: The gaps are perhaps only an inch but feel like 2 or more inches. Not only
: don't the strips touch the forms but I think they have a slightly
: different curve to them. I'm hopeful that I can apply some heat and force
: the strips into the shape of the forms but don't quite know how to go
: about it. It might take some screws to pull them tight but i'm worried it
: will all spring back once I take the screws out. I'm afraid to wet the
: wood because I don't want to reglue everything. It's only 7 strips so I
: could start over but I really don't want to do that. How big of deal is it
: if I don't quite match the forms? Here's a photo that kind of shows what
: I'm talking about.

That's a pretty big gap, the strips should follow the forms. I'd suggest trying dry heat, using a heat gun to heat the individual strips allowing them to take more twist than they normally would.

Agree with the others, not following the forms means your building another design, not the one the designer intended.

Bill H.