Rectifying a 30k Mistake: Redemption Build

What happened?

To fully understand the gravity of what created a visceral sense of panic at the very end of an otherwise successful project, we need to first set the scene. If you have ever built anything then you know that there is no greater sense of accomplishment than the moment of successful completion. Now, imagine working your way through an entire project, only to find out, upon finishing, that there is an integral flaw. The flaw, in this case, is that the moisture level of the wood was irreparably high. If you want to experience this feeling first-hand, check out the video appropriately titled:I Lost $30,000 .

Moisture in wood

When it comes to a woodworking: too much moisture can create severe issues that can result in the wood changing. In short, the moisture will leave the wood eventually. Resulting in a once perfect slab of wood that is now riddled with depressions, cracks, or worse. Typically you want your wood’s moisture level to be around 8-11% where I am located, but the moisture level of the wood at the end of the initial tri-table walnut build was at 30% in some areas. A detrimental reading.

How does one fix this?

Unless you have months, or years to spend waiting for your wood to properly dry in a temperature controlled setting, there’s really only one way to fix an issue like this… new wood. And if you are curious, that is exactly what we’re doing with those original tables. They are in the possession of my wood supplier, where he is slowly attempting to get them completely dry. A process I suspect will take over a year. 

Time for redemption 

The project was a commissioned build of three separate tables. The client wanted a dining room table, a console table, and a desk; each built from the same wood to match and flow nicely throughout their space. Unless the idea of wasting time, money and resources sounded appealing: quitting was not an option. Thus began attempt #2 to redeem the build, to satisfy the clients, and ultimately to construct three beautiful tables. However, I did offer the clients their money back after the original incident. Here is a conversation with them on the whole debacle Customers Reaction to Me Ruining Their Project

New wood

With a vision and a hunger for redemption: it was time to source new wood. While discussing the previous issues with the wood supplier they were  apologetic about what had occurred and eager to make amends. In order to compensate for the initial error the good folks at Goby Walnut were gracious enough to provide new wood at no extra charge. A bonus was the fact that the new wood slabs were actually of higher quality than the previous ones. For those interested in the interaction with Goby Walnut, you can checkout our interview here.

Wagner giveaway 

Wagner makes incredible high-end moisture detection equipment, used for widely for woodworking projects. So when they caught wind of the reasoning behind the failed table build, and the redemption build that was taking place; they reached out. Rather than choosing to involve Wagner as a sponsor for the video, we decided to have them donate some products for a Blacktail Studio giveaway. The intuitive kits they donated are valued at a total of $2400 and you can enter that right here for a chance to get a Wagner Moisture Meter of your own.

Process

Once the new wood in hand, it was time to begin filling the numerous tiny cracks in the slabs. The majority of the cracks needed some light epoxy brushing, but there were a few large holes that needed more strenuous filling. To fill the larger holes we constructed small melamine forms, that were then sealed to the slab. This allows the epoxy to fill the hole without leaking, and to set before the forms are removed. To advance your epoxy skills click here: spring epoxy workshop sale.

Gunfire at Creative Woodworking NW

Bringing the wood to the Creative Woodworking NW workspace allowed for quick and efficient use of their industrial planer to smooth and level the slabs of Walnut. They do however, have rules regarding metal in the wood. As it is not uncommon for slabs of wood to contain some metal, they have a policy that requires to customers to pay for any metal related damage to their machines. Luckily, when a bullet was found in one of the slabs; we found out that that policy does not apply to lead. 

Decision to patch the underside of the table

After finding a large natural hole in the underside of the dining table, we decided to patch the hole with wood, rather than epoxy alone. This decision mitigated the need for the bolts from the leg hardware to be installed straight into epoxy. Instead, a small rectangular piece of Walnut was cut and sanded down to fit tightly into the underside of the table, so that the hardware could be installed into solid wood. See that process here.

Big issue

Nearing the end of this build, while aligning the wood with the hardware, a worrisome discovery occurred: the console table slab had twisted. This would mean that the table would be unable to stand perfectly straight. To combat this, Goby Walnut was kind enough to make room in their busy schedule to get the wood in for some CNC TLC, returning the wood to perfect symmetry.

Hardware 

The nice thing about this project taking place as a second attempt is that the existing hardware that had been manufactured for the initial build was ready to go. Apart from the stressful task of storing the hardware in a confined workspace over the course of many months, this made the process fairly easy. One of the most notable pieces of hardware was the Spider Table Base, for the dining room table: a set of uniquely woven legs created by Bryson Steele.

Finishing 

This new wood definitely didn’t contain a surplus of moisture. In fact, the tables were all extremely thirsty for the finish. Luckily, the heightened absorption meant that the structural integrity of these tables would only be strengthened. Plus the end result of the finish and N3 Nano Coating was stunning.

Reveal to the patient clients 

After a long wait, the clients were thrilled when they met for a remote meeting to see the desk, console table, and dining room table for the first time. The final versions of each of these tables were rich, lush, and flowing with grained wood texture. Each complimented the other, while maintaining its own independent characteristics. As the clients were such good sports, a  matching waterfall end-table and set of Walnut coasters was included in their order at no added cost.  

For more details on this build, how to manage your wood investments, and to see a special appearance from Eric G of Around the House with Eric G click right here.