Pith Crack, originally uploaded by A. Drauglis Furnituremaker.
If there is a crack in a piece of wood, it is possible to arrest or repair the damage by bridging the gap with a piece of hardwood; the patches are usually called dovetails or “butterflies” from their shape.
Andy Rooney taught me how to do this.
Well, I guess it is more accurate to say that I learned the technique from him.
In the early and mid- ‘80s, many Sunday afternoons in the Fall and Winter were spent watching football with my Dad (Mom was usually there, too, and she is still a huge fan, but Dad plays the bigger factor in this story). After the games were over we would, like many, watch “60 Minutes” on CBS. Dad enjoyed the program, and I did, too; watching it at that age made me feel more grown –up and I am sure that I learned more than a few things. One time Andy Rooney was doing a piece about his desk. It was too small, too cluttered, and he needed a new one, so he made one. For the top he used a big slab of Walnut with live edges. He pointed out one place where it was splitting and he had put in some Ebony dovetails to keep the wood from splitting more.
For some reason, long before I had built any furniture or even been interested in building it, this tiny bit of information lodged itself between the folds of my brain and stayed there. I can’t remember what the desk looked like without Mr. Rooney’s everyday clutter (A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind), but I remember the inlaid dovetails. When ever I saw them after that, I would think, “Hey, it’s that Andy Rooney-thing!” or something along those lines, anyway. The first time I remember using the technique was for the Monster Cabinet, though in that case the pieces were straight, not tapered like the butterflies are, and it was mainly for artistic effect.
When the pith crack in the side of the new slab cabinet started to open up, I was very pleased that I would get a chance to use the classic dovetail/butterfly/Rooney to fix it.
[tags]wood, furniture, dovetails, andy rooney, joinery[/tags]
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