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That week we had to build a 12-foot walnut conference table in a damp garage
The humidity was crazy, around 80 percent, and the client in Asheville wanted it done in four days. We had to clamp everything twice as long and I spent a whole afternoon just re-planing the breadboard ends that kept cupping. Anyone else ever pull off a big solid wood piece in a space with zero climate control?
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black.laura5mo ago
That "damp garage" detail is the real story. People talk about wood movement, but the ground itself can be a problem. A slab floor without a vapor barrier is just pumping moisture up into your work. I had a table base soak up so much water from the concrete it swelled at the bottom after assembly. You're not just fighting the air, you're fighting the whole building.
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pats234mo ago
Three inches of swelling at the bottom? That's rough. I had a similar thing happen with a walnut desk leg that sat on a slab for two months before I finished it, the base was about a quarter inch bigger around than the top by the time I got to it. @black.laura, did you ever try putting something like a sheet of plastic or a rubber mat under the base before you start, or is it just one of those things you have to account for in the design?
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ryan_sanchez5mo ago
Wait, it swelled after you put it together? That's brutal.
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