"Harvey Van Sickle" wrote in message
...
On 24 Mar 2005, RichardS wrote

"MM" wrote in message
...
I bought a flatpack chest of drawers from Ikea, but stupidly left
it in the packaging for two weeks while doing other jobs.

When I got round to assembling it, having assembled the carcass
and drawers, it was time to put the top panel in place.
Unfortunately, this has bowed quite significantly along the
length. Whether this is because I had stood the package on its
side and not flat, I don't know. But it's bowed and I'm not going
to the palaver of putting everything back in the box to return to
Ikea.

So the question is, how can I flatten this bowed top panel, which
is solid pine with an 'antique' finish? I have actually already
achieved a fair bit of flattening in just 24 hours by laying the
board, 'hump' side upward, on the carpet and putting some weights
on it. But isn't steam used for bending plywood? Perhaps I could
apply steam, then replace the weights? Will the bowing disappear
completely?

MM

To be honest, if the thing's been kept flat and dry and still it
bowed then I think you're onto a non-starter in the long run. If
you manage to flatten it using moisture then when it dries out
again and reaches equilibrium then there's a good chance it will
bow again.

however, if you want to try flattening it then I'd leave it flat
with a couple of damp (not wet!) towels on the convex side for a
couple of days. You could try and force the issue a little using
weights, but they won't be doing the flattening - it'd be the
absorbtion of moisture that would do that.

I'm curious about this: what's the theory behind introducing moisture
to the convex side? I thought in warped wood, that was the side that
already had too much moisture. ("Too much", that is, relative to the
concave side.)

In the only experience I've had of un-warping a piece of wood -- years
ago, only the once, and for an internal shelf -- I steamed the concave
side. (It worked, and 25 years it's still flat.)



Doh! you are right, of course...

note to self,.... write it, read it, re-read it, _then_ post!

--
Richard Sampson

mail me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk