Thread: What did I do wrong - and how do I fix it.

Do you know if it is the lid that has warped or is it the base? Was the gap there before you attached the hinges? First up see if you can find out what has warped.....
The red gum looks brilliant, lovely colour.

I wonder if there have been internal stresses that have caused the red gum to move? This timber is notorious for movement in larger sections, so I suspect that is what has happened here.
Before doing anything, I'd watch it to see if it continues to move, especially with humidity changes. If it seems to have settled down, it will be a matter of carefully taking wood off the high corners of the lid and base, using a plane and/or scraper. If it doesn't settle down, I guess you'll just have to live with it.

Nice box, pity it moved.

Many thanks team. I left the box overnight propped up on the opposite corner and this morning the gap had all but disappeared so it looks as if that's the go.
I have investidated my bench where I glued things up and that appears to be a little out of true which may have been the cause!
The whole problem has now gone away in more ways than one - SWMBO has purloined it!

As a learning experience is there something that could have prevented this, say by leaving the piece after any heavy material removal and before taking finishing cuts?

A couple of things that can be done are:
Make sure the timber is properly dry before using it.
After cutting the timber slightly oversize, leave it standing on edge for a couple of days before dressing it.
Don't leave timber sitting flat on a bench or other surface. Stand it on edge or sit it on stickers to allow air circulation all round it.
Choose wood that is quarter sawn rather than back sawn.

Do all of these things, and you'll find some timbers that still want to move.

Thanks Alex, I wouldn't have thought of storing on edge or stickers

Thanks Alex and Clint for your comments. After cutting pieces out I 'pre-finished' with oil before assembly which necessitated leaving them stickered to dry out for several days between each coat as well as before final assembly.
When it comes down to it I think the problem is just my not taking enough care in the final glue up to ensure things were square and level. A lesson well learnt .