Callbacks mean that someone isn’t happy. Usually, it’s a problem caused by one of the “big three”— kids, cats, and dogs. In my work, construction problems are rare, finishing problems are not. 

Beware of shrinking panels
I routinely get callbacks for shrinking panels; this can happen two or three years after the piece was built. Humidity drops and the panel starts to show unfinished edges. People don’t want to hear about seasonal wood movement, they want to know why the edges weren’t stained. 

Staining and finishing the panels separately can easily add a day on to production and you probably need to do the frames separately as well. I have read that you can assemble the frame and panel and then “blow in” some stain with compressed air, but I have never tried it— I don’t think it would work well in someone’s living room.

Breadboard ends
Once people understand how breadboard ends function, they seem to like them. They stop liking them when the top shrinks and exposes bare wood on the ends of the breadboard. A few months later the table top ends appear and they call again.

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

Small shops usually don’t have humidity control so sometimes a piece built in January ends up in someone’s shore home in August. Nothing moves like it should, and there isn’t much you can do except install dehumidification equipment or start planing doors and drawers. I don’t know if you have ever had the experience of taking a block plane to a finished surface, but it happens. 

I suppose these situations could be classified as problems with work habits or craftsmanship, as well as, finishing.

Finish as you go
The answer is to coat all surfaces, especially those that might be revealed after assembly. The ability to isolate a piece from the rest of the shop for finishing schedules without bringing other work to a halt would also help . It all takes time, but it also takes time to shape a cabriole leg, or make sure every door and drawer fits perfectly.

Next time: 14,700 children injured yearly by falling furniture