warped pistol case lid. Any ideas how to flatten this ?

[Andy71]

I'm almost done building this pistol display case but after the lid fell apart (before I added the splines) at the mitered corners when I was sanding it on a flat surface I glued it back together with better glue (titebond 3 ultimate) but this time instead of using just tape to hold the frame together I applied some extra pressure with a corner clamp (partially due to the fact after sanding the old glue it wasn't a perfect miter anymore) well after I took off the clamp it was no longer flat and presented this warp you see in the picture. If I put slight pressure it will go down and lay flat so when I put on the two hasps on the front it will hold it down and look good but I would just like to have it lay flat like it should if possible, also when I put on the chamfered edge on the lid and the base this gap will look even bigger until the lid gets held down by the hasps. 

Anyone have any ideas that have been here before please let me know

the lid is flush on the back and the right side just warped on the front mostly towards the left and also the left side.

[curlyoak]

take the hinges off and see how it lines up. Make adjustments so without pressure it sets evenly all around. Once this is done make sure that the lid is not hinge bound. There needs to be a thin gap along the hinge line. You may need to shim a hinge to allow that.

[Andy71]

It's not hinge bound it does the same thing without hinges. Also I cannot sand it down anymore or the glass wont fit in the rabbet. I'm hoping for a process of adding moisture, heat, clamping it to dry etc just not sure.

[Tpt life]

I’d try removing the lid and sanding it into plane on a flat plate. Same with the box. Only put pressure on the high spot areas of the lid. Deal with the warp, not fight it. 

[Andy71]

7 minutes ago, Tpt life said:

I’d try removing the lid and sanding it into plane on a flat plate. Same with the box. Only put pressure on the high spot areas of the lid. Deal with the warp, not fight it. 

I did try that in the beginning but it was thinning one side of the lid noticeable more than the other side and like I said If I keep doing this there will be no room for the glass and the little mitered wood frame pieces to hold in the glass. I would really like to try a moisture, heat, clamp type of solution but I'm unsure which technique to try I.e moisture on the top or bottom to cause a reverse cup etc etc. Kinda need someone give me the step by step lol   

Oh and the base is perfectly flat it's just the lid that's warped, twisted etc. probably from putting to much clamp pressure on it and not clamping down the entire frame.

[Chet]

Was the lid part of the box?  Did you make the box and then cut the lid portion off, if so you may have turned the lid 180 degrees from its original orientation. 

[Andy71]

11 minutes ago, Chet said:

Was the lid part of the box?  Did you make the box and then cut the lid portion off, if so you may have turned the lid 180 degrees from its original orientation. 

No unfortunately I didn't have a wide enough board for that. I wouldn't be in this problem if I had a wider board to accommodate cutting the lid off the box which is what I usually do. This is the first time I made the lid separate

[Tpt life]

You may need to remake the top. You likely have some instability in one of the rails. 

[curlyoak]

You still need to remove the hinges. But first determine where and how much it is out. Next wet the wood them clamp it to something flat and add shims to over do it because it likely will spring back a lot. And getting it right is a crap shoot from here. Skill and  lot of luck is needed.

Or if the gun has value and deserves a perfect display, start over. Not much wood involved...If I get to a spot that pisses me off I close the shop light and door. I sleep on it and have figured my best next step. But I need to walk away first.

I recently built a face frame using mt trusty domino festool. The joints did not line up at all. The clamp was out of adjustment and would not hold the set up. Fix the tool. Burn the wood. And start over. 

If you do enough work you will at some point need to start over.

 

 

 

[Andy71]

I would have to find some red oak. I literally used what little oak I had which is why I made the lid separate. This was basically a scrap wood challenge..not really but you get it   I may just live with it since once the two hasps go on the front it will pull it down..doesnt take much pressure at all. This was a good learning experience. I had used glue that I think had been frozen and several years old to start with then the miters broke so the corners were never perfect again so i added pressure with a meryl corner clamp instead of just tape and I think the extra pressure sprang the wood causing this, also I didn't clamp it down to the table like a dumb dumb... from now on the glue comes in the house where it wont freeze. 

I still may try Curlyoak's method. If i do ill post back and let you know how that went. Thank for all the reply's

[Chip Sawdust]

I have a box I made 30-odd years ago to store shotgun shells in. The lid at some point along the way decided not to fit flat any more. I'm just going to build a new box and use that one for ... shotgun shells. It's not that fancy.

Curly's idea of wetting and shimming it seems like the best bet if you can't re-make the lid with the material you have. It's worth a shot and if it doesn't work, you know what you have to do. Live with it or use it for shotgun shells

[wtnhighlander]

If the lid is too fragile to handle the suggested processes, why not sculpt the box edges until it matches? A ever-so-slightly curved line where the two meet is far more difficult to notice than a gap.

[Coop]

How about adding a contrasting strip of something like walnut to the lid to give to you leg room to square it it up if you’re sure the lid is the problem.