Life after your workshop is one stress test after another for furniture. Between your place, a truck, and its destination, your piece may go through three seasons in a few hours. Your piece is going to be moved around inside its home many times, usually by pushing and pulling on the top or sides. One way or another, we learn that good construction means that drawers and doors will still open and fit properly after the piece has been moved on its side, turned upside down, or racked going up stairs.

Here are a few problem areas:

Crown Molding Sometimes crown is just attached with some glue blocks. This method will secure the molding, but someday, someone is going to grab that molding to pull the piece towards them. Will it stay on?

Any Molding With a Delicate Edge
Moldings become bumpers. It might be during delivery, or in everyday use, but that delicate bead will most likely be dented or chipped. Since moldings are all about light and shadow you might be able to get the same effect with a core box.

More from this series • Introduction: Lessons from a delivery guy • Planning: It sounds silly, but will the piece fit in the client’s home? • Some problem areas • Finishing problems: Leading cause of callbacks • How to avoid callbacks • Coming soon: Falling furniture: 14,700 children injured yearly

Anything That Protrudes More Than 1/4-in.
This includes moldings, tops, and the ledge on a step-back cupboard or hutch. Low chests and bureaus are prone to problems at the top because folks lift them from the top, usually without emptying the contents. I reglue step back cupboards about once a month.

Wherever Your Piece Meets the Floor
This is generally a problem with engrain, but long grain isn’t immune. If the piece isn’t slightly elevated above the floor, the end grain might “blow out” when the piece is slid. This can easily take of a series of pieces 3/16” wide by 2 or 3 inches long. Part of the answer is easing the bottommost edges, but ultimately you need to install floor protectors. The inexpensive felt disks protect both the furniture, and the floor.

Subassemblies
If your piece has been put together by joining sub-assemblies, make sure the joinery can support the entire weight of the piece in any position or use techniques that allow for easy disassembly. 

Next Time: Finishing, where the callbacks are