My garage, while double glazed, is unheated apart from the warmth coming out of the dehumidifier. At the moment it's about 5 degrees in there. A hygrometer measures somewhere in the region of 60%, compared with about 40% inside the house. The dehumidifier will typically fill it's reservoir (2 litres) overnight.
Last winter I made a pair of toy chests in pine which were finished with sanding sealer and paste wax on the inside and sprayed with emulsion on the outside. Construction and finish from start to end completed in the garage and not terribly surprisingly all the panels cupped significantly after a couple of months in the house.
I recently unearthed the parts (maple) for a small table in our spare room which were prepped about four years ago, and have set about cutting the joinery, tapering legs etc. Mindful of the potential for wood movement I returned the pieces to the house each night. Except one day when for some reason I didn't.... and after two days in the garage the table aprons have pringled to an impressive degree. There seems to have been some recovery after another week or so back in the house.
A couple of questions now occur...
1. If I wait long enough, will these pieces fully recover? And if so, will I risk the joints failing if I don't wait long enough before gluing up?
2. Is there anything I can do to deal with this issue in future apart from keeping components in the house during making, and acclimating timber in the house beforehand? Heating and insulating the garage to the same degree as the house is not practical, and downgrading the house to match the garage would be deeply unpopular!
3. What sort of climate does the average cabinetmaker work in? I can't imagine cabinet shops of old being heated and draught free. If this was the case, then how did they stop the work moving when it was taken into a heated environment?
Last winter I made a pair of toy chests in pine which were finished with sanding sealer and paste wax on the inside and sprayed with emulsion on the outside. Construction and finish from start to end completed in the garage and not terribly surprisingly all the panels cupped significantly after a couple of months in the house.
I recently unearthed the parts (maple) for a small table in our spare room which were prepped about four years ago, and have set about cutting the joinery, tapering legs etc. Mindful of the potential for wood movement I returned the pieces to the house each night. Except one day when for some reason I didn't.... and after two days in the garage the table aprons have pringled to an impressive degree. There seems to have been some recovery after another week or so back in the house.
A couple of questions now occur...
1. If I wait long enough, will these pieces fully recover? And if so, will I risk the joints failing if I don't wait long enough before gluing up?
2. Is there anything I can do to deal with this issue in future apart from keeping components in the house during making, and acclimating timber in the house beforehand? Heating and insulating the garage to the same degree as the house is not practical, and downgrading the house to match the garage would be deeply unpopular!
3. What sort of climate does the average cabinetmaker work in? I can't imagine cabinet shops of old being heated and draught free. If this was the case, then how did they stop the work moving when it was taken into a heated environment?
