Can warped boards be straightened?

[Hawkmoon]

:D:D:D

OK, I'll try it on just a couple of boards to see if it works. That is, I'll try it on a couple of boards in a couple of months when it's not in the 90's and humid.

Actually, hot weather with high humidity would be a good time to try it -- as far as the wood is concerned. Rough on you, though. You want to get the wood as moist as possible, as deeply into the wood as possible, then you DON'T want it to dry out too fast.

Old time shipwrights used to put oak ribs into steam boxes and cook 'em 'til they were almost like spaghetti. Then they'd bend 'em around rigid forms to the shape of the hull they were framing, and fasten them in place until they cooled and dried. They did the same thing with mahogany planks for the outer skin of the hull.

[Leatherneck]

The best way to do that would be to get something very straight and strong, like maybe a hardwood 6x6 of the right length, steam the boards, and clamp them to the straight piece until they dry.  Use a few spacers, so you're actually overbending the warped boards slightly, so that when they spring back on being released, they'll be straight.

Nope. won't work. Once the lignin is dried, the board wants the least-stressful position. As somebody said, it's best to simply replace badly warped fence boards. If you don't want to do that, fasten the board with more hold-down strength like galvanized deck screws in stead of nails.

TC

[Tallpine]

I would think the work to straighten the boards would be more costly than just buying new ones.

You could always cut the old boards in short pieces and use them for ... something.

[Scout26]

Call a fencing contractor and be done with it.........

[Monkeyleg]

I wouldn't be talking about straightening boards if I was willing to spend money.

[KD5NRH]

Call a fencing contractor and be done with it.........

Foli, epee, or saber?