Straighten a slightly warped top?

[jtpr]

I just made a small box (9"x 12") and, although the top appeared flat on the bench, it now looks a bit warped. Very slightly. It is bubinga. The box is all together with a hidden pin hinge so the top cannot be taken off. Any clue if it could be made flat somehow?

-Jim

[No]

Could you run it through a jointer? Hand plane? Leave well enough alone?

[jtpr]

I think I may have to take option 3. There is no way to separate it from the box. I should say a better description would be twist. If you look at it from the front, lining up the front side as your "horizon", the left side front corner of the top sticks up about 1/8". It's just that the rest of it came out sooooo nice, it's buggin' the heck out of me.

-Jim

[No]

So, is this twist keeping the lid from closing completely? If yes, yea, that stinks. For some reason I was envisioning just being able to shave off the high spot but you also have a low spot where the lid meets the box I presume.

I doubt any cave man like approach would do much good either. (Soak in water and put a cinder block or two on top and let sit and air dry for a couple of weeks)

[jtpr]

Right. The top fits (or is supposed to) flush with the top edges of the sides. It is supported at the rear by a hidden pin hinge, and at the front by a small tongue that fits in a groove in the front side. So, if you looked at it with your line of sight parallel with the top and edge of the front, you would see a flat surface with a small (1/8") edge peeking up on the left side. I have sanded it a bit to make it less apparent, but I don't want to go any further as it will then look odd at the edge when you open it. The caveman approach might work, but I have a finish (tung oil) on it at this point so the water probably won't soak in.

Anyway, I'm 3 days overdue on my wife's birthday, so I'm gonna give it to her tonight and see if she notices. Man, you really start to get anal about this stuff...

-Jim