Do wooden arms warp

I know. That's what I was saying. The wood can be coated with varnishes or other polymeric compounds to make it more dimensionally stable but then is it still really wood or is it a polymeric construction with a wood look?
And I was not generalizing, I was making a supposition about the nature of wood and its impact on set-up stability with the hopes that someone who has actual experience with a wooden tonearm would comment. Some have commented that they sound great; but we want to know more. Its not a criticism. Everything in Audio has tradeoffs and if wooden tonearms sound really good but need to have the set up tweaked now and then, so be it. Many of us in this hobby aren't expecting plug n play then forget it. It fact, we live for the opposite.

We talk a lot about positioning of the stylus in the record groove with utmost precision and accuracy- as in microns. It's hard to imagine a wooden tone arm holding a set up for more than a few hours. Maybe it can be more dimensionally stable if it is heavily varnished; but then it is no longer a purely wooden arm. Perhaps there are those who do not mind reviewing set up periodically to have that special sound that they want. Certain air bearing linear arms need periodic maintainence to remain at top performance.

Not a problem. I rough in my set up with my eyes and then fine tune with my ears.

Mr V. So you admit your tonearms are plastic with a wood look. Just as I surmised. How else to maintain dimensional stability? It was never about temperature, our turntables sit indoors. At least mine does. The challenge with wood is changes in humidity. The only solution is to infuse the wood with other materials. So at best it is a wood/polymer hybrid. And what does the localized heating between the stylus and vinyl have to do with tonearm dimensional stability? Try to organize your thoughts better.
Still the open question: How well do wooden tonearms hold their setup? Does anyone have some facts?

Hmm. Applying the Liberal strategy: When lacking facts and data deflect with personal attacks.
Let me ask another question then. If wood is neutral then why are musical instruments made of wood? Different woods give instruments their character, no?

Hey, I wasn't trying to slam wooden tonearms. I was just asking questions. I have no experience with them so I was curious about any downsides to wooden arms. No one seems willing or able to answer my questions so I did a little research on wood. Here are a few facts: Wood changes dimensions with changes in relative humidity. What part of the tree and how the wood is cut greatly impacts dimension stability. Varnishes, paints and other coatings can slow but not stop the dimensional changes. Bamboo and Teak are much more stabile than Oak (by roughly a third). Now I did a rough calculation but keep in mind all of the variables cited above. A 9" long wand made from Teak wood might change length by 0.034" (870 microns) due to changes in relative humidity as the seasons change. That means, and this is all I was asking, that say you set up overhang, HTA and VTA in the summer when Relative Humidty is somewhat high. Come winter when the heat is on and the Relative Humidty drops the wooden arm will shrink causing a shift in setup. You will likely have to go back and recheck HTA and VTA. Is that the experience that some of you have had with your wooden tonearms? Again, not a slam just an analysis. It's all part of the hobby.

The pseudo-intellectuals on this thread crack me up. A person with an analytical mind asks a question and gets attacked for asking the question; but no one offers any answers. Even better, someone like Mr. V can make non-sensical, ludicrous statements like this:
"The problem is the heat generated by dragging the record grooves against the stylus generates huge temperature swings. How much heat is contested but 500 degrees F peaks might be conservative. There goes those micronic adjustments. "
Yet no one questions that. I have been waiting to see if anyone would question this outrageous statement; but no one did. All the pseudo-intellectuals seem to accept his statement as fact. First, think logically about this statement. I have been playing records for almost 4 decades and I have yet to see one of my records burst into flames. Second, vinyl melts at 480F, so that would mean our records are melting and re-solidifying every time we play them. How long do you think a record would last under that kind of punishment? I'm sure the highs would be gone after the first play.
The facts are that the stylus exerts about 300-400 psi on the vinyl surface based on VTF and contact area. The coefficient of friction is about 0.22. Heating of the vinyl is going to be in the 18F range. Conclusion: It is perfectly safe to play your records indoors.
Bravo that someone can turn a pencil into a tonearm and receive accolades for it. But as in any hobby and in life, "Caveat Emptor".