Help--Cupping Teak Table Top

I just bought a table made in Indonesia from salvaged teak. The top is 77 x 32--two joined 16 inch boards, old and dry. The table top was finished with natural lacquer, but the bottom was left unfinished. The top has cupped. I screwed a brace with some table plates across the bottom and that helped, but I don't want to tighten it too far for fear the top will split. Still, there's about 1/2 inch cup in the middle.

There's no taking this thing apart--it's all pegged and glued and I wouldn't want to do it anyway.

Here's the question--if I put a couple of coats of shellac on the underside, would that pull it flatter? Or should I just leave well enough alone and love it as it is?

Thanks

You could sand the finish off the top & place a wet towel on the top over night !!
this should swell the top side enough to flatten it somewhat. then just sand & reseal.......worth a try.

My guess is that your problem is the drop in humidity between Indonesia and where you live. If that's right then sealing may have helped to begin with (a bit) but not now. Hope I'm wrong.

I've got a Chinese chest made in Malaysia and the butt joins have opened up.

Brooklyn where?

Yes.. Having one side finished it the most likely cause. Putting a couple of coats of varnish on the bottom should help, providing it's not a basic wood movement problem caused by the wood simpy drying out more. If it's uneven drying then it should even out with time... eventually.

In any case, finishing the bottom wont make the problem worse.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks to you all for the advice. I don't have it in me to strip the top--it's hand planed and pitted, very old looking and I'd hate to try and sand it--so I think I will try and put a couple of coats of shellac on the bottom and keep my fingers crossed. And then, in time, I might try to tighten those screws underneath a little bit more.

rsser--I'm in Park Slope, right near Prospect Park. But moving soon to Jackson Heights in Queens. The neighborhood has gotten WAY too fancy.

Cheers

It's probably like a lot of that Indonesian stuff. Brand new, made to look old and partly air dried. As long as you have it it will probably move about. Especially if it's in extremes of temperatures or in an air conditioned environment which will act like a big dehumidifier and dry the timber.