Help me straighten out a warped door!

[fornesto]

The upper left corner of my passenger side door (upper non-hinge corner) sticks out about 1/4" from the rest of the door. You can see daylight through the space. The door is 1/2" plywood with aluminum skin, poly-ied inside, and a Lil' Bear window in the middle. The weatherstrip won't fill the gap anymore and it just plain looks bad.

How would you real woodworkers straighten this thing out? I would rather not remove the door from the trailer.

P.S. I have a Scunci Steamer!

[Gage]

You don't want to remove the door? You know, some things just have to be done weather you want to or not. And being how you don't want to remove it, I have no idea how you can fix it. Maybe someone else does.

Good luck and have a good day.

[fornesto]

How would you do it if the door were off?

[PaulC]

Fornesto, you will have to remove the door, over stress the corner and apply steam. Let dry for a day or two and check. If it still has not closed up repeat the process. Only try for a little at a time.
Cheers
Paul

PS Gage had better get in touch with the Admins as it looks like someone has hijacked his avatar

[Gage]

Yep, that's the way. By no means lay it flat on cement. Hey Paul, I just decided to change it to a more current pic and keep Chris happy.

Have a good day.

I no longer have the beard. I could of changed it to this one. But it was taken when I was working for a living.

[fornesto]

Would you recommend applying stiffeners? aka wooden or metal strips that will help the door to hold its shape. Heavy oak strips, 3/4" x 1", installed vertically might help to keep the door taught.

How would I clamp it or get it flat?

If I left the door on, steamed it up real good, then closed it ,pushed the door corner inward and used a bolt-type lock (installed inside) to hold the corner in tight against the body....might that also do the trick?

The reason I want to leave the door on is because I stripped several of the stainless steel screws putting the door on. I also have everything caulked up real nice and don't want to upset it.

[PaulC]

The timber is drying and forming it's natural shape(warping). The reason behind overstressing it is to make it think that straight is it's natural shape. Leaving the door on will not allow this to happen. JMHO
Cheers
Paul

[Micro469]

You could try putting a block in the bottom of the door, steaming it and pulling the top tight against the frame

[PaulC]

You could try putting a block in the bottom of the door, steaming it and pulling the top tight against the frame

Yup, that'd work. Why did'nt I think of that
Cheers
Paul

[BrwBier]

Would a rod from corner to corner with a turn buckle and a block of wood under the turn buckle pull it straight?
Brwbier

[Gage]

You know, steel or alum angle or even rod with turn buckles will work. But how much pride do you have in your work. Fix it with pride, get the door off and correct the problem the right way. So it takes a little more effort. You won't regret it when you show it off. Just my added two cents.

Have a good day.

[BrwBier]

The turn buckles are not meant as permanent, just to pull it straight. Used as a tool not a patch.

[An Ol Timer]

This is not meant to be a solution, but more of a probable cause for the problem. Plywood of ½" and less in thickness has a tendency to warp when treated on one side only or when treated with dissimilar products or when treated at different times. Usually when treating single thicknesses it is best to treat both sides with the same material and at the same time.

[Juneaudave]

My two cents...warping in ply is almost always a function of moisture, and for 1/2 inch...it don't take much. The dry side is the shriveled up side. In your case, the aluminum side is dry and the interior is damper and swelling. The best bet is to equalize the moisture. All things considered equal, (without removing or replacing the door) you might try to remove some humidity from the inside and over some extended period of time it would straighten!!

Just a note...unless you seal the door...your problems will return.

[48Rob]

Dave wrote;

The aluminum side is dry and the interior is damper and swelling.

I agree with Dave, most warping problems with wood can be/are traced back to the finish, or lack of.

When dealing with a piece of wood that has a tendency to warp, most would recut the piece, and glue it up so the grain is alternating.

The more common solution is to use plywood, as the layers are alternating, making for a much more stable piece.

When building something from plywood, most often it is glued, screwed, or nailed to a rigid frame, thus leading most to believe that plywood is a super rigid, unbending product...but that is not so.

Lay a sheet of plwood on the ground, come back in a day or two, and it will be anything but flat.

The reason is the much higher moisture content on the side of the ply facing the earth.

Now, with the ply installed as a door on a trailer, with no rigid framing, there isn't much to hold it flat, just the hinge and the latch.

Since the latch is usually centered in the middle, the area just above, or below it is where the wood will be most prone to move.

The solution, as Dave pointed out, sealing the wood.

Sealing is more than just slapping a coat or two of varnish on the part you see.
To be effective, all 6 sides must be sealed moisture tight (when the wood has an even moisture content...not warped).

When I seal a piece, the coats required will vary from 3-6 (more if I want a super deep finish).
The coats must be even though, not one on the back, and 4 on the front.

Try to imagine that the wood must resist a puddle of water laying on it overnight, no moisture must get through the finish.
If you make it so, it will not warp, or rot.

Be sure to check the hinge placement, just a little out of plumb will cause the door to be out of plumb, creating a gap.
Also check the window installation.
If the door was slightly twisted when you screwed it down, the window will help it hold that shape.

In a safe, controlled experiment, I would first use a small electric space heater to warm/dry the air inside the (closed up) tear.
A de humidifier could also be used.
If an excess of moisture on the inside of the tear/door is causing the trouble, when it dries, it will likely "spring" back...unless the window installation is holding it back...

Rob