That week we had to build a 12-foot walnut conference table in a damp garage

The humidity was crazy, around 80 percent, and the client in Asheville wanted it done in four days. We had to clamp everything twice as long and I spent a whole afternoon just re-planing the breadboard ends that kept cupping. Anyone else ever pull off a big solid wood piece in a space with zero climate control?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.laura1mo ago

That "damp garage" detail is the real story. People talk about wood movement, but the ground itself can be a problem. A slab floor without a vapor barrier is just pumping moisture up into your work. I had a table base soak up so much water from the concrete it swelled at the bottom after assembly. You're not just fighting the air, you're fighting the whole building.

pats231mo ago

Three inches of swelling at the bottom? That's rough. I had a similar thing happen with a walnut desk leg that sat on a slab for two months before I finished it, the base was about a quarter inch bigger around than the top by the time I got to it. @black.laura, did you ever try putting something like a sheet of plastic or a rubber mat under the base before you start, or is it just one of those things you have to account for in the design?

ryan_sanchez1mo ago

Wait, it swelled after you put it together? That's brutal.