Question about a bad cut on a custom oak table

I was working on a custom table for a client in Asheville last week, and I messed up a key miter cut on the oak apron... my saw blade was a bit dull and it tore out a chunk of the grain. I had to stop, glue in a small Dutchman patch, and then re-cut the whole piece from fresh stock, which set me back half a day. Has anyone else had to fix a bad miter on a visible piece, and what's your go-to save?

3 comments

3 Comments

leor371mo ago

Yeah, the Dutchman patch is a solid fix. I mean, if it's on a really clean face I might try to hide it with a matching bowtie inlay instead, make it look like a design choice.

evayoung1mo ago

Honestly that idea of hiding a fix by making it look like a design choice is everywhere. People put a cute patch on ripped jeans or use a nice basket to hide router cables. We're always trying to turn a problem into something that looks like it was on purpose. It's like we can't stand admitting something broke, so we just call it style instead.

wyatt_chen8622d ago

Ask if that's really hiding it though or just dressing it up. A bowtie inlay still stands out if someone knows what they're looking at. Feels like the goal is fooling yourself, not fooling others.