Had a weird gap issue on a built-in and tried something my grandpa said once

I was fitting a cabinet into an old, uneven wall in a house in Bellingham. The gap at the top was almost 3/8 inch and I didn't want to scribe a huge filler. I remembered my grandpa saying to use a heat gun on the back of the plywood to make it bend. I clamped one end, heated the back along the top edge for about a minute, and gently pushed it into place. It held the curve perfectly after it cooled. Has anyone else tried bending plywood with heat for a tight fit, or is that a bad idea long term?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantp288d ago

That trick works great for bending trim too.

carter.laura14d ago

Will the heat weaken the glue over time?

the_linda14d ago

Yeah, heat absolutely wrecks glue. It makes the bonds break down way faster than normal. Don't expect it to hold long.