: I am using cherry strips for my coaming lip. I have had this wood for over
: ten years and I got it from a fellow that had it a while. When I do much
: bending it shatters. I cut the strips 1/16", but they still don't
: work. I suspect that the wood is too dry. What would be the best way to
: rehydrate the strips.

I had some wood I had to have in my coaming too, and could not bend it to my will, so to speak. So I took another approach. I cut the wood into wedge shaped sections, alternating the colors, and built the coaming block by block, kind of like a stone arch bridge, but through 360 deg. Here's a pic:

Ed Valley