Library table -- Doh!
I miscut a mortise in one of the legs. If I fill in the pocket with a solid piece of wood and recut the mortise, do you think I can save the lumber? Or, is it a case of back to the mill and start over from scratch?
sigh
and yes, I have remarked the mortise locations for the other three ...
cheers et thanks .
Fix it .....and tell no one! If you do a good job there should be no reason for doubt.
Larry,
We've all probably done that trick... Yes you can fill it in just be sure to use the same kind of wood and align the grain. Essentially you're making
1/2 of a loose tennon. Make the filler piece about 1/16" less than the depth of the mortise so the excess glue will have some place to go and not force your plug back out. I would tape around the mortise hole so the glue will not get on any parts that need finish later.How well you can match the grain and fit of the tennon will be the main factor in whether the patch is ever noticed.
Bob S.
well, I did cut it toward the inside, and the correct place is on the outside, so no one will ever go looking. I was more concerned with strength ... but that shouldn't be a problem any way .. thanks for putting my mind at ease...
I'd do it over - you'll always know and it will bug you forever. I made the same table, but cheated and used biscuits instead of mortises. It's about three years old now and draws lots of compliments. It's a good plan.
Don
Some of us have mistakes/errors that we have a tendency to repeat despite our best efforts ... I personally find it _remarkably_ easy to cut the taper on the wrong side of at least one table leg out of four, so I manage to do an extraordinary number of patches like you describe.
By all means, fix it, save the part, and learn from the fix... and get used to doing it. Learning how to finesse these kind of mistakes is as much a part of woodworking as measuring, cutting, fitting, and finishing. The sign of a accomplished craftsman in wood is the quality of his patches.
AAMOF, the leg may well be stronger because of it ... or so I tell myself.
On Sat 03 Jan 2004 05:36:20p, "Swingman" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
Yeah. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one that's seen David Marks' blunders and fixes show. "Plugging the misplaced mortise" was one of the first ones. Like Dave says, "Stuff happens". :-)
Dan
Wanna see stuff happen. Take a look at Broken House Chonicles. HGTV,, no idea what time Its more reno than woodworking, these guys will pick up tons of knowledge as they attempt things for the first time. But hey . Dont we all. And they do show how they fix things. Is all too funny at times
Larry Levinson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Greetings....
You could fill it in with a contrasting wood, and then you would have a "feature"....but seriously, part of being a woodworker is fixing your mistakes, no one will ever notice a well matched patch...you could always put that one leg towards the wall...Dont worry about it too much...
hope this helps...
DCH
check out my site @
Part of your answer depends on what you're going to do with the table. If it were me and mine, I'd plug and recut. However if I was doing a piece for someone else for pay, I might have second thoughts about doing a patch job.
Another th>Library table -- Doh!
You're absolutely right about that ... on pieces I keep I will put up with patches that I would not consider passing on to a customer. Since I eat most of my own dog food, I get a lot of practice patching.
On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 20:37:02 -0500, "Andrew" brought forth from the murky depths:
I just saw the picture with the HGTV listing. Oh, crap. A woodworking SHITCOM? That must be as much fun as watching Boob Villa!
Pass!
======================================================== TANSTAAFL: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
Are you sure that's the name? No "Broken House Chronicles" listed on HGTV's web site. Or was it possibly another channel?
-Chris
Doesn't it bug you that you cheated and used biscuits? I bet you cringe every time you get a compliment knowing that it isn't as nice as others think it is.
every time you get a compliment knowing that it isn't as nice as others think it is.
It is foolish to think there is anything wrong with using biscuits.
You missed my point. I didn't say there was anything wrong with using biscuits. You have to read my post in the context of Don's which I was replying to. Don was the one that said he cheated by using biscuits. My point was Don gets lots of compliments about his table even though he "cheated by using biscuits", so why does Don think Larry should fix his mistake in a location no one will see? It seemed ironic to me that Don was saying to start over then in the same paragraph says he "cheated" and gets lots of compliments. I didn't understand Don's rationale for when to start over or to not cheat. Using biscuits is cheating (his words) yet ok, however, repairing a mistake in a hidden location is cause to start over. See why I asked Don the question now?
Wow, seems like I should have kept track of this thread. I simply meant that he should re-do it because I got the impression that it "bothered" him - not anyone else. I realize that it's in a place that no one else can see but that had nothing to do with my rationalle. After all, we are all our worst critics and I wouldn't like looking at the piece two years down the road and thinking only about the "glaring" error that no one can see. As to my own decision to use biscuits, - it had more to do with time and the feeling that there was no comprimise in structure. I used the word "cheated" only as it applies to the ease of biscuits vs. M&T. I don't regret the decision at all and am planning to do the same thing with an upcoming drop leaf table. To clear it up, if (when) I make an error, I'll fix if I can, but that doesn't mean everyone is alright with that.
Don
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