STOP Wood Warping BEFORE and AFTER Building! Woodworking Tips and Tricks

Big box store wood is notorious for warping and twisting after you get it home. I can't tell you how many times I've bought a straight board only to have it warp on me by the next day. Let me share with you some woodworking tips and tricks to prevent wood from bending and twisting. Amazon and other affiliate links are used in this description and they help support this channel.

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Products In Video:

0:00 Sweet Looking Lumber
0:41 Selecting the Right Wood
1:37 I Like Big Knots
2:37 Let Wood Acclimate
2:58 How to Stack Wood for Woodworking
3:51 Use Cauls to Prevent Warping
4:26 Staining Wood Prevents Warping
5:18 Get a Dehumidifier for Wood Moisture
6:01 How to Select Plywood to Avoid Warping
6:44 Table Top Warped? What Happened?
7:54 Outtakes / Bloopers

[gabegriego]

I grew up in the suburbs of Albuquerque, NM, having never touched a tool until my twenties. Over the past year, I have started watching various woodworking channels and been inspired by you and this community to try my hand at some small projects with the possibility of growing that knowledge and skill into something more. I just purchased a starter set of various tools with the money I had to start this dream. I would love to get into this type of work and learn as much as I can. The advice you give in your videos is so valuable and much appreciated. You have gained a lifetime subscriber and inspired me with your knowledge, passion, and love of Christ.

[agjohnsonandson]

Thank you for the time spent making this video. A couple of clarifications - staining does not prevent twisting. It is colorant of the wood and has minimal if any sealing properties. Applying poly, shellac, or lacquer as a sealant only works when it is applied to all six sides. It is possible to take twists and warps out of boards with patience, moisture, and clamps. I recently repaired a mirror for a customer with a warped back. There is a video on my channel showing the simple method I used. Your recommendation of a dehumidifier is a ‘must have’. I keep my shop at 55-60% humidity year round. My work around for pieces is that I add 10-14 days to the construction process to acclimate new lumber. Keep up the great work.

[rdRangerchapassist]

Thank you brother!!! I don’t buy lumber I cut all mine from the woods an stack an let it dry. I also use this technique with willow takes forever to dry. But the grain is so beautiful. I appreciate you an your wife in all that you share an soak in all your knowledge an tips. Thank you for your encouragement!! May the Lord bless an keep you an your family!!!

[adamcone]

Bro…I bought some nice guitar topper pieces and they all warped on just one panel of the two piece set. 2 sets. Now I’m trying all the magic tricks with water on the concave side and heat gun on the crown side, without and then with clamps. I know I messed up by not stacking them on stickers and clamping them while they acclimated to OKC humidity. I stood them up on end in my bedroom thinking they would be fine. Nope. Gut punch. Expensive rookie mistake. All my neck and body pieces are just fine though. Strange thing…learning how wood seems to have bad attitudes right when you are ready to build. Thanks for your videos and texts on deals!

[dnnstinga]

Love the dynamic between you and your wife man. Awesome video, wholesome content.

[johnlp]

I have a wife that loves knots in wood lol. Everything I make for her she wants it full of knots. I use blocks and sometimes I will add straps as well to weight it down. Sometimes all those knots have stress and will be strait but after I cut it it immediate bows. She just laughs as says that's what these tools are for make it strait again. makes it challenging But all the imperfections in wood make pieces stand out. Makes my woodworking interesting but she's out there with me every step of the way helping.

[BrandisManLCM]

Good video I work at a cabinet shop and have been doing carpenter work for over twenty five years I've always had problems with oak warping after gluing and running through dum sander. Clay from mobile Alabama

[Braddy_Daddy]

Love these tips. I had to wait a bit to finish a large table top. Kept a weighted piece of plywood on top and the table stayed flat. Great video!

[scruffysanta]

Who knew that 1) Both of you could rap, 2) You knew that particular song 3)You can write your own lyrics. Excellent job. Oh, the video and the info were pretty good too :)

[Damon_Barber]

WOW!! What an awesome video! Packed full of great information and I absolutely LOVE the fun piece at the end with Mrs. 731!!

[billinfallon]

This one is AWESOME ! You two know how to make an old man laugh 😂. Prayers for you both...

[MarriedManWoodworking]

Rapping Matt, Good video as always. Your block on wood idea reminded me of something I did and then you mentioned warped plywood. I had an extremely bowed sheet of plywood. I wet it down with the garden hose and laid it on top of several 2x4s on a flat garage floor. I used a fan to blow on it for a couple of days and it turned out relatively flat. Good enough for some projects.

[ericrosenberg]

I finally know what’s wrong with my projects. I’ve been getting 2x4 when I need tuba4s.

[jabutch]

I saw you got new clamps on your short vid. Can you do a video on all the best clamps for the best value in your opinion? And all the clamps you have in your garage and your favorite go to’s. I think that would make a great video.

[deth]

you must be motivated. i have lumber for projects waiting for me to get around to for years in teh shop.

[LYTOMIZE_Woodshop]

Nice addition of extra humour in this video! I like the workaround tips for when you bring dimensional lumber home and want to work with it ASAP!

[HW-]

I remember long time ago I bought 1x6 for a shelf I was going to make. But something had came up and I couldn't get to it for few weeks. Then when I was able to, notice the board was warp bad. At the time I didn't know that storing wood on a cold garage floor without something underneath can cause warping.

[designcreationswoodworking]

Clamping panels beteeen cauls keeps it flat and allows even airflow. Buying lumber from a hardwood lumber mill is kiln dried to much lower moisture content. Storing boards in a rack or on end allows more even airflow and warping is less of an issue.

[jhirn]

Y’all are hilarious. Gonna call you Sir Cuts-a-Lot.

Have you ever dried a piece in the oven? I’m making a straight edge router jig and decided to use a 2x10 piece of scrap pine. I milled it down to 3/4, could go shallower but then remembered it was out in the rain. Checked the moisture and it was at 80%, so gonna try oven drying it at 175-200 for a couple hours as it’s just an experiment with scrap for a jig.

[placitas]

Thanks for the video and your expertise. There is so much I don't know or haven't run into yet. At least I'll have an idea of why it screwed up.