Warped Boards

Nothing is more frustrating than putting a board in your laser, only to discover a bow or curve from warping. Obviously a flat board yields the best cutting results. Although measures are taken to keep boards flat and straight, warping happens.

Let’s quickly go over why or how warping happens.

Warping occurs when moisture levels in the wood change unevenly, impacting the shape and integrity of the wood. If the wood board gets wet, or transitions to an environment with higher humidity levels where moisture from the air seeps into the wood, the various areas dry at different rates, with portions of the wood shrinking faster, causing stress, and changing the shape of the board.

Here in Utah, where we ship our boards from, the humidity levels are normally quite low. We do our best to prevent warping on our end. After we cut the wood boards to proper size, we stack all of our wood flat, one on top of the other, allowing the natural weight of the boards to work together. As we stack, we bind multiple boards with stretch wrap to splint and reinforce the boards. The final step we take is adding weight on top of the wood stacks to ensure they lay as flat as possible while in storage.

However, once we ship, the possibility of board warping still exists. So, if you live in a state with higher humidity than Utah, warping might occur during shipping with the transition from one environment to the other.

If you happen to have a warped board, there’s a good chance you can correct the warping on your own. Below you’ll find our home remedy for treating warped boards.

Solution: The easiest way to straighten boards is to spritz each side of the board with water or use a damp cloth to gently dampen the wood. Place the boards on a flat surface and apply a heavy object to flatten. Leave in place for several hours to a day.