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Delivered this mesquite dining room in early 2004 I believe. Got a call yesterday that a crack has opened up in the table sometime in the last several months. As seen in the second picture, it's significant, tho probably emphasized by the closeup. I can't recall having any issues with the glue-up (as in forcing the joint closed), but it has been 14 years, and that's sure what you'd assume by looking.
In all the mesquite work I did, I only had one 'repair' job, and I attribute that improperly dried material... and that problem showed up quickly. I guess I was lucky, because it was (is?) pretty common to see improperly dried mesquite. I don't think it's reasonable to point to moisture in this case since it's been so long, the table is sitting right where I put it 14 years ago, and the house has been climatized/occupied the entire time. I believe the proper fix would be to rip it in half, reglue, and refinish. But those two halves are big. And heavy. And KC's not a youngster anymore.
A quick fix would be to drop some black epoxy in there and call it done. Might even get away without destroying the lacquer. But if it was MY table, I'm not sure I'd be happy with that... and I wouldn't expect anybody else to be.
For what's worth, the glue was DAP Weldwood resin. If I'm missing other solutions, please advise.
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Wood only moves due to moisture, RH, and/or temp. change so one of them must have caused it; just took a lot of cycles to weaken the bond enough to let go. Sort of irrelevant now though. What are those two little whitish spots I see down in the crack? How is the top attached to the base?
The only invisible repair I can think of is to rip it apart, glue it back together, and refinish it, as you said. I wouldn't want to do that either. But I wonder if you could rip it and reglue it using a spline or loose tenons (Domino) so that the joint is just about perfect, such that you would only have to apply another coat or two of finish to the entire top. Might be a long shot, but worth a shot. You can always sand or strip the entire top if the joint doesn't come out to your satisfaction. Sure is a nice looking table. I hope you get it repaired to everyone's satisfaction.
I would look hard at how the top is attached to the base and make sure it has plenty of opportunity to expand/contract in the future.
John
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I love working mesquite, and have always heard that it is one of the most stable woods. Here are my thoughts: a) If the problem was wood movement, it most likely would have created a "new" check. b) A well glued joint is almost always stronger than the wood. c) If you had mounted the top improperly, most likely, it would not have taken 14 years for disaster to strike.
I feel your pain, I'm 72 and would not enjoy ripping, regluing, and refinishing the top. BTW, nice looking table and chairs.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
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The ripping looks like a good job for a track saw. Re-gluing I'd go with biscuits and WEST epoxy. Minimal refinishing.
Wood is good.
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Agree with others - rip and re-glue. Make sure cross bracing is allowing for expansion/contraction. Best way to fix problem.
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+1 for ripping and epoxy. Maybe add a biscuit or doimino for alignment. After 14 years, being solid wood, I would consider a repair charge. This isn’t a catastrophic failure but a repair after 14 years in a solid wood top.
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If I owned the table, I’d call it Nature and only have the minimal amount of work—if any—done.
I certainly wouldn’t hold the maker responsible after more than a dozen years.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
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(02-17-2018, 09:00 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: If I owned the table, I’d call it Nature and only have the minimal amount of work—if any—done.
I certainly wouldn’t hold the maker responsible after more than a dozen years.
I'm assuming you are volunteering to fix this right? I mean, you can't possibly warranty furniture for 15 years... can you?
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I believe the little spots in the crack are biscuits obscured by shadow.
There's no expectation of this being a 'free fix', or effort to hold me 'responsible'. Just my single biggest client order, and a helluva nice couple. If I can take care of it I will.
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(02-18-2018, 09:12 AM)KC Wrote: I believe the little spots in the crack are biscuits obscured by shadow.
There's no expectation of this being a 'free fix', or effort to hold me 'responsible'. Just my single biggest client order, and a helluva nice couple. If I can take care of it I will. Gotcha, that makes more sense.
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