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Thread: Wood Movement Challenge

  1. #1

    Wood Movement Challenge

    I am making a king-size bed for my daughter and her husband. She sent me the attached picture as inspiration for what she would like. I am going to build it from reclaimed wormy chestnut but the advice I am looking for is how you would compensate for wood movement in the headboard where the chevron pattern has the expansion/contraction going in multiple directions. I am normally anal about over-compensating for wood movement just to be safe but thought there might be some unique considerations with this bed. While it is hard to tell from the picture, it does not appear that there are four independently moving panels inside frames - it appears that all four panels are joined. Advice welcome - many thanks.
    Bed idea.jpg

  2. #2
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    Hi Jeff. Few questions to set the stage.. What is the moisture content of the wood? How thick is the chevron panel portion ? Is there a panel behind the chevron portion. Couple of options if i were making it. Use a sheet of ply and glue the pieces to it, the ply would help minimize any expansion / contraction. The frame that goes around the panel could be made like a rp door, use spaceballs to keep panel in check. If chevron panel is just solid stock, you could edge glue or spline glue, but face doesnt look planed after glue up, so be sure to clean any epoxy / glue. The frame looks stout, i would domino the upper miters, and domino the vertical to horizontal frame pieces. I have been using west system epoxy/ adhesive in tube with mixing applicator tip with awesome results.

  3. #3
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    The four panels, joined at their centers will move outward from each other.

    You need a frame that allows the panels some "breathing room".
    The periphery of the completed panel would need to be trimmed
    to form a long, uniform "tongue".

    Fit the frame over the tongue to hold the works in place.


    Do they have central heating in the house?

    Forced hot air heating can be very dry, in Winter.

    Humidity control is more important than temperature changes.

  4. #4
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    I'd make that panel out of BB plywood or MDF and glue shop sawn veneer to it. No worries about wood movement, nor expansion/contraction of the panel either, so you could glue it into your frame for an exceptionally strong result.

    John

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    I'd make that panel out of BB plywood or MDF and glue shop sawn veneer to it. No worries about wood movement, nor expansion/contraction of the panel either, so you could glue it into your frame for an exceptionally strong result.

    John
    Yup, that's how I'd do it. Using solid is un-nessesary and asking for trouble IMO.
    good luck,
    JeffD

  6. #6
    Thanks for the responses. A follow-up question for you: The shop-sawn veneer idea seems like a good one for this application but with using reclaimed wood (with nail holes and the like) I would think I would want to use thicker than usual veneer to avoid seeing substrate through the holes. I suppose I could paint the substrate black to lessen the problem but my real question was how thick you can make veneer before you start running into the same wood movement problems you are trying to avoid by using veneer?

  7. #7
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    I agree on using veneer. You can use a dark colored glue that would hide nail holes.

  8. #8
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    Where did the picture come from? Is it a commercially made item?

    I suspect that the item is made with veneers, not solid wood. When I had my own custom woodworking business, we made a number of items very similar to that. The substrate was particleboard--could have been MDF.
    Last edited by Howard Acheson; 10-22-2014 at 11:20 AM.
    Howie.........

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Lucht View Post
    Thanks for the responses. A follow-up question for you: The shop-sawn veneer idea seems like a good one for this application but with using reclaimed wood (with nail holes and the like) I would think I would want to use thicker than usual veneer to avoid seeing substrate through the holes. I suppose I could paint the substrate black to lessen the problem but my real question was how thick you can make veneer before you start running into the same wood movement problems you are trying to avoid by using veneer?
    "Veneer" IMO is 1/16" or LESS. Anything thicker than that is still hardwood and it will move and possibly cause issues if you do not account for it.

    I don't know how tight those diagonal pieces are to each other but tongue and groove will help with movement and not cause unsightly gaps; groove with splines can do the same. It looks a bit on the rustic side to me so some "gappage" might be just fine and fit the overall design of the piece.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  10. #10
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    Stave core doors are regularly made with 3/16" skins on both sides. Is it veneer? Not really. Is it stable? Very. I'd make thick shop sawn veneers in the 1/8" heavy range and half lap these on the edges...that's a very precise set up to half lap 1/8" but can be done. If you gap the pieces say 1/32" with shims as you glue the. Down it allows for some expansion. Consider what season you will be doing the construction and prepare for the opposite climate. If it's in winter, the boards will probably grow in summer, etc. if you are doing this with wormy chestnut it's nice to have some texture and depth to the face, so perhaps slight variations in thickness are more appropriate. You will need a balance layer on the back, perhaps a similar but cheaper species like butternut? Check a wood book to find the closest living relative? Definetely prime the substrate dark or black and use dark adhesive. Consider a wood flooring glue like bostik which is somewhat elastic and will allow the veneer and plywood backer to move independently. I'd float the whole mess in a groove in the frame, maybe put silicone rubber gasket to keep it in place.

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