Hi everyone.

I purchased a 3D model of a Byzantine cross for carving a while ago, and I've carved it once before, out of Mahogany. It came out great.

This time, I carved it out of cherry. I glued up three strips of cherry wood that were approximately 8" x 36", giving me a blank of 24" x 36" x 1.1" thick. I ended up carving the cross against the grain, length-wise (spanning all three boards).

Though I did not plane the blank prior to carving, it was pretty darned flat. After carving, and removal from the material (it was tabbed), the cross was really warped. I'm guessing that this is from "stress relief" within the wood itself causing this once the majority of the material was removed. Is this possible? Anyway, it is what it is.

I CAN push the two ends flat, and was considering cutting out a plywood cross that is offset 1/2" in from the carving, and gluing it. I'm worried that the stress on the cross could cause it to break at the glued seams.

Does anyone have a way to try to un-warp something like this without breaking the glue seams?

Thanks.

Andy

IMG_20191130_204028.jpgIMG_20191130_204036.jpgIMG_20191203_165138.jpg