Warped Wood

hot water

Or if you have a wallpaper stripper, steam it. (place in a plastic bag, stick hose from stripper into one end and tie the bag round it, then make a small exit hole in the other end. After half an hour or so it will be quite malleable.

I've never had much luck with that. I steamed a bit of wood that was coping for fence that kept warping, but no matter what after some months it pulled all the nails out again. I speculated it was the natural oils in the wood that dried out and made it deform. Brian

Does the box have sentimental value or something? just asking as maybe it'd be easier to just replace the roof board, or build a new box completely?

Cupped or warped? I would expect a bit of 8 x 6 x 3/4 to warp much but it could cup depending on where in the log it has been cut from.

If it's cupped put it on cup down an maybe pull it down a bit flat with screw in the centre, but be careful it might crack. But TBH unless it's a huge gap, > 3/8", I wouldn't be too fussed I doubt the birds are. They'll be more interested in the entrance hole size.

Don't try flattening it with screws/nails, it'll just break. Just use it as it is.

NT

Nothing you can do really. Warping so badly arises because the plank was incorrectly cut from the tree. Replace it.

That's what I said. Really depends on how cupped (if it is cupped) it is, soething that size and thickness ought to pull down 1/8" without too much fuss.

Aye, the birds won't mind unless the rain can really drive in.

Not true at all: as The Natural Philosopher and others suggested, I put the wood in boiling water, weighted down, left it over night and it is now quite pliable (most of the warping actually reversed on its own). I have just clamped it in vice to make edges parallel, and will re attach to box later today. Thanks for suggestions.

Yeah but now it's soaking wet, wait until it has fully dried out again.

Think you'd be better off firmly fixing it back whilst it's still wet and pliable. Once back outside with varying humidities it'll start moving again.

It will just warp again.

Or split if clamped. Just hope you get lots of small splits and not one big one

Wot a lot of fuss, just replace it with something that does not mind weather cedar or summat. (although if you were in australia the cockies would eat it)

You could go to B&Q and buy a new piece of warped wood-)

You get more "holding force" with screws

i did actually think about posting "put a B&Q badge on it, then everyone will think it's supposed to look like it does"

Then it will split.

I've just done a quick and dirty repair to a warped double-bass bridge (the bass has to be used in a concert this weekend and there's no time to prepare and fit a new bridge) by putting it in a pressure cooker for five minutes on the max pressure setting then, while still hot and pliable, clamping it onto a sturdy baseboard in the shape I want it to take and leaving it overnight to cool and set in that position. A double bass bridge is made of maple and is very roughly the size you describe.

If you haven't got a pressure cooker, soak in very hot water for much longer: it will take a long time for the heat to reach the innermost fibres but again, once it has heated right through, clamp it immediately but gently into the required shape. I generally over-compensate a tad since the wood will probably spring back slightly when the clamps come off.

Nick