Preventing warping on deep carvings

[myxpykalix]

Also keep in mind to try to stay away from pieces that come from the pith (center) of the tree. I have had a few pieces because i wasn't paying attention start to crack after they started curling up because i didn't check before i cut.

[dmidkiff]

Randall,
The last supper that you saw in Dallas had a cup in it. I applied the finish very soon after carving to help minimize cupping. It did have a small amount of cup and I considered trying to straighten it. I thought of plywood backing and cross grain backing of same wood. I decided to leave the cup and used keyholes for hanging. Spaced them so the piece would set on the mantel. It should be able to move as needed without splitting. Sent another out the other day with keyholes and instuctions to rest on mantel. No long term testing but no calls yet!

[ljdm]

My 2 cents......... Quartersawn is less likely to cup, as opposed to plain sawn, due to the rings being at 90degrees to the face of the board in quartersawn boards. If you use plain sawn, carving a large relief area in the opposite side does help somewhat.

[mikeacg]

I'm with Lou on the quartersawn. One of the reasons I bought my sawmill was to get quartersawn lumber for my mission furniture. This is just another benefit!

Mike

[gc3]

Randall try posting your question here

http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/cnc.pl


Gene Crain
www.plantasymaderas.com