How to Fix a Warped Cedar Wood Lid

Remove the cedar lid from the chest. Remove any fabric covering over the wood. Note whether the chest has been sitting in a sunny or a moist location. The wood can warp from being dried unevenly in either condition.

Place 2-by-4-inch blocks on your work table. Position the lid over the blocks so that you can bend the sides or ends of the lid down and clamp them with wood clamps to hold the wood under pressure in the direction you want it to straighten.

Remove the clamps after several days and check to see if the wood is responding the way you want. Make adjustments to your clamps to increase or decrease pressure until the wood flattens out.