Newbie Needs advice

[BespOak]

I recently built an oak breakfast bar for my sisters new kitchen

It consists of a circle 95cm in diameter by 48mm thick it rests half on, half off a granite Kitchen island supported on a brace that runs down the end of the island cabinets. (see image)

I was originally advised to finish the wood with beesWax and this was done before it was installed. But the oak circle was later striped of the beeswax re-sanded and finished with sandolin wood oil as water droplets left white stains on the beeswax finish.

The Circle of Oak sits on the granite on a bead of Clear mastic and is biscuit jointed to the brace.

Its been installed for nearly a month and was acclimatised in the kitchen for 2 weeks before installation.

But it seems that the circle is warping and is curling upwards to about 4mm at the end of the brace.

Is there any way I can rectify this bow with attaching addtional mechanical fixings? Maybe some batons secured into the brace and then screwing upwards into the underside of the work surface?

Any advice for this wood working novice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Harbo]

Is this a solid piece of oak or made from sections?
Either way it seems like it is still drying out or acclimatising itself to its new environment?
Restraining 48mm thickness of oak will be very difficult.
Can you take it off, invert it and weight it down for a longer time to dry out?
Or can you leave it a bit longer until it stops moving then plane it flat then paint with a more waterproof finish like Sam Maloof's mixture?

Rod

 

[BespOak]

It was made in sections from 80mm Kiln dried Oak.
I might be able to remove it and allow it to dry out.

just wondering can you open the image link?

 

[StevieB]

Nope - you have been caught by the newbie spam trap. A total of 3 whole posts will then allow your images to appear unmolested

Steve.

 

[woodbloke]

It was made in sections from 80mm Kiln dried Oak.
I might be able to remove it and allow it to dry out.

just wondering can you open the image link?

If it's kiln dried, it may have been too dry and is now re-conditioning itself in it's new environment...a hot and sometimes steamy kitchen. However you tackle it, oak that thick will have to be handled carefully. Fwiw, I try and avoid kiln dried timber like the plague...excellent Savage piece on it in this month's BW btw.
The timber ought to have been aclimatised in the kitchen for two months, not two weeks and ought to have been brought down to size in gradual stages. The only real way to ensure that there's no cupping or bowing is to use quarter sawn timber to start with...crown cut stuff always poses a risk - Rob

 

[DaveL]

Hi BespOak,

Welcome to the forum.

As has already been pointed out your picture link has been caught by our spam trap, your link appears to be broken anyway, but I think this is what you were trying to show:

 

[Digit]

Have you varnished both sides BespOak? If not you're asking for trouble, especially in the moist atmosphere of a kitchen.

Roy.

 

[BespOak]

All the surfaces top and bottom were finished with beeswax the top was later re-sanded and finished with oil. As water droplets were marking the beeswax.

Thanks for showing the picture.

 

[OLD]

Wood expands and contracts mostly across the grain the top of the circle is sealed and should not move the under side is not so well sealed so takes on the humidity and expands ,this is causing the curl (like a bimetal strip).The only way i can come up with, is to strip it completely all surfaces let it normalize adjust any remaining curl and reseal all surfaces .Sorry i hope someone else can come up with a better fix, by the way i like the table a lot and it looks well made.