My elm trestle table is now finished. We had a good discussion about the stability of Elm, particularly since this is a free-standing top with no framing restraints. Since I’m in Florida where humidity is always high, this isn’t a problem. The top is holding flat and I’m very pleased with the appearance of the wood after finishing. Very nice, for being so cheap.
However, there is something I didn’t anticipate. That is what the visual effect of grain direction does to appearance. If I look at the table from one side, it looks badly crowned. FRom the other side, it looks cupped. Straight edge says it’s flat, but the grain direction causes a strong optical lllusion. WEIRD.
Moral of the story: Be sure to choose perfectly straight grain for the edges if you want to avoid an illusory effect. I’m gonna shave off the finish and glue straight edging on to fix it.
Replies
boatman,
Just a thought. Have you asked anyone else to look at this and see it they see it? I ask because if you've a perfectionist, and it appears you are, you tend to see every single flaw and are looking for them. No one else may notice if you don't point them out. As the creators, we are often our own worst enemy.
Looking forward to seeing some pics.
Kell
I always see things like this in every project I do, but whenever someone else looks at it, they never notice. I am often too hard on my own work and sometimes I catch myself trying to find things wrong with it. Sometimes, I think my mind is making stuff up when I look at my own work. Never ever point out the flaws (either real or not) to anyone, or you'll program it into their mind also!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled