Hi All -
I bought a wooden countertop at a high-end cabinet shop's yearly yard
sale last summer. It's 90"L x 25"W x 1.5" thick. I brought it home on
the top of my jeep, and it cupped. Good side up, the cup is center up
along the length about 3/8 inch, over 1/3 of the length from the left
edge. It did not settle over the past year.
The edges are doubled 3/4 inch boards, and the field is 3/4 inch also.
I'm condsidering kerfing the underside to flatten to the top. My start
would be 3/4 or maybe 7/8 inch deep kerfs thru the doubled boards on the
affected end, probably at 1/2 inch spacing.
It's destined for the workbench, and the investment was $40, so I can
experiment.
I saw Norm do this with a burned board on an end-table in the NYW, but I
swear he broke it by the sound of the crack.
How deep would you go, and how often would you do it? Or, what would you
do otherwise?
Thanks in advance.
...best, Capt N.
--
Email to [email protected] (yes, you can so figure it out) ;-]
Scream and shout and jump for joy! I was here before Kilroy!
Sorry to spoil your little joke. I was here but my computer broke. ---Kilroy
Did it cup while on top of your car? If it did it was the sun drying the top
side by shrinking the surface. Try dampening the back side and put it in the
sun for a couple of hours with the other side facing the sun, watch it
carefully it may uncup. Then clamp some heavy boards on it to keep it flat
and get it out of the sun and store it for a few weeks while clamped. It
should stabilize - we hope.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi All -
>
> I bought a wooden countertop at a high-end cabinet shop's yearly yard
> sale last summer. It's 90"L x 25"W x 1.5" thick. I brought it home on
> the top of my jeep, and it cupped. Good side up, the cup is center up
> along the length about 3/8 inch, over 1/3 of the length from the left
> edge. It did not settle over the past year.
>
> The edges are doubled 3/4 inch boards, and the field is 3/4 inch also.
>
> I'm condsidering kerfing the underside to flatten to the top. My start
> would be 3/4 or maybe 7/8 inch deep kerfs thru the doubled boards on the
> affected end, probably at 1/2 inch spacing.
>
> It's destined for the workbench, and the investment was $40, so I can
> experiment.
>
> I saw Norm do this with a burned board on an end-table in the NYW, but I
> swear he broke it by the sound of the crack.
>
> How deep would you go, and how often would you do it? Or, what would you
> do otherwise?
>
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> ...best, Capt N.
>
> --
> Email to [email protected] (yes, you can so figure it out) ;-]
>
> Scream and shout and jump for joy! I was here before Kilroy!
>
> Sorry to spoil your little joke. I was here but my computer
> broke. ---Kilroy
[email protected] wrote:
> I bought a wooden countertop at a high-end cabinet shop's yearly yard
> sale last summer. It's 90"L x 25"W x 1.5" thick. I brought it
home on
> the top of my jeep, and it cupped. Good side up, the cup is center up
> along the length about 3/8 inch, over 1/3 of the length from the left
> edge. It did not settle over the past year.
>
> The edges are doubled 3/4 inch boards, and the field is 3/4 inch also.
>
> I'm condsidering kerfing the underside to flatten to the top. My
start
> would be 3/4 or maybe 7/8 inch deep kerfs thru the doubled boards
on the
> affected end, probably at 1/2 inch spacing.
<snip>
Have you tried to clamp this top to flatten it?
If you have some pipe clamps, cut a 2x6x10ft construction timber into
4-30" lengths and clamp them equally spaced, to the top for a couple
of weeks.
Build the frame of your bench, then mount top to it.
My guess is it will stay flat.
Kerfing would be my last choice.
Have fun.
Lew