Why did I agree to do this?!

[scott spencer]

Have you ever agreed to help someone out only to have major regrets later when you find out the job is far different than you anticipated or had been led to believe?

While at my nephew's birthday party earlier in the week, my brother's inlaws were commenting on some of the pieces I've made for him. Then his MIL tells me (in front of everyone of course) that she'd like her cherry coffee table cut down to size to fit their new home better, and wondered if I could do that. "Sure....I guess" . Then she requests that the cut off be turned into drop leaves....."ok..." Her coffee table has an elliptical top with a rectangular shelf at the base....another omission from the original discussion. Her "cherry" table is really birch veneer over crapola wood and pressboard. The finish was such that it was hard to tell until I crosscut the table top! It's past the point of no return now....and there's not much I'm going to be able to do to make the drop leaf seam look good.

Neither the request nor any of the little complications or setbacks seem like that big of a deal alone, but the combination of "issues" vs the potential end result has me frustrated. Working with crapwood takes as much time as nice wood, but will never ever look like cherry or even birch for that matter! Anyone else ever find themselves in the middle of something they'd just as soon haul to curb and forget about?

Sorry for the vent....now I'm off to spin gold out of straw.

[Jim Becker]

Have you ever agreed to help someone out only to have major regrets later when you find out the job is far different than you anticipated or had been led to believe?

Of course!
------

'Sounds like you have a nice opportunity to learn some new faux finishing techniques to "hide that edge" nicely. You may want to contact Jeff Jewitt or another finishing guru to get some advice on this. But no doubt, it's going to be a ton of work that I'm sure was not anticipated.

[Brian Hale]

You might come out ahead of the game (and perhaps better appreaciated) if you just build her a new one?

Brian

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Yikes! Scott, I don't envy you. I've been "roped" into a fiasco or two by well meaning family members and know how you feel. I hope your MIL understands this isn't your fault.

[Mark Rios]

I'm really feeling for you. I'd try to turn it around and maybe say something like, "oh BTW, Mrs.MIL? Were you aware that your cherry table isn't really cherry? I hope you weren't cheated when you bought it. Maybe you could take it up with your furniture salesman. This isn't really made of material that will work out very well for what you want. But hey...if you want to pay for the materials, I'm sure that I can make you something you would like much better".

I hate getting into a repair job of any kind where someone thinks that there furniture or deck or house or whatever is something great and it turns out to be bovine feces.

[Brian Austin]

I stopped being a nice guy about this kind of stuff after getting burned a few times. It's never like they described (either intentional or not) and, more often than not, just does not turn out well.

I'll do builds and design/builds but won't touch existing stuff. Strict policy now and the wife is WELL aware of it.

[Bart Leetch]

[QUOTE=scott spencer]. Her "cherry" table is really birch veneer over crapola wood and pressboard. The finish was such that it was hard to tell until I crosscut the table top!

Scott I think I would take the cut off piece & show her what she has & ask if she would prefer to buy good material & have you make a table of the same style & right size to fit her needs? One out of real wood with a fine finish she can be proud of.

[Andy Hoyt]

Scott - Oh Man! This is deja vu, all over again! I feel for ya.

I once ran into a similar crapolawood table top under similar circumstances. I ultimately decided that my only recourse was to tell my "future" MIL that there were two options: Make an entirely new top from solid maple or try to match grain some rips that could be edge joined at the hinges and hide the crapolawood.

Happily, she chose the first option; and was so pleased with my work that she sent it off to college six months later with my "then" BIL. Over Thanksgiving break later on I learned that he threw it onto the bonfire at a homecoming rally.

Haven't made a thing for him since.

[Frank Pellow]

Have you ever agreed to help someone out only to have major regrets later when you find out the job is far different than you anticipated or had been led to believe?

Yes, about 10 years ago, I found myself in almost the same situation. The big difference was that it was me, not anyone else, who got me into the bind. I figured it was my fault for not recongnizing that the table I prommised to modify was not veneer (in my case, red oak veneer), so I replaced the veneer with real oak, said very little, and chalked it up to experience.

[Anthony Anderson]

Scott are you in the middle of adapting/modifying the table? If this is something that was mentioned at a party, and you rarely ever see the BIL's MIL (ah abbrevs. ) then you may never have to do the project. Many people will mention things in conversation at a party, and never think about it again. I am a procrastinater, and I have a lot of projects myself, so between the two, I can easily get myself out of those situations, if I really don't want to do the project. Be upfront and honest with the people and tell them that the table is not worth modifying, and that you will be happy to build them a new table for what the material costs + the cost of a new tool for the shop. Or, if you would rather not tackle the project, just tell them that you have so much going on right now it would take too long to get to. Recommend a custom furniture maker in town and let them it take there for an estimate. Though you should caution about the price involved. They will probably, happily, make due with the table they got. Many people cannot appreciate the cost, and labor involved in making nice furniture, nor can they appreciate the craftsmanship, as in Andy's case. Just imagine the table you spend so much time on, being used as fuel for a bon fire. Better off left alone. HTH, Bill

[Eddie Watkins]

Scott, it used to happen to me. It got to a point where it seemed all I did was work on junk. As a hobbyist my shop time is so limited (and important to me) that I have finally just quit doing anything except my own projects and LOML is the only one who gets any input into what those are. I love to help people but my hobby had gotten too much like a job when I was working on things I wasn't really interested in. I usually tell them they could buy new (junk) cheaper due to the price of wood or mention cost and that will discourage most.
Eddie

[Ellen Benkin]

It's always best to be honest -- especially when it involves relatives. Tell her the problems and the options. If she wants to pay for a a new top then make one. Otherwise, find some veneer tape to hide the edge and get it over with.

[Tom Pritchard]

Have you ever agreed to help someone out only to have major regrets later when you find out the job is far different than you anticipated or had been led to believe?

You did it because:

1) You have a good heart and...
2) You have the skills and creativity needed to finish the job and...
3) you needed an excuse for some new tools!!!!

Let me know if I can help!

[Peter Lyon]

Certainly! And I've tried to learn from these "situations" but they still occasionally occur. The worst part is when I look back on how I got into most of them, it occurs to me that I was manipulated.

I guess if I were in your situation I would explain the problem to your BIL's MIL and provide your recommendation how to best fix the problem. And, unless it was totally cost prohibitive, I wouldn't pursue reimbursement either. I'd just chalk it up to part of the lesson learned.

[Corey Hallagan]

Heh heh heh.... oohhh Scott.........

Corey