Replies

1. 
   ysu65 | Jul 06, 2021 03:44pm | #1

   See comments on same subject thread referenced below.

   'board twisting after rip'

2. FWW Editor
   ben_strano | Jul 06, 2021 03:56pm | #2

   In case it isn't showing up for someone:
   https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/board-twisting-after-rip

3. 
   Rob_Sp | Jul 06, 2021 05:23pm | #3

   I have built countless cabinet and full size doors and windows over my career, of all species of wood. In my experience, acclimating the wood for long periods of time has little to no value at all when it comes to maintaining stability. In a production shop the wood would be processed right off the truck or shortly thereafter. In my opinion and practice the proper milling is the key to success. The face must be jointed flat first (Start with rough lumber, the fuller the better). Multiple light cuts are best. Heavy cuts can cause stress and movement. Once the face is flat it can be planed to finish dimension, again multiple light cuts, no more than 1/16" a pass and flipping the board after each pass. This will result in very few failures, if the board is not straight after this process discard it, there is nothing else you can do. It's not rocket science.
   You do not describe how you prepared your stiles. You cannot simply run a board through a planer and expect it to come out flat without warp or twist.

1. 
   gulfstar | Jul 06, 2021 09:05pm | #5

   Amen, I have processed millions of board feet of hardwood directly from the in-house kiln, from trucks in the winter and from containers, acclimating is not even a concept.

2. 
   esch5995 | Jul 06, 2021 09:46pm | #6

   Sorry gentlemen with all due respect to your immense experience I will disagree based on both experiences in my own shop and professionally. As a professional kitchen remodeler I can attest that almost every kitchen I do has at least one door that has to be replaced due to warpage and I use pretty high quality cabinet lines.

1. 
   DRBWWing | Jul 07, 2021 10:04am | #8

   I totally agree!! I always run 2-3 extra stiles for doors over 32" high.

   That said, it seems poplar is less stable than soft maple.

4. 
   mikaol | Jul 06, 2021 08:01pm | #4

   I avoid poplar because of its softness. It's softer than pine and will warp if you look at it wrong. On the very rare occasions I can't talk a customer out of wanting it I go to great lengths to keep it stable.
   At this point I should tell you I work only with oil finishes. That said, I have an oil bath I use for lots of species. With poplar I clamp scraps of hardwood (usually hickory) on both ends of poplar boards to help keep them from twisting while they're soaking, normally about 2 days. When they're drenched through & through I wipe them down and put them through a press to wring out as much leftover oil as possible. Then I tend to milling the boards.
   All that to say, a good coat of shellac on both sides of your boards will help prevent twisting. And just about everything will adhere to shellac.
   My 2 pennies worth,
   Mikaol

1. 
   john_c2 | Jul 06, 2021 10:03pm | #7

   Southern yellow pine and some other varieties are harder than poplar. But eastern white pine is quite a bit softer, and is pretty much the only pine available in this neck of the woods.

5. 
   MRM97330 | Jul 07, 2021 02:00pm | #9

   Fuzzy grain on the sawn surface will indicate tension wood. This is not uncommon in poplar (Populus genus, not Liriodendron). If present, here is not a lot you can do about it. Acclimating might help some, but the twist will appear when it changes moisture content seasonally.

   There could also be some drying or growth stresses involved. For either, sawing oversized, then letting the wood sit for a few days can help. Some relief of internal stress from wood occurs immediately (the elastic portion) and some occurs over time (viscoelastic portion) even with no moisture change. Saw to the final size after it quits moving. Because you say twist, I would suspect growth stress over drying stress. Drying stress will cause cup when resawing and crook when ripping.

   If your board is from near the pith of the tree (lots of growth ring curvature) twist is also likely.

6. 
   user-7624188 | Jul 07, 2021 03:02pm | #10

   Don't use popular. And if you do, then try and use quarter-sawn or use what would be the quarter-sawn pieces of the board.

   That or slowly hand plane both sides of the pieces over time so that the stiles acclimate and do not warp as much.

7. 
   TaunTonMacoute | Jul 10, 2021 06:58pm | #11

   Door stiles and rails need to be rough ripped, crosscut over length, skip planed both sides, and set inside the house, first thing when starting a project. Try to find wood with the straightest grain you can, and with poplar avoid using stock with really dark green and purple mineral streaks for narrow workpieces. If the pieces haven't twisted themselves into knots by the time you're ready to build the doors (case completed, etc.), you should be good to go.

   Production shops have a different standard for fit, and, well, they're production shops. If a door warps it's simply thrown out, or if they get a customer call back they just send another door. Wondering why, for them, is pointless as dozens are coming off the production floor at any given moment, and the cost-per and time lost replacing a certain percentage of the units usually insignificant. There is no way to build with lumber straight off a truck and not lose some of it to movement. It's just not possible. Give yourself a fighting chance by harvesting parts intelligently and letting critical parts for doors and drawers sit just a little while. These critical subcomponents are usually built and fitted to the case last, anyway. Just follow the normal order of work for fine furniture and cabinetmaking.

   Always a good thing to look up and read the banner "Fine Woodworking" to remind yourself where you are.