Am I Out of Luck

[Bob Daniel]

With dawning horror, I realize I have made a probably fatal mistake, total rookie move, in the construction of my TV stand... in order to disguise some ugly defects in the walnut veneer of one of the side pieces (which I should have picked up on earlier in the process, another rookie move) I decided to cover it with a nice little panel of solid walnut.

The two "patches" are each a solid piece, about 8"x11", planed down to about 1/2", a nice roundover, looks great. I slathered it with Titebond III and glued it to the particle board. The first time, it started to warp and come away after the clamps came off, due to the moisture of the glue I guess, but after a reglue with the clamps on a full 24 hours, it looks like it's holding...

The problem is, it never even dawned on me to consider wood movement. I'm afraid the panel will expand across its width when summer humidity hits, and one day I'll just find it on the floor, the glue bond broken. Or worse, damage will be done to the particle board making a repair impossible.

So my question is, should I just kill myself now, or wait for it to actually break. Or maybe even, is there something I can actually do about it...?? Any insights or public humiliations are welcome.

[mike holden]

Bob,
Relax.
While wood movement is real, this does not sound like something that will cause your project to fall to pieces.

Consider some 200 year old period pieces that have cracked due to crossgrain construction, there is a crack if you look for it, and the pieces are still usable - and highly sought after.

Not something I would do by choice, but, not something to tear the project apart over either.

Say nothing, keep an eye on it, and if necessary, years from now, repair it.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

+1 for keep an eye on it. Not all of us have the reported 1/4" sideways movement of some areas. I wouldn't do it again but for now I'd watch and react if it does ;-)

[Matt Evans]

While I tend to agree with what the previous posters say, I do have a suggestion that will lessen the likelihood of a major movement.

Use a router on the inside of the panel, leaving the outside edge at 1/2" thick. Taking the center of the panel down to about 1/4"-3/16" should make it move a little less, and add an extra decorative touch. Heck, you could even do frame within frame withing frame, nearly ad infinitum, with nearly the same results.

Just a suggestion, but I don't know whether it is even worth worrying about. I suppose it depends on the space it will occupy over the next several years. An air conditioned house ought to even out temperature and humidity to the point where wood movement is minimized anyway.

[Bob Daniel]

Thanks VERY much you guys... especially the suggestion to RELAX... I literally lost a night's sleep beating myself up over this one... well the beating wasn't literal... anyway, I'm leaning towards finishing it as is, and just observing... can always deal with it when it happens... elaborate fixes are an opportunity for it to go even MORE horribly wrong, and I'm stingy with my energy these days, so I'd rather spend the time making the next thing... and maybe eventually re-making this one... Thanks again, cheers!

[Bill Wyko]

You may consider a 2nd piece on the inside. If the wood moves, it's going to curve towards the outside. when I use veneers, I have to veneer both sides to equalize the wood movement. This allows it to move, but it remains flat due to the pull going opposite directions.

[Dave McGeehan]

Bob, first of all, don't beat yourself up. If I listed all the woodworking mistakes I've made my fingers would be bloody from typing.

Also, planning for wood movement is very important and should always be considered but that doesn't mean a guaranteed disaster if you don't. One of my first serious projects was a solid walnut coffee table with breadboard ends. Knowing nothing about wood movement, I cut a full length tongue and groove for each breadboard end and glued them the entire length. 25 years later, the main table top still swells beyond the breadboard end each summer and shrinks short of it each winter and nothing has cracked or loosened (still no guarantee in the future). Sometimes you just get lucky. So relax and see what happens. Sometimes the wood movement gods smile upon you.

[Bob Daniel]

Thanks Dave, appreciate it. I KNEW I should have posted this last night... B-)

[Kent A Bathurst]

".........should I just kill myself now.....

Unfortunately, yes, you should.

Can I have your stuff?

:D

[Bob Daniel]

Unfortunately, yes, you should.

Can I have your stuff?

:D

You'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands... oh... that was kind of your point wasn't it.... you'll have to ask my wife, in that case... ;)

[Keith Christopher]

...the two "patches" are each a solid piece, about 8"x11", planed down to about 1/2", a nice roundover, looks great. I slathered it with Titebond III and glued it to the particle board. The first time, it started to warp and come away after the clamps came off, due to the moisture of the glue I guess, but after a reglue with the clamps on a full 24 hours, it looks like it's holding...

The problem is, it never even dawned on me to consider wood movement. I'm afraid the panel will expand across its width when summer humidity hits, and one day I'll just find it on the floor, the glue bond broken. Or worse, damage will be done to the particle board making a repair impossible.
.


The ultimate horror in woodworking 'eh ? Wood movement. Well there are many things relative to that and I think with a stable substraight like particleboard, you will be more or less ok. The TB and other PVA glues are 'soft' glues so to speak, they will stretch _vs say a weld or urea resin which are much more solid. depending on where the piece lives will be much more of a factor how much expansion and contraction you get. In the more modern homes movement is much less then in the old days where humidity and temps were not as controlled. For all intent you could keep your home at 72deg year round and humidity controlled as well.

So don't worry, I have a 3/8" layer of maple that's been veneered to a piece of MDF for about 6 years now and there is no noticeable movement and this piece sits right next to my front door to receive keys, wet gloves or anything else I set on it when I walk in the door.

[Bob Daniel]

Thanks Kieth... I'm starting to like my chances a bit more now... :)