# Show Off Your failures . . .



## Kevin (Mar 9, 2015)

Or, how not to build with wenge.

This was my first tango with exotic wood 25 years ago. I didn't know what I was doing and this thing just fell apart after about 5 years. I just threw it in a cardboard box, but somehow it managed to find its way on the top of one of my tool cabinets. The specks are insect and hummingbird dooky. I cleaned off one part of the lid just to prove it is in fact wenge lol.

Don't ask what glue and finish I used I've slept well over 9000 times since then. I think I was using elmer's back then but no clue on the finish. I'll put this thing back together one day soon but in the meantime I thought I'd show a before. @Aurora North's wenge thread prompted me to drag this out and photo it so it can serve as a caution to others not familiar how to glue oily woods. I know now but back then I was clueless. I can't show what it looked like before the explosion because I didn't take many pictures back then and the few I did take were polaroids which I'm not sure I still have. You can't tell it now but the fit, finish, and alignment on this box was damned respectable before the glue turned it loose again.









You can see here how I also got carried away with a couple of pilot holes and went all the way through. 








Look at that section of white/black. A member here asked last year what he could do to get some white/black contrast but wanted it mixed all together if I remember correctly. I said he could bleach some wenge and did that to show him. Now I guess I have to bleach the entire inside of the lid once I sand all the old finish back off.









So Yusuke make sure you know how to prep oily species like wenge.

Reactions: Like 3 | Great Post 1


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## ironman123 (Mar 9, 2015)

Kevin, it kinda looks like it might have been nice back then. Bless your heart.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Brink (Mar 9, 2015)



Reactions: Funny 11


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## TimR (Mar 9, 2015)

Brink said:


> View attachment 73402


That's really mean! 
Ahh, sorry, I meant REALLY mean.


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## SENC (Mar 9, 2015)



Reactions: Great Post 1 | Funny 13


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## Brink (Mar 9, 2015)

Tick tick tick tick....

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Kevin (Mar 9, 2015)

I think I should edit the title:

Pick on Kevin & Tony

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## SENC (Mar 9, 2015)

Kevin said:


> I think I should edit the title:
> 
> Pick on Kevin & Tony


That could be the title of pretty much every thread on WB!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2 | Funny 4


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## Kevin (Mar 9, 2015)



Reactions: Funny 1


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## SENC (Mar 9, 2015)

Kevin said:


>


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## Brink (Mar 9, 2015)

Wow, entire thread lacking contra simian posts...


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## JR Custom Calls (Mar 9, 2015)

I tried...

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 3


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## Kevin (Mar 9, 2015)

I guess I'm the only woodworker here that's ever had a failure. That makes me special.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## Schroedc (Mar 9, 2015)

I've had plenty of failures but I don't have pictures of any of them as I usually consign to the firewood pile or disassemble to reuse the wood.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## JR Custom Calls (Mar 9, 2015)

Kevin said:


> I guess I'm the only woodworker here that's ever had a failure. That makes me special.
> 
> View attachment 73432


Does that make me a non woodworker?


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## Kevin (Mar 9, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> Does that make me a non woodworker?



No but I wish it made the monkey a non woodworker. Monkeys are exempt from all grandfather clauses.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## ripjack13 (Mar 9, 2015)

I have a few....I ain't to proud to not show em. Lemme take some and post it up...


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## Aurora North (Mar 10, 2015)

Thanks for posting this Kevin! Really appreciate it. This is the type of stuff that makes everyone a better woodworker. 

I was going to prep all edges with 80 grit first after machining then wipe with acetone and then glue it up with Nexabond or G2 epoxy (I went out and bought both) as was recommended by mrfish55 and Keith in a thread about gluing oily woods. I think I could probably get away with titebond III though. I'm going to do some tests first before final assembly. Epoxy is a pain to sand and clean up.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

This is what is was supposed to look like...







But i went to far in the sides and it shredded in two pieces, so I kept the scrap and used it as practise for woodburning set.






this one blew up on me cuz I went to thin...



same with this one...This is a bottle stopper. well...was.



This was supposed to be a rubber 1911 grip....it got caught in the sander and was ruined.



coffee grinder....too many cracks to keep using...

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kevin (Mar 10, 2015)

Thanks Marc I needed some company.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

I got more...I'm uploading em...


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

This was going to be a knife grip but the drill bit wandered.



checkering turned out like crap..



crap checkering..



pen blank explosion...



I have no idea what I was trying to make. but it didn't work out....but I can't toss it out. so I keep it. That was my first foray in exotic wood stuff...1993...it's that old.

Reactions: Like 5


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## ripjack13 (Mar 10, 2015)

ripjack13 said:


> I have a few....I ain't to proud to not show em. Lemme take some and post it up...





Kevin said:


> Thanks Marc I needed some company.



I used to have a huge pile of junk 1911 grips, but the wife harassed me relentlessly...so I burned em.

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## tocws2002 (Mar 10, 2015)

ripjack13 said:


> I used to have a huge pile of junk 1911 grips, but the wife harassed me relentlessly...so I burned em.




I recently burned 6 or 8 sets of 1911 grips I had been holding onto as well. Turns out the grips don't fit so well when the holes are spaced just under 3" apart and they need to be 3 1/16" center to center....sorry, no pictures...of those.

-jason

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tony (Mar 10, 2015)

Hell guys, I don't even have to touch a tool to screw up in woodworking. When I first joined WB, I got some FBE from @justallan that had gorgeous red streaking in it. It was still wet, so I put the lot of them on my back porch to dry in the sun. So much for that! Didn't know any better, totally ruined it

Reactions: Like 2


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## TimR (Mar 10, 2015)

I'm just waitin for @DKMD to post ashes in the chiminea...

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Tony (Mar 10, 2015)

This one is even better. I don't have pictures of the mistakes, (I burned them, with great joy), but her are the finished products. I was given the original wheels, (circa 1910) with the iron surroundings and other iron parts to work with. When Coopers build wagon wheels, they do the woodworking, then heat the metal to wrap around it. I was working backwards, which seemed to be a whole lot harder. This is WAY outside of my wheelhouse (pardon the pun), and I screwed up plenty on them. 

Screw up #1. I built all the outer rims first, not noticing there were two different sizes.
Screw up #2. I tried turning the hubs,but that didn't work. 
Screw up #3. Got the hubs built, mortised out all the holes for the spokes. Layed out and mortised 12 holes each. (There are only 10 spokes).
Screw up #4. Cut ALL 40 spokes 1/2" too short.

I could go on, but let's just say I was mighty tired of building wagon wheels by the time I got them done. Trust me Kevin, you're not alone!

Reactions: Like 2 | +Karma 1


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## manbuckwal (Mar 10, 2015)

I have had many a broken piece but have never taken pics of em . Might start now tho

Reactions: Agree 1


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## JR Parks (Mar 10, 2015)

Heck I had a pen blank that look just like Marc's-part wood part brass. Tonight - probably still warm. I turned it all the way down so I could reuse the tubes.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mark Macomber (Apr 2, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> I tried...
> 
> View attachment 73429
> 
> ...


I really like the pot...
bet one like it with the chevrons turned opposite from the middle out would be awesome.


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## Mark Macomber (Apr 2, 2015)

I haven't been doing this long. but I found out that what I thought was something I messed up wasn't. my 3 year old granddaughter likes everything.
so now I have no goofs. until she gets older . but maybe by then I will have some better projects.

Reactions: Like 3 | +Karma 1


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## barry richardson (Apr 3, 2015)

Here is a couple that went through the side recently. If you get into hollow forms you will probably do this sooner or later, unless you start right off with one of those laser gizmos. 2 in one week is a little too much though, ........ must focus....

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Apr 3, 2015)

Oopsie....

.

Reactions: Like 1


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## JR Parks (Apr 3, 2015)

What was that wood Marc?


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## ripjack13 (Apr 3, 2015)

End grain(cross cut) bocote. ..I was applying ca to it and it popped apart. Freaked me out.


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## JR Parks (Apr 4, 2015)

Just applying the finish?! Interesting. Going to have to check my bocote stash - that looks sharp.


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## ripjack13 (Apr 4, 2015)

Yep...I might have been rubbing to hard?


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## ripjack13 (Apr 4, 2015)

Here's the finished pen though. It's a failure too...so ...here tis...

.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Wilson's Woodworking (Apr 8, 2015)

Well the bowl blank didn't blow up, however when the gouge caught the cross slide didn't fair so well.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Useful 1


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## NYWoodturner (Apr 8, 2015)

Jeeezus that was a bad catch! I bet that rattled your teeth

Reactions: Agree 2


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## ripjack13 (Apr 8, 2015)

We need an "Ouch!" Icon....


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## Wilson's Woodworking (Apr 8, 2015)

I am a big man but when that tool caught it lifted me right off the floor. I was way out on the end of a 12" tool rest so there was a lot of torque on that tool. Plus the bowl blank was just missing the ways on the lathe so the slide was extended out as far as it would go all adding up to trouble.

Reactions: Like 2


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## brown down (Apr 22, 2015)

Glad that thing didn't get you man whooof seen some nasty wounds from a lathe. Ive been lucky a few times myself..


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## Blueglass (Apr 22, 2015)

I have a couple that about made me cry. I'll try to remember pics tomorrow. Work and family are very much dominating my life. I have not had time for much wood work.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## bald9eagle (Apr 29, 2015)

Does this count? I broke my band saw insert but persisted in trying to cut a pen blank anyway. It caught and got pulled down taking pointer with it. Deep cut from fingernail to past first knuckle. Should have stitched it up but I just went with it.


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## Kevin (Apr 29, 2015)

Ouch.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## NYWoodturner (Apr 29, 2015)

Damn Matt - I know that hurt! I hope you got it clean. A cut like that is bad enough but when they get infected its 100 times worse.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## brown down (Apr 29, 2015)

I recently had my insert explode and was damn lucky I didn't have that happen to me. sorry man that happened to you


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## Final Strut (Apr 29, 2015)

bald9eagle said:


> Does this count? I broke my band saw insert but persisted in trying to cut a pen blank anyway. It caught and got pulled down taking pointer with it. Deep cut from fingernail to past first knuckle. Should have stitched it up but I just went with it.
> 
> View attachment 77385


That is just the inspiration I need to get some aluminum and replace the broken insert on my band saw.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Apr 29, 2015)

bald9eagle said:


> Does this count? I broke my band saw insert but persisted in trying to cut a pen blank anyway. It caught and got pulled down taking pointer with it. Deep cut from fingernail to past first knuckle. Should have stitched it up but I just went with it.
> 
> View attachment 77385




http://woodbarter.com/threads/question-of-the-week-2015-week-18.21151/

dammmmmm dude....that is just ouch.


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## bald9eagle (Apr 30, 2015)

It could have been worse. I probably should have gotten 3 stitches.


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## David Wright (May 8, 2015)

No pictures of failures as they just go into the future projects pile under my bench. Can't see it so must have had no failures!


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## David Wright (May 8, 2015)

Future project pile......

Reactions: Like 1


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