> The wood is what is warping it makes no difference if the bench was
> granite or iron... I would suggest grinding off both sides of the bent
> shaft. Laminate new material on both sides of the shaft and clamp it to
> your bench. I hate giving up on a project and will do almost anything to
> avoid starting over.

No difference indeed!

I remember reading once that the power of swelling wood (unequal swelling being the reason for warping...) was sufficient to quarry blocks of marble. Wedges of wood were driven into small cracks in the stone, and when water was poured on them they swelled, and the rock cracked. Witness also springtime road conditions, after the moisture has had it's way....

Ed Valley