff doesn't roll off... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Just use it concave side up so stuff doesn't roll off... In all honesty 1" up in the center of an 8' board is only 1.2 degrees off flat...so it's not like non-rolling stuff would slide off. =p Is this going to have a sink or any other holes in it? It might help relieve stress to coerce it flat...or could he cut some depressions/dadoes/etc in the bottom that won't be seen to achieve the similar effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 I was thinking the same thing. How are you going to be using the piece? The way the project over all is designed can help take that bow out. A piece that long will have some flex to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tarbell Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 In all honesty 1" up in the center of an 8' board is only 1.2 degrees off flat...so it's not like non-rolling stuff would slide off. =p I got the impression that the board was 1" off the table on the 18" side. ie: there's a 1" tall gap running the full 8' length. I don't have any new suggestions for removing the cup, but i do think it's worth mentioning that you could still cut it into 2 or 3 pieces for a glueup and keep the live edge. You'd have glue lines that ran the length of the countertop, but i don't think that's a big deal. People will focus on the live edge rather than the only slightly-noticeable glue lines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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