Frosted a $300 maple panel because I didn't let the glue dry long enough

Rushed a set of shaker doors last Wednesday and clamped everything up after only 45 minutes. The whole face frame slid apart when I moved it to the spray booth and I had to scrap the panel. Anybody else had to learn this lesson the hard way or am I the only one who gets impatient?

2 comments

2 Comments

gonzalez.anna25d ago

Man I feel for you. "Didn't let the glue dry long enough" sounds exactly like something my buddy Dave did last year with a walnut dining table he was building for a client. He rushed the biscuit joints on the breadboard ends, clamped it up after maybe an hour, and when he flipped it over the next morning the whole end cap was sitting crooked like a quarter inch off. Had to cut it off and start over, wasted like 80 bucks worth of walnut. He still gets teased about it at our shop meetings. It's just one of those mistakes that sticks with you, you know?

wright.cole25d ago

Gotta say I used to be one of those guys who thought glue drying time was just a suggestion... like if it feels dry to the touch it's good enough. But after watching a buddy's whole kitchen island top warp because he clamped up dovetails too early I totally changed my mind. It's crazy how that little bit of moisture still trapped in the joint can shift everything overnight. Now I always set a timer and walk away even if the project looks perfect and I'm itching to move on. That story about Dave cutting off that end cap... man I can picture that feeling of pulling off a clamp and just knowing you messed up.