Will wetted chipboard shrink back to original length?

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 12th February 2013, 04:42 PM

What with Katoomba having a Hard Garbage collection soon and my propensity for scrounging, I came across a piece I thought would be a very welcome addition to my shed; a set of old 4'x4' cartographer's chart drawers. The sort where the drawers have handles on both front & back faces, so can be accessed from either side of the unit. Perfect to place between two lathes for turning tool storage!

The frame & drawer sides are nice old hardwood, the drawer bottoms appear to be 1" thick. I suspect that they and the top are only veneered chipboard, but they're in good condition and I'm happy to leave them well enough alone.

My problem are the front and back faces of the drawers: the ones the handles are bolted to.

They're all nicely dovetailed to the sides, but they're also only veneered chip-board... and they've been wet at some stage. They still feel damp to the touch, but they haven't been so soaked as to start falling apart. I believe the cabinet was soaked while still intact (ie. prior to the ex-owner's throwing it out front) as the internals are all fine, but the veneer has fallen off every external face except the top and the chipboard drawer faces.

I've repaired/replaced all the rails as the prior owner had disassembled it with what looks like - from the dings left behind - the back end of a 12" shifter.

(On the bright side, that made it much easier to load into the s/wagon.) So, the basic frame is back together and I thought I'd test fit the drawers.

They don't fit. AFAICT, the problem is the width of the 'front' (and 'back') drawer panels. With the moisture their dovetails have expanded about 2mm past each end of the hardwood sides. The pic shows the middle drawer (there are 5) inserted as far as I dare push it. Any further and I won't get it out again. I can eyeball a gap between the drawers and the frame, except at the face. I tried turning the drawer around and inserting t'other end first, but it's just tight enough that I'd need a rubber mallet to get it to even start sliding in.

Also tried it in the other rails, just in case the drawers were 'individually sized' but no go.

At this point I don't want to replace them with timber - although that's in the 2doQ - but I don't want to sand/pare them down either... not if they'll shrink back to near original size given enough drying time. I know that if the thickness changes it's a vague hope. But I dunno about length... I rarely work with chipboard beyond pulling it out for replacment.

Thoughts, anybody?

**FenceFurniture** · 12th February 2013, 04:54 PM

I really don't like the chances Skew. Every time I've had or seen previously wet chipboard it has stayed at swollen size when dry. Even just a few drops on the top of a workbench I used to have stayed as raised lumps.

Was that the thing that was just a few doors down from me? If so, I'm glad I didn't see it......

**Master Splinter** · 12th February 2013, 05:21 PM

Wot 'e said.

Once it has tasted freedom, it never goes back to original size - it opens up too many gaps between the individual chips of wood.

**wheelinround** · 12th February 2013, 05:31 PM

Once wet it swells promotes mould then crumbles when dry better to toss it Skew

**Scribbly Gum** · 12th February 2013, 05:38 PM

Yep - wet chipboard is on its way to being porridge.
My kids have always called it weet-bix board.
And we know what happens when the milk hits the weet-bix.
Sadly they will have to be replaced.
Cheer-up, at least the frame wasn't chipboard as well.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 12th February 2013, 05:40 PM

Bummer. Thanks fellas.

Oh well, there's still a neighbourhood of hard garbage to sort through. I'm pretty confident I'll find a few lengths of nice, free timber to make replacement panels.

'Tis one way to refine my dovetailing skills...

**rustynail** · 13th February 2013, 12:09 PM

Dovetails in particle board....now that's different.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 13th February 2013, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by rustynail

Dovetails in particle board....now that's different.

The unit is (errmm... was) very well built. Even though the frame is hardwood, the whole piece was veneered and I imagine that the only reason the drawer sides were solid timber was to minimise wear & tear on the slides.

I guess that particle board was the "cheap, stable substrate" at that time & place... much like someone using MDF nowadays. (Not going to get into the 'ply is better' argument. Good ply has always been a tad on the expensive side.)

**NCArcher** · 13th February 2013, 04:14 PM

With your recently acquired Canadian hand tool skills that shouldn't be a problem for you Skew.

You're lucky I didn't spot that one. The back of the ute was virtually empty. I was tempted to grab a few thing from the nature strip, whack a $2 sticker on them and put them on the table at Brett's

**Bob38S** · 13th February 2013, 06:24 PM

Will wetted chipboard shrink back to original length?

Sorry but -

Short answer = "No."

Long answer = "No."

Not even the so called water resistant [green flecked] board will do what you asked - it only takes a little longer to turn back into sawdust........

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