Warping Pine

[rnrsingle]

Can anyone advise me how I can prevent my rough pine from warping? I usually purchase my pine in 8 foot lengths (1 inch thick) and when I bring the board home I cut the board into 1 foot lengths. By the time I am ready to plane the pieces, I find that there is considerable warpage, to the point that if I want to use the full piece it's almost impossible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Russ C]

The wood needs to acclimate to the local environment (three to five days) before cutting. By allowing the wood to reach a state of equilibrium with the environment, aided by the weight of the other boards on the stack or even additional weight, you should have some relatively stable pine with which to work. 

[Rapid Roger]

I agree with Russ but, I have a few more questions before I answer.

1. Where do you buy your wood? Lumber yard, home center, saw mill ?

2. Do you know if it is kiln dried or air dried? If it is from a saw mill, how long has it been since it was cut into lumber?

3. How do you store your wood? Do you lay it flat on a table or floor? If it is on the floor, is the floor concrete? (a real bad idea  ) If it is laying horizontal, do you sticker it? (put short pieces between the boards for air circulation) Do you store it on end (vertical)? Are you leaving space for air circulation or move it around (re stack) it from time to time?

4. How long is it between the time you buy it and cut it up into shorter pieces ? (Russ suggested the acclimation problem also.) And from the rough cutting to the time you are ready to use it?

If you want to try to flatten out an already warped piece, first try standing the piece on end (or edge) in a place that air can circulate all around it for a few days. If that doesn't do it, you can wet the concave (dish) side with water and use a heat gun (or hair dryer) to slowly dry it laying on the bench. (Sometimes you can almost watch it flatten out doing this.) and then sticker it between other boards and put some heavy weight (sand bag or barbell weights for example) and let it sit for a few days.
Like gravity, wood movement is just a fact of life. Wood does move and it moves the way it wants to, not the way you want it to, and sometimes you can't do anything about it.....But, you can try! 

Rog

[rnrsingle]

First, I'd like to thank both RapidRoger and Russ for their extremely valuable advise. To answer Rog, I buy my wood at the local lumber yard. I have never asked if the wood was kiln or air dried. I'll definately be asking next time I go. I have always laid my pieces flat on the floor, stacked one on top of each other. The floor is concrete, big mistake. From now on I will be putting the wood on my extra wooden work bench with spacers between each board.
Again, I thank both of you for this very knowedgable advise. As a "newbie", I have a lot to learn. I always believe there are no mistakes in life, only lessons, and today I have learned a lot.
Ernie

[Rapid Roger]

OK. If you are buying from a lumber yard, more than likely it is kiln dried. Which is not necessarily a bad thing but, it is dried faster in a kiln and they are not real concerned about moisture content in construction lumber as they are in more exotic lumber.
The concrete floor is putting moisture into the bottom face of your board and the air above the board is drying out the top face causing the warp problem. The main idea is to get the moisture content down to about 8% but much more importantly, it needs to be as close to equal through out the board as you can.
The center of the board will still be damper than any of the outside surface anyway. I have taken totally straight and seemingly dry boards and re-sawed them to thinner stock and they warped as they went through the saw. It takes a long time (in a kiln or air dried) to get lumber dry enough and of equal moisture content through out the thickness and stay flat.
On another site that I frequent that deals mostly in furniture making, people assemble tables allowing for wood movement due to humidity in the air from summer to winter. 
Just buy your lumber, leave it stacked and stickered (OFF THE CONCRETE FLOOR!) for as long as you can before using it, and cut off the amount you need right now and leave your drop as long as you can and put it back on the stack to dry out more (especially on the cut end) and you should be good to go! 
You could also stand the board on end leaning against the wall but, keep it as nearly to vertical as possible without it falling forward, and make sure air can get to the entire surface. You may want to flip it end for end and face to face from time to time (at least once a week)
Happy scrolling!

Rog

[Danny]

Well I want to say this POST has been Great.  Been into Woodworking for many years and most all the Wood I buy
has been from good ole Lowes.  Thanks for the info. Rog.   Also to you Russ.............................:+}