Warped 2 1/2″ Thick Pine Coffee Table Top
Hi all,
First post here. Been woodworking on and off for awhile, but need some advice. I bought a used coffee table today because the top is made from two 2 1/2″ thick x 14 1/2″ wide x 47″ long pine slabs from an old barn. Didn’t realize how warped it is until I got it home and removed it from the apron and legs.
The warping is worst by far from one corner of the table to the opposite corner at the other end of the table. The table is finished on the top and sides only and not the bottom. I know that can cause warping, but to this degree? Maybe a combination of natural wood movement, not allowing the wood to move prior to use, and the finishing of one side only?
I would prefer not to rip the slabs or plane them thinner, if it can be avoided. Should I try moisture and heat on the bottom, unfinished side? And if it goes flat, add a few coats of finish?
Any ideas welcome and appreciated.
Replies
Judging from the pics and the cupping, I think ripping, milling, and gluing might be the only good way to get it back to flat. Too bad the bottom wasn’t finished..
Sometimes wood cups or twists, that's the nature of that board. Trees twist as they grow, but we cut them into lumber anyway. If they made that top when the wood was too wet, it was going to cup. This is what I think is most likely your case.
Any board will cup if the top is repeatedly subject to moisture and the bottom is not. Finished, unfinished, half finished, it doesn't matter. Repeated wetting and drying compresses the cells, resulting in cupping. This is why deck boards always cup up, not down. This could be contributing to your top.
Finishing both sides would have made no difference. That's just a myth. Furniture was made for hundreds of years without finishing both sides, and it never caused a problem.
If you fastened it down properly to the apron, you could probably get rid of most of the twist. But if you want it really flat, planing is probably going to be the only way.
Not germane, but is the slab fad ever going to die?
I know one guy making a killing building huge conference tables right there in an open air shop. I don’t know how he gets away with it. I guess he has the welder to thank.
Rip the glueline, joint and plane each board and reassemble. I bet you'll still be over 2" thick. As RobertEjr suggests you could build a really rigid base and try to crank it flat. Listen for the pop in the middle of the night when it does what it wants to.
The finish on the bottom thing says that the bottom will absorb moisture and cause cupping. Since this is the dry season (assuming US/ N hemisphere) it will only get worse come summer...if you believe the "wisdom" of the old wife's story.
Thanks for the info all. I'll rip the glue line and plane them.
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