Hello all. I have a Philco Model 81 on the bench and the cabinet arch is lopsided a bit. How would I go about fixing this? Steam and clamps? Bracing? Any ideas? It has some grill damage as well but the front is still flat and true.

I have a feeling that steam and clamp might compromise the strength of the glue joints. If you think the glue will soften and move with the wood, then still be an adhesive when the joints cure again, it might be worth a try.

I guess my first question would be : how did the arch deform? If it has already been wet and moved it may not withstand another episode. On the other hand, if it got wet and moved it may come apart completely with no damage and then be a candidate for a complete disassembly and reglue?

Can you get a couple of photos of it ???
Lets have a look..
Base timber type?

Pete

Its a typical Philco arch type cathedral cabinet. Pretty thin from the get go. I'm thinking it got this way when the grill was damaged and the speaker was hanging askew. It looks like it sat that way for a long time. Possibly in a damp environment as the cabinet has a little bit of delamination in the damaged grill area. I'll see about posting some pictures later this evening.

The trouble is that more than likely it will be Hide Glue,, which is great for veneers and Radios ect etc, but heat or water will make it all come apart.
Particularly as its de laminated a little and been wet perhaps.
I have fixed Tmber warps in the past and if you do it with steam ,,you need a lot of it before the timber becomes soft enough to bend. When it does you just make a jig to hold it until it dries again.
Most warps are removed be soaking it water and then you use heavy weights to get the shape you want.
But in this case , its a ply ? and a veneer on top of the ply in which would not handle being submerged in water at all.
I have not seen your cabinet, but i cant think of a safe way to do it with out a full rebuild of the cabinet and veneers.
Saying that though!! If it is Hide Glue it all comes apart easy with heat!

All the best pete

The trouble is that more than likely it will be Hide Glue,, which is great for veneers and Radios ect etc, but heat or water will make it all come apart.
Particularly as its de laminated a little and been wet perhaps.
I have fixed Tmber warps in the past and if you do it with steam ,,you need a lot of it before the timber becomes soft enough to bend. When it does you just make a jig to hold it until it dries again.
Most warps are removed be soaking it water and then you use heavy weights to get the shape you want.
But in this case , its a ply ? With a veneer on top of the ply and would not handle being submerged in water at all.
I have not seen your cabinet, but i cant think of a safe way to do it with out a full rebuild of the cabinet and veneers.
Saying that though!! If it is Hide Glue it all comes apart easy with heat!

I collect tvs from the 50s and many are warped on the top from the weight of the crt and chassis , it bows the whole cabnet.
Once we move into the 60s era of stereograms and tvs the problem gets much worse of course because they used particle board for a base.
My experience in repairing warps is ftom antique furniture where warps are extremely common

All the best pete

Thanks for the info guys. I was hoping it could be straightened out but if not its ok. Its not too bad and once the grill is fixed it'll display well from the front. Once I've gotten deeper into the repairs I'll amend the thread title and post some pics. Thanks again .