Caught a glue joint failure at 4pm on a friday in my shop outside Portland

I was about to clamp a big mitered frame for a custom kitchen install when I noticed a hairline crack in the maple face. Turns out my humidity meter had been off by 15% all week and the wood had shifted. Has anyone else had a batch of lumber suddenly change on them mid-project?

2 comments

2 Comments

markl7517d agoProlific Poster

Wait, your humidity meter was off by 15%? That's a huge swing, not just a little glitch. I'd be paranoid checking every piece of lumber after that kind of surprise. Bet you're glad you spotted that crack when you did though.

grant_ross2718d ago

You got a humidity meter that went bad on you? Yeah, I've had that happen before. It's a real pain when you trust your readings and the wood moves on you like that. My advice is to always keep a cheap pin meter around as a backup, just to double check when something feels off. Also, if you can, let that lumber sit in your shop for a few extra days before you cut it, especially if you've been working in the same space for a while. Good catch on that crack before you clamped it, that would've been a nightmare to fix after the glue set.