Fourteen years late to the party I just found this thread.
How do manufacturers of wooden platters manage the effects of humidity changes? The third certain thing in life is that wood moves!
I am an amateur woodworker, apart from a few of the largest pieces and chairs, I made all of the wooden furniture in my home, and when designing a piece it is critical to allow for the expansion and contraction that will occur.
Wood changes dimension across the grain much more than along the grain so how do manufacturers prevent the platter from becoming non-circular?
Cocobolo, in addition to being hard, heavy and beautiful, has one of the lowest differential expansion rates, but it is non-zero. Is the platter potted in epoxy or something?
I am not being a smart aleck, I am genuinely interested in knowing how this property is managed.