Mistake Recovery - Domino mistake fixed by a domino

[andrew whicker]

Nothing feels better than gracefully recovering from a bad mistake. Cutting this countertop to length I hit a badly placed domino right on the exposed end grain. To be fair, I couldn't really plan out where these cuts were going to take place. Turns out all I had to do was make a cut 1/8" over I would never have seen a domino. So it goes.

Took about 30 minutes to fix (with a practice piece to size it out properly).

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[andrew whicker]

Not sure if this is a better or worse photo.

Right after fix.


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Anyway, I'm proud of myself :D

[Brian Runau]

How did you cut the tenon to the correct size?

[andrew whicker]

Table saw, 6" digital caliper, and a practice piece on a sled. Rounded the corners with my belt sander.

I considered opening it up to 12 mm (~1/2 inch) to use my 1/4" round over bit, but the practice piece turned out fine so I went for it.

Does make one think about getting a standard domino cutter like 1/2" so that you can use your 1/4" round over bits.

[John TenEyck]

What separates a good woodworker from one who's not? A good woodworker can fix their mistakes so no one else knows.

Love that Sapele, too.

John

[Jim Becker]

Outstanding recovery, Andrew! It also follows the "first rule" of patching which is matching grain as closely as possible.

[Alan Lightstone]

Beautiful fix, Andrew. I can't see it in the photo. And the sapele is beautiful.

2nd rule of woodworking mistakes: Don't tell anyone about your mistake.

We all find mistakes in our work. Others usually don't see them. So don't point it out.

Nice work.

[Keegan Shields]

Nailed it!

[Prashun Patel]

That's a wonderful fix. It's almost too good. I like scars. But that's a professional result.

[andrew whicker]

Beautiful fix, Andrew. I can't see it in the photo. And the sapele is beautiful.

2nd rule of woodworking mistakes: Don't tell anyone about your mistake.

We all find mistakes in our work. Others usually don't see them. So don't point it out.

Nice work.


Haha, the customer won't hear about it, but who here isn't happy when they recover from a mistake and doesn't want to brag about it? : ) It's like the best part of woodworking.

[Jim Dwight]

I use what I consider "normal" round over bits to make domino tenon stock. I have 5/16, 1/4, 3/16 and 1/8 round over bits and just use the closest one in my router table when I need to make a few more sticks of dominos out of scrap. The fact that it is not exactly the right size doesn't make any difference in my opinion. Leaves a little space for glue.

I'd prefer "normal" size domino bits but I am not going to hold my breath until that happens. The odd metric sizing and metric scales are to me the only drawback of an otherwise excellent tool.

[Patrick Kane]

It will probably show itself a little more when finish is applied, but in its unfinished state the patch is fantastic. Honestly, only the most discerning eye would pick up on that stuff to begin with. I made a different kind of Domino mistake years ago where I plunged into the wrong face of a walnut carcass. I ended up repeating the 'mistake' on the other end of the panel and then made walnut dominos. The finished piece just looks like i purposefully did through tenons. Only i know that was definitely not the original intent.

Ive made my fair share of countertops and this is exactly why i never have dominoes within 8-12" of the edge of my rough countertop blanks before cutting to final dimension. For the last few years, i lay out the panel with the template on top before making my domino marks for the final glueup. This is an excellent reminder for me to spend more time planning, and if all else fails, make a similar patch.

[Brian Runau]

Table saw, 6" digital caliper, and a practice piece on a sled. Rounded the corners with my belt sander.

I considered opening it up to 12 mm (~1/2 inch) to use my 1/4" round over bit, but the practice piece turned out fine so I went for it.

Does make one think about getting a standard domino cutter like 1/2" so that you can use your 1/4" round over bits.

Thanks. Brian

[andrew whicker]

It didn't show itself too bad with finish..

I do like the idea of putting a template over rough un glued boards... I thought I would save some time and do the glue ups first. I did keep the dominoes away from the edges, but I learned later in the project that the customer was going to use 1/16" peel and stick backsplash.. so then I had to switch things up and had to add width and then there was a front and a back.. etc.

Anyway, became kind of a nuisance.

My original plan was to get a clean cut on the non joint side, then take off material only on the joint side. When I glued on the strip of wood to widen the top then I inadvertently picked a L and a R side.. so I couldn't use that method anymore.

[Alan Lightstone]

I'd like to say that I've never made a mistake and made a cut making a domino visible.

Boy, I'd like to say that.... :rolleyes: