I am looking for some advice, opinions, sympathy ;-)...

I purchased a workbench from Garrett Wade two years ago - their traditional storage workbench. It was a pretty big purchase for me, especially given my previous workbench was a basic Sjoberg bench.

During the first winter I owned this bench my shop space was an attached (finished) garage with ample insulation, and since our gas heater was located in the garage it stayed warm thoughout the winter. We moved last spring and my shop space is now a detached garage with poor insulation and no heating. We live in Seattle and our winters are fairly mild so I didn't give it a second thought. Well I guess I was wrong because the wood in the bench moved significantly this winter to the point the dovetails holding the tool tray together have gapped open a half inch or so and the tail vice is frozen (locked) shut and won't budge.

There was no mention in the owners manual that I should seal the wood or take precautions to keep the bench in "indoor" conditions, so I am a little miffed that this has happened. Should I have known this in advance? Is it reasonable that this has happened to the workbench? Is there a chance it will go back to normal in the spring when it warms up? I would appreciate hearing from anyone that has experienced this or has some advice to offer. It kills me to see my deluxe bench so messed up, while my Sjoberg continues to function as it did on day one.

Thanks,
Roger