I did *exactly* what I told myself not to do and split a piece of wood.

[DerbyDad03]

I come here to humble myself...

I was assembling a nightstand similar to this:

http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/images/2013_11/SideTable3ways-hero.jpg

I modified the design to make it taller to match the height of a tall bed and also raised the top shelf so that it is flush with the top of the side slats. (It's a nightstand for my daughter's college apartment)

I knew going in that I had to be careful when screwing the top shelf to the slats. Being so close to the end of the slats introduced a lot of potential for splitting. Of course, I pre-drilled and countersunk for the screws.

I specifically said to myself "If you need to remove a screw for any reason, be damn sure the screw gun is set to extract the screw, not drive it in further."

Low and behold, after attaching all 19 slats to both the top and bottom shelf, I noticed that 1 (one!) slat was not fully seated against the top shelf. Simple fix: remove the screw, clamp the slat to the shelf and carefully drive the screw back in. Easy peazy.

So I grab the screw gun and promptly drive the screw further into the wood, splitting the slat.

Now I have to set up the table saw to rip a new slat. Luckily the router table is still set up the same so the round overs will be easy to match. Then there's the finish sanding. I thought I was done!

Any other mistake during assembly would have been bad enough, but to do *exactly* what I warned myself not to do really sucks!

[Leon]

Nooooo... Unless you really screwed up you can easily repair the split.
Force some glue in the crack and clamp. Happens all the time.

[Lee Michaels]

"DerbyDad03" <teama...@eznet.net> wrote in message
news:9ed88047-9ff6-4685...@googlegroups.com...

Whenever I make anything that has that multiple small parts, I always make
an extra or two. I learned over time that there is two major difficulties
with many small parts.

1) You will damage one of them. Similar to what you just did.

2) Sometimes there will be one part that just is just a little off. You
save that part for an extra. Besides, for a project like this, one of those
parts may get damaged down the road. Having an extra or two laying around
would make repairs much simpler.

[John McCoy]

Leon <lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote in
news:Df6dnZf4GI4ToizI...@giganews.com:

> Nooooo... Unless you really screwed up you can easily repair the
> split.
> Force some glue in the crack and clamp. Happens all the time.

Yeah, sad to say I've done that more than once. As long as
it's just one crack (and not two cracks with a loose wedge
in between) the result is pretty much invisible.

John

[DerbyDad03]

Damaged? In a college apartment? I don't think so. ;-)

[DerbyDad03]

I had considered that, but it's not a single clean split. While there is one small split down the side of the slat, the top is kind of spider-web cracked. The slats are also rounded over on the top and corners so I'm not sure I can close up the spider webs with clamps. I'll try.

I may see what other options I can come up with. I've thought about removing a good slat near the back to replace the split one near the front. I could then flip the split one over (after filling the screw holes) and use it towards the back where the filled holes won't be seen and the split will be near/on the floor.

If I was painting it I'd be less concerned but it's going to be wipe-on polyed since I want it to match the bed I built for my daughter last year.

[Leon]

Good advice, making an extra one or two. That insures that you end up
with an extra one or two after the build. ;~) Don't make the extras
and you will surely need them.

>
> 2) Sometimes there will be one part that just is just a little off. You
> save that part for an extra. Besides, for a project like this, one of
> those parts may get damaged down the road. Having an extra or two
> laying around would make repairs much simpler.

Oh heck no! Damage down the road just builds character. Replace a
damaged part and the perfect part stick out like sore thumb. :~)
AND,,,, you will never find that extra part. BTDT LOL

[Leon]

At least try, you have nothing to loose.

>
> I may see what other options I can come up with. I've thought about
> removing a good slat near the back to replace the split one near the
> front. I could then flip the split one over (after filling the screw
> holes) and use it towards the back where the filled holes won't be
> seen and the split will be near/on the floor.

Yeah and when you move the slats around you will split those too. ;~)
Just kidding, but you know how that goes.

>
> If I was painting it I'd be less concerned but it's going to be
> wipe-on polyed since I want it to match the bed I built for my
> daughter last year.
>

Paint just that one slat. ;~) It'll be a conversation piece.

Sorry again, I know you are pissed. You will come up with a great
solution I am sure. Keep up posted.

[Gordon Shumway]

I'm sure you're the only one in this group that's ever ruined
anything. What a rookie! P-)

[DerbyDad03]

Oh, I've ruined stuff before, don't you worry about that! :-)

I just can't believe (oh, sure I can) that I did exactly what I specifically told myself to make sure I didn't do just a few hours before. As I'm sure many of us have done, I let my mind wonder - thinking about showing the completed nightstand to SWMBO - instead of concentrating on the task at hand.

Well, better my mind wonders at the assembly table and not at the table saw, that's for sure.

[Sonny]

On Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 3:28:01 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:

> The slats are also rounded over on the top and corners so I'm not sure I can close up the spider webs with clamps. I'll try.
>
> I may see what other options I can come up with.

Wide rubber band should do the trick.

I have cut tractor tire inner tubes, into long strips, for wrap-clamping splits as that. Works well. Sometimes the "black", of the inner tube, mars the wood.... easily sanded off. Glued on "black" is a little tougher to remove, but easy enough. Takes 2-3 yrs for the inner tube to "dry-rot" and begin to break.

Chem lab rubber hoses work well and leave no marks on the wood.... dry rot in 2-3 yrs, also.

Making spare parts: I make extra upholstery buttons and attach to a piece, in an unseen spot.

Sonny

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Thu, 23 Jul 2015 11:27:11 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
<teama...@eznet.net> wrote:

It's ALWAYS the "stupid" mistakes, isn't it?? Never the ones you'd
never think of?

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

The BIG problem is knowing where the spare is when you need it a
year or two down the road, and remembering what it is, and what it is
for, when you are going through your pile looking for " a little piece
of" for another project - the 2 weeks later needing that peice to do
the repair!!!!!

[DerbyDad03]

I played around for a very short time last night, mainly just to see what a clamp would do for the split. I (carefully) unscrewed the slat from the nightstand and used a 24" trigger clamp to try and close the split.

Similar clamp:
http://static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/18G791_AS01?$zmmain$

I could not close the split completely with that clamp.

I then tried a Jorgensen bar clamp:

http://cdn.mscdirect.com/global/images/ProductImages/6215442-23.jpg

With considerable effort, I was able to close the split, although it did not disappear completely in either the side grain or the end grain.

It really won't be much work to make a new slat. It'll probably take less time than it will for the glue to dry completely.

[John McCoy]

DerbyDad03 <teama...@eznet.net> wrote in
news:287f7bfc-6e32-4914...@googlegroups.com:

> I then tried a Jorgensen bar clamp:
>
> http://cdn.mscdirect.com/global/images/ProductImages/6215442-23.jpg
>
> With considerable effort, I was able to close the split, although it
> did not disappear completely in either the side grain or the end
> grain.

That strongly suggests there was a lot of stress in that piece
of wood, and it was probably going to split (or warp, or do
something else undesirable) anyway. This may be a blessing
in diguise...

John

[DerbyDad03]

Those were my thoughts exactly. Now I can starting stressing over the internals of the other 18 slats (pun intended).

I just have to keep reminding myself:

College apartment furniture
College apartment furniture
College apartment furniture

[DerbyDad03]

Replacement slat cut, routed, sanded and installed - unsplit.

I did 5 hours of greasy brake work (don't ask!) on an 85° Sunday. I was
already dirty and sweaty, so I decided to add some sawdust to the mix
before showering.

A few coats of wipe-on poly and the nightstand will be ready to be dropped
off when I move my daughter into her next college apartment (actually a
shared house) in August. Surprise!

[Leon]

Early Fall? :-)

[DerbyDad03]

Whoops...I guess I forgot that it's all relative. 85 is really hot around here, especially this summer. I will now tract my complaint.

[Leon]

;~) I just checked my garage, 95 and it is 8:40 pm. But when the sun
goes down my wife and I hang out on our back patio under the ceiling
fan. With a cold drink you almost get a chill... So fortunately it
cools off, or feels nice, with out the sun.

[Dr. Deb]

That is why I keep "glue injectors" (really just a large hypodermic needle) around the shop. It gets glue down in those really hard to reach places. A good hand screw and you are in business. As John McCoy said, "The repair is practically invisible."

[DerbyDad03]

As I mentioned in a later response, I applied a Jorgensen clamp and it took a considerable amount of clamping pressue to close the split. Even after I did that the split was no where near "practically invisible". I assume there was more stress in that section of wood than normal which may have accounted for some of the split in the first place.

I have already made and install a new slat. Thanks anyway.

[Leon]

Yeah, some times when wood does more than split in one spot the
splinters can rearrange themselves and for some reason they don't
want to fall back in place.

[Mike Marlow]

DerbyDad03 wrote:

>
> Replacement slat cut, routed, sanded and installed - unsplit.
>
> I did 5 hours of greasy brake work (don't ask!) on an 85° Sunday. I
> was
> already dirty and sweaty, so I decided to add some sawdust to the mix
> before showering.

5 hours??? That just ain't right, but all of us who work on our cars have
been there done that, right or not. Especially those of us in the rust
belt...



--

-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net

[Leon]

Well if you send the drums and rotors out to be turned and or have to do
a caliper or WC repair that wastes a lot of time.
Greasy tells me leaking seals and or repacking front wheel bearings.

[DerbyDad03]

Yep, the rust belt is where I'm at. Actually, 5 hours is probably
conservative. I'll bet it was more than that with trips to the store, etc.

2007 Civic, 92K miles, bought about a month ago for my soon-to-be-moving-
off-campus daughter. (not the one I built the nightstand for)

When I brought the car home, I rotated the tires and visually inspected the
brakes. The car appeared to be very well maintained and there was a lot of
pad left, so I didn't go any further. I then took the car for the required
state inspection and ex-Honda dealer, now indy, mechanic visually inspected
the brakes and put a sticker on the vehicle. "Nice car!" he says.

Last week my daughter tells me that she smells something burning whenever
she gets out of the car. I go outside to discover that passenger side front
brakes smell burnt. I pull the wheel and check the slider pins which are as
smooth as can be. I compress the piston and it goes in just fine.

Then I try to take the pads out of the bracket. Now, that just ain't
happening. I ended up having to pound them out with a rubber mallet. They were rusted in so tight I couldn't even budge them by hand. I wire wheeled the rust off of the pads tabs, the brackets and the clips. When I lubed everything back up they floated just like I like them to.

Well, if the passenger side was that bad, I had to assume the driver's side
was too. Sure enough, the rubber mallet and wire wheel were required.

OK, time to put it all back together for a test drive.

Hey, why won't this lug nut go back on? Darn, the threads on that stud are
all buggered up and that one doesn't look too good either. So it's off to
the auto store for some studs and lug nuts. Now, the last time I replaced
wheel studs was on a 1997 Dodge Ram conversion van, at least 10 years ago.
Maybe I'm just a bit older now, but I don't recall it being so darn hard to
draw the studs in flush with a lug nut and tire iron. I was sweating my arse
off.

Anyway, she's been driving the car for a couple of days now and there's no
more brake dust on the wheel covers or smell from the brakes, so I think
she's good to go.

[DerbyDad03]

Greasy just meant normal dirt, brake lube, WD-40, PB Blaster, etc.
Probably the wrong word to use.

Luckily no leaking seals, etc. See my other response for the details of the job.

[Mike Marlow]

Ugh! I gave up on turnings years ago. It just isn't worth the time and
effort anymore. By the time you turn drums or rotors, you're too far into
them to even realize any long term benefit. I either just replace pads
today (with none of the old school fears of what will result...), or if the
rotors are worn - simply put new ones on. Cheaper and longer lived in the
long run. For those vehicles that still have drums in the rear - I knock
down the ridge by hand in my garage, and move on. The old days or turning
rotors and drums are long gone.

--

-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net

[Mike Marlow]

DerbyDad03 wrote:

>
> Yep, the rust belt is where I'm at. Actually, 5 hours is probably
> conservative. I'll bet it was more than that with trips to the store,
> etc.
>

Rust belt cars always bring their own unique challenges to any job...

>
> Then I try to take the pads out of the bracket. Now, that just ain't
> happening. I ended up having to pound them out with a rubber mallet.
> They were rusted in so tight I couldn't even budge them by hand. I
> wire wheeled the rust off of the pads tabs, the brackets and the
> clips. When I lubed everything back up they floated just like I like
> them to.

Been there, done that. What I have usually found to be the culprit in those
situations is when the replacement pads had been installed without grinding
off the heavy coat of paint from the ears that fit into the caliper mounts.
I do not like a pad that has to be forced into place - the caliper will
ultimately not release properly in that case. I always - always, take a new
set of pads over to the bench grinder, and hit them a lick or two on all of
the edges of the ears, to get the paint off and maybe just a bit of steel
off, just enough so that the pad will easily fit into the caliper. A little
bit of slop is a good thing in my book. What I don't want is a tight fit.
That will restrict the movement of the assembly and cause pads to hang
against the rotor. Welcome excessive wear.

>
> Hey, why won't this lug nut go back on? Darn, the threads on that
> stud are
> all buggered up and that one doesn't look too good either. So it's
> off to
> the auto store for some studs and lug nuts. Now, the last time I
> replaced
> wheel studs was on a 1997 Dodge Ram conversion van, at least 10 years
> ago.
> Maybe I'm just a bit older now, but I don't recall it being so darn
> hard to
> draw the studs in flush with a lug nut and tire iron. I was sweating
> my arse
> off.

Air gun. 170psi. Draws 'em in like a walk in the park. I usually use a
large washer underneath the lug nut, just for good measure. Old habits and
all that stuff. Some cars though, are machined to slightly tighter
tolerances and so some models may pull a lug in fairly easily, while
others... maybe not so much.

>
> Anyway, she's been driving the car for a couple of days now and
> there's no
> more brake dust on the wheel covers or smell from the brakes, so I
> think
> she's good to go.

Famous last words. You should have included the phrase "until the next
problem..."

--

-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net

[DerbyDad03]

On Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 11:51:21 AM UTC-4, Mike Marlow wrote:
> DerbyDad03 wrote:
>
> >
> > Yep, the rust belt is where I'm at. Actually, 5 hours is probably
> > conservative. I'll bet it was more than that with trips to the store,
> > etc.
> >
>
> Rust belt cars always bring their own unique challenges to any job...
>
> >
> > Then I try to take the pads out of the bracket. Now, that just ain't
> > happening. I ended up having to pound them out with a rubber mallet.
> > They were rusted in so tight I couldn't even budge them by hand. I
> > wire wheeled the rust off of the pads tabs, the brackets and the
> > clips. When I lubed everything back up they floated just like I like
> > them to.
>
> Been there, done that. What I have usually found to be the culprit in those
> situations is when the replacement pads had been installed without grinding
> off the heavy coat of paint from the ears that fit into the caliper mounts.
> I do not like a pad that has to be forced into place - the caliper will
> ultimately not release properly in that case. I always - always, take a new
> set of pads over to the bench grinder, and hit them a lick or two on all of
> the edges of the ears, to get the paint off and maybe just a bit of steel
> off, just enough so that the pad will easily fit into the caliper.

My neighbor mentioned that he does the same thing. I've never had pads
stuck so bad, but I'll be doing some grinding of all new pads going forward.

> A little
> bit of slop is a good thing in my book. What I don't want is a tight fit.
> That will restrict the movement of the assembly and cause pads to hang
> against the rotor. Welcome excessive wear.

And heat and odor.

>
> >
> > Hey, why won't this lug nut go back on? Darn, the threads on that
> > stud are
> > all buggered up and that one doesn't look too good either. So it's
> > off to
> > the auto store for some studs and lug nuts. Now, the last time I
> > replaced
> > wheel studs was on a 1997 Dodge Ram conversion van, at least 10 years
> > ago.
> > Maybe I'm just a bit older now, but I don't recall it being so darn
> > hard to
> > draw the studs in flush with a lug nut and tire iron. I was sweating
> > my arse
> > off.
>
> Air gun. 170psi. Draws 'em in like a walk in the park. I usually use a
> large washer underneath the lug nut, just for good measure. Old habits and
> all that stuff. Some cars though, are machined to slightly tighter
> tolerances and so some models may pull a lug in fairly easily, while
> others... maybe not so much.

I don't have a compressor big enough for that sort of stuff. The only air
sound you'll hear is my huffing and puffing.

Open end wrench against the rotor, grade 8 washer against the wrench, lug
nut against the washer, lug wrench on nut, 90° offset from wrench. Spread
'em apart until they're at 180°. Reposition lug wrench, wash, rinse, repeat.

> >
> > Anyway, she's been driving the car for a couple of days now and
> > there's no
> > more brake dust on the wheel covers or smell from the brakes, so I
> > think
> > she's good to go.
>
> Famous last words. You should have included the phrase "until the next
> problem..."

>

In 3 weeks it won't be wrenches, it'll be debit cards. The car will
be 3 hours away and unless it (and her) can come home, she'll be taking it
to a shop. She'll be going to school but also doing 2 internships, working
with people that live in the area, so she'll be getting the names of some
local indy's for me to "interview".

[Mike Marlow]

DerbyDad03 wrote:

>
> I don't have a compressor big enough for that sort of stuff. The only
> air sound you'll hear is my huffing and puffing.

I understand that. I haven't always had a nice compressor at my disposal -
or even a garage for that matter. When we first buit out house we did not
have a garage, nor did I have a compressor. Vehicles did not seem to
respect this fact, and they continued to require service all the same. We
improvised some of the ugliest ways to accomplish the task at hand, grunted
like some neanderthal, created lots of new vocabulary - everything necessary
to get it done. I sure do love my garage and the tools I have now...

>
> In 3 weeks it won't be wrenches, it'll be debit cards. The car will
> be 3 hours away and unless it (and her) can come home, she'll be
> taking it to a shop. She'll be going to school but also doing 2
> internships, working with people that live in the area, so she'll be
> getting the names of some local indy's for me to "interview".

We went through that same stage of life. When Amy went off to college it
was 4.5 hours away. We got lucky - any work she needed done was of a nature
that she could get the car home and I could do the work right here. She
ultimately decided to stay in Philly after college and at that time I
"interviewed" a shop that was right across the street from her apartment.
The owner turned out to be a real straight up guy and he actually respected
a knowledgeable dad that cared about the welfare of his daughter. It helped
that my first visit to his shop was to ask if I could use his MIG to weld a
patio chair for my daughter that had gotten damaged in the move in. I guess
he appreciated people who can do stuff like that in this day and age
(remember - this is Philly). Anyway - I explained that my daughter had been
raised to do a lot of the more common auto repairs herself, and that she
knows and understands brake systems, can do her own brake jobs if she so
chooses, was a hands-on working partner with me in a complete body job and
paint job (which was a complete color change) on a previous car of hers, and
essentially is not a no-brain/idiot car driver. I also told him we believed
in the art of negotiation, and in the barter system. All of this seemed to
work for him. Over time the guy really treated her well. She would
challenge his prices on things, often already knowing what a fair price
would be for parts, understanding his need for profit (again - something I
taught her), clearly understanding what a lot of the repairs really required
(rather than some book rate), and she was very accomplished in talking about
these things with him to negotiate a price they both felt good with. Of
course, if she was not familiar with a problem the phone call to dad always
preceeded the visit to the shop. In the end - he really liked having her
for a customer. She wasn't an idiot with more money than brains that just
dropped her car off and expected it to be done by the end of the day. She
understood and respected the work he had to do on a job. And - she valued
what little disposal income she had to play with for car repairs. Oh yeah -
(another dad thing...), she knew to bake cookies, buy Dunkin' Donuts coffee,
etc. to show her genuine appreciation for the owner and his staff, as
people. It all worked well.

--

-Mike-
mmarlo...@windstream.net