Ever wish you could fast forward 5 years and see how your projects are holding up? That would certainly be useful information as it would let you know what worked, and what didn’t. So in this episode, I pull out a number of old projects and examine them closely for damage, flaws and evidence of wood movement. I’ll also go over the joinery used in each project and what you can expect from them over time. And the grand finale is my chess board (the second project I ever made). Let’s just say that you should never underestimate the power of wood movement. Incidentally, if you answered our viewer survey this past summer, you’ve already seen this episode.

Are you a Humble Woodworker? Just for fun, take this little quiz created by Garrett over at ToolCrib.com

The problem I am stuck on is with regards to the top of the box. I have designed the box to have the top made out of two bits of cherry butted up against each other which will then sit in a rabbit around the top of the side pieces. From what I have seen online recently it looks like this could result in the top expanding and “popping” the dovetails out, or cracking the top piece. I’m pretty much at a loss as to how I could get around this and was wondering if you had any pointers.

And here was my response:
Hey Martin. I too was very surprised when I first learned that we have to account for wood movement. I remember thinking at the time, “Oh great! Something else to worry about!” lol. The interesting thing is there are always exceptions to the rules and there are nearly always workarounds. Depending on the size of this box, you may never really have a problem. Obviously the smaller it is, the less it will move. And with small jewelry boxes, you can usually break a lot of the movement rules. Now if this is a reasonably good size, you certainly might have issues, but then again, you might not. How much of a gambler are you? If you want to get a little more scientific about it, check out The Shrinkulator.

Now the safe thing to do would be to redesign the top a little. And by re-designing, you might turn this dilemma into a design opportunity. The most obvious option would be to make the top more like a frame and panel. So the two cherry pieces would be set into a groove that goes all the way around the inside perimeter of the lid. The panel would essentially float, and thus be allowed to move. But of course, this changes the look.

Now if you absolutely do not want a frame and panel look, then your only other “safe” option is plywood. You can fully surround a piece of ply in that situation and have no adverse effects. And based on this design, the ply edges would be completely concealed and no one would have any idea that it was a piece of plywood. In fact, that would be the way I would do it if I wanted to adhere to that specific design. Good luck!

Welcome to Wood Talk Online Episode 23. As always, if you have a question or comment, you can email us at woodtalkonline@gmail.com or leave us a message at 623-242-2450. We had a few audio issues in this episode so please bear with us.

This week we are graced, once again, with the presence of Tom Iovino. Tom gives us the low down on his new dining room table he finished just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Marc tells us all about his recent 3-day seminar in Oklahoma.

Our first email was from Steve who is looking for advice on selecting quality hand planes on a budget. Our second email is from Zac who brags about his new Lie Nielsen router plane. Our third email is from John who recommends a book called Architectural Graphic Standards, published by The American Institute of Architects. Our final email was from Rudy who recommends Tried and True finishes and provided us with this excellent spreadsheet for calculated wood movement.

Our first voicemail was from Alan who is having trouble with his tablesaw binding during light cuts. Our second voicemail is from Roberto who is inquiring about the Laguna tablesaw. Our third voicemail is from Derryl who asks about Ohio Certified Stains.

A very happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone!