Bench notes

Short notes, written up when something is learned the hard way.

Drawers that bind in August

Nearly always the sides, not the bottom. A drawer fitted in a dry February will swell across its width by the height of summer. The fix is to fit slightly loose in winter and let the wood take up the difference, not to plane it in August and have it rattle by Christmas.

Flattening the bench top

Once a year, with a jack set coarse across the grain, then a jointer diagonally, then a try plane along it. Half an hour of work, and it removes about one thick shaving of material. A bench that is flat makes assembly honest; one that is not hides a twist in every frame glued up on it.

Hide glue, briefly

It is reversible, it sticks to itself, and it lets a joint be taken apart in fifty years by someone who is not you. Its short open time is a real constraint on large glue-ups, which is a good argument for smaller assemblies rather than for a different glue.

Buying rough timber

Look at the ends of the stack, not the face of the top board. Check for case-hardening by ripping a short offcut; if the kerf closes on the saw, the board will move when it is resawn and the piece it is in will move with it.