Replies

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Dec 27, 2007 06:11pm | #1

   How's the trim fastened? (What glue? Any mechanical joint, like T&G?) Any chance of taking it apart and re-gluing? How are the corners of the trim joined -- are they mitered?

   I wouldn't try to build up the surface with a finish.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   mvflaim | Dec 27, 2007 06:52pm | #3

   I mitered the corners so i can't trim off the front edge and reglue it. I used yellow glue with biscuit joints to attach it to the plywood. the only thing I could think of is to rout out a small channel in the top and fill it with solid cherry and then scrape it flush but I'm afraid it may only highlight the area.  

1. 
   oldusty | Dec 27, 2007 08:04pm | #4

     Hi Mike ,

              There is as always more than one way to do most things , in this case the obvious would be to rip off the face edge and actually crosscut , router or otherwise remove the ends trims and start over .If after ripping it down it becomes too shallow you can add a strip of solid stock to the back edge to net the right size needed .

         Before doing that if it was me I might try a different approach , first .

          What if you try putting a small either Vee groove at the joint or actually use a flat bottomed veining type of bit and run a small miniature groove running  around the front and sides .This detail is used on edge treatments in furniture, and creates sort of a shadow line effect and can look very refined while hiding the small problem . It is one of those details that sort of "trick the eye " by taking what was a problem and turning it into a design feature . I think I actually ran a felt tip pen or some stain down one to help cosmetically .

      Inlaying a strip of contrasting wood becomes busy but nice .

      If that fails you will be no worse off then now , plan C  = Chainsaw ,no no

        I wonder if the high spot is near a biscuit ? Is it possible the plywood has spread from the biscuit ? The same can be done without the biscuits or any other .

     regards           dusty   "how good we are is how good we fix our mistakes"

1. 
   mvflaim | Dec 27, 2007 09:16pm | #6

   Hi Dusty,

   thanks for the ideas. I have thought about putting a Vee groove down the front and sides but I'm trying to match this credenza up with a bookcase i built earlier in the year so, i'm not too sure if i want one having that detail and the other not. I don't think the biscuit caused the plywood to swell. I think more likely than not when I planed the face smooth with my No 4, I may have planed a little too much on that section of the edging. but that's just a guess.  

2. 
   MikeHennessy | Dec 27, 2007 09:15pm | #5

   "the only thing I could think of is to rout out a small channel in the top and fill it with solid cherry and then scrape it flush but I'm afraid it may only highlight the area."

   Ah. There you go! Rout a channel around the piece over the joint and fill it with some nicely contrasting wood. (Maple looks great w/ cherry, IMHO.) Make the bug into a feature. Heck, it works for Bill Gates! ;-)

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   smslaw | Dec 28, 2007 05:28pm | #9

   Make the bug into a feature. Heck, it works for Bill Gates! ;-)

   Vista has about a million features.

3. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 28, 2007 08:44am | #8

   I mitered the corners so i can't trim off the front edge and reglue it...If it were me and I did not want to do all the edging over.I would cut the mitered joints with a razor saw very carefully. (Just shy of the joint and carefully remove the offending edge.)If you have a router you could remove the edging with it and have a perfect new plywood edge. Stop the cut (bit) just short of the miters and trim the remaining wood away with a sharp chisel.Clamp a sheet of ply or mdf to the top to protect it from scratches and then clamp a straight edge (another sheet of ply or whatever you have that is straight) to the ply base for use as a straight edge to guide the router. Make sense?If you place the straight edge precisely and have a sharp bit, all should go well. Do not try to remove all of the edging in one cut. Make several shallow cuts.Also consider making a shallow cut (using a razor blade/knife) at the ply/edging joint to prevent any possible chip out in the ply veneer.I know this will work if you take your time. Do not ask me how I would know this works. :>)

2. 
   dherzig | Dec 27, 2007 06:19pm | #2

   Based on my personal experience of an embarrassing number of similar instances, I would recommend running it through the table saw to trim off the old edge and putting a new edge on it. ( As long as  you did not use brads or nails to attach the edging.)

   
   

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   Edited 12/27/2007 10:21 am ET by dherzig

3. 
   Frank Vucolo | Dec 28, 2007 08:18am | #7

   Mike,

   It sounds like you are always going to know that the defect is there or that the fix-it-up remedy is there. Why let that eat at you forever?

   Remake the top. Let the finished piece be truly representative of your skills.

   Some ideas on technique...

   When biscuit joining the solid edge to the plywood, set the fence on the biscuit joiner so that it makes a slot just below center (about a 16th) on the solid stock. After cutting those slots, use the same setting for the plywood. However, place a shim under the fence to lift the cutter about 1/16th (A piece of cardboard, a baseball card, a piece of sheet plastic or laminate will do.) Now when you glue the pieces together, the solid stock will reference 1/16 proud of the plywood. When you remove the clamps, use a piloted flush cutting bit in a router to trim the two surfaces. The bearing rides on the plywood and the cutter takes the solid stock perfectly flush. A little touch with 220 paper will harmonize the connection with no danger of sanding through the ply.

   None of us get it right all the time. I sure don't. But unless you come up with a remedy that works, and that you can live with in the long term, take the time to remake the top.

   Just a suggestion. Hope it helps.

1. 
   dherzig | Dec 29, 2007 08:03pm | #13

   I am curious why you would not just make the edging enough  thicker than the plywood so that it overlaps the top and the bottom. Then flush trim the  top and the bottom.  Then the need to get the trim to match one edge perfectly would be unnecessary.

1. 
   Frank Vucolo | Dec 30, 2007 03:22am | #14

   You certainly could do it so the top and bottom both overlap and then flush trim both.

   I'm not sure what the intention was for the end result. In many cases the solid edging is wider than the thickness of the plywood. For example, I'm looking up now at a bookcase in my office where the solid edging is just over 1" on a 3/4" plywood shelf, creating the illusion that the shelf is over 1" thick.

   The technique about offsetting the biscuit slot just ensures that you get a final registration where the solid stock is proud of the plywood - making sure you avoid the "slipping" that can occur when you are trying to clamp up the whole thing.

4. 
   Dave45 | Dec 28, 2007 06:04pm | #10

   This has to be one of the most aggravating problems I've ever encountered.  It seems that no matter how carefully I line up the edge pieces, I get that same problem.  It's usually due to a slight amount of "creep" while the top is in the clamps, but I've found that variations in the thickness of the ply and/or solid wood can also cause this.  You're right about not sanding - burning thru the paper thin plywood veneer would be a serious disaster.

   I handle this by either:

   • Cutting off the edging stock and doing it over, or
   • Letting it go and using a bit more finish to level the area.

   Letting it go is certainly the least desirable approach, but may be justifiable if you remember that no one else will ever inspect this piece as closely as you do while you're building it.  It's a judgement call and will be largely based on just how anal you are. - lol

   When I first started building cabinets and furniture, I was as anal as they come and almost made myself crazy (crazier?) over every little imperfection.  A few visits to some high-end cabinet shops and furniture stores tempered my perfectionism.  As I learned what to look for, I began to see some of their mistakes and realized that I was probably the only person in the room who noticed them.

5. 
   flairwoodworks | Dec 29, 2007 09:22am | #11

   I would search through your scraps and find a piece with matching grain and glue it directly on top before planing it flush with the surface.

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

6. 
   mvflaim | Dec 29, 2007 07:53pm | #12

   Thanks for the help guys. I ended up not doing anything at all other than apply more finish on the top and evening it out with 600 grit sandpaper and steel wool. I asked my wife what I should do since I was making it for her. When she felt it, she said "why did you even tell me? I can't notice it until I rub my finger over it." The credenza came out really well.

    

    

   
1. 
   bww_maryland | Dec 30, 2007 06:51am | #15

   a beautiful piece.

1. 
   mvflaim | Dec 30, 2007 06:08pm | #16

   Thanks! I need to take real photos of it with a backdrop and proper lighting but I'm already using it so that probably won't happen now.