Loading…
6
Spotting the library's bookcase setup got me thinking about wood swelling.
I walked by the library and saw them putting together a large oak bookcase. The workers were having trouble because the wood pieces didn't fit after a humid night. It hit me that I always forget wood can grow or shrink with the weather. Last year, I built a shelf that warped and wouldn't close right. Now I know to let my wood sit inside before I start cutting. Watching this happen in my own neighborhood taught me a key lesson for my projects.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
green.patricia7mo ago
Understand why the wood needs to sit inside the actual room where it will be used, like Cora909 said. It's not just about being indoors versus outdoors. The wood has to get used to the exact same humidity as your finished project. So if you're building a shelf for your kitchen, the wood should sit in that kitchen for a while. This takes time, as MargaretWalker pointed out, but it's that specific air it needs to match. If you skip this, it can still warp after you build it because the moisture level changes. That's probably what happened with your shelf last year.
8
cora9097mo ago
Actually, the wood needs to adjust to that specific room's humidity, not just sit inside.
6