Window Seat Problem

[Adnshel]

I made a window seat with a flip top on it and am having trouble with the wood warping on the ends of the flip top. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the wood to keep from warping and flatten back down?

[4fingers]

If you have made the lid for your flip from plywood you should edge band it with hardwood to prevent the warping that you have experienced. Or if you have used glued up boards a cleat of some sort or even edge banding could help

[Adnshel]

Can it be banded now or will I need to completely re-do it?

[RGad]

Two suggestions that MAY be applicable to your problem. First, if the seat is made up of edge-joined boards, arranging the boards so that their grains run alternatively (one up, next to one down, etc.) before joining them tends to help. Second, an edge treatment known as "breadboarding," using a long mortise and tenon joint, and pegs but no glue, tends to keep the boards from severely changing shape (while hiding the end grain). Norm Abram has a good discussion (with drawings) of generic breadboarding in one of his books (don't remember which one, sorry).

Note that once the boards have warped, the odds of fixing the problem are not high.