8. Fixing Nail-Split or Screw-Split Wood (see illustration)
Power nailers are both good and bad. They speed up work and make it easier to create tight trim joints, but they also do damage when you don't quite hit the target. And it's easy to miss. But when misdirected nails exit the sides of boards, causing ugly splits in visible places, there's no need to panic. Remove the nail, work some glue into the gap with a toothpick, then lay some wax paper over the area and clamp it tight. The wide jaws of a wooden handscrew do an excellent job here because they spread pressure so evenly. Give the repair a couple of hours to dry, slacken the clamp, then peel off the wax paper. Sand off the glue and paper residue, and it will look like you travelled back in time to the moment before you committed the blunder.
9 . Salvaging a Bubbly Finish
Water-based urethanes have a lot going for them, but finish quality usually isn't one of their noteworthy attributes. Since most formulations dry so quickly, it's common for air bubbles to harden on the surface, creating a rough, “toad skin” texture. The ultimate fix begins with 220-grit sandpaper. Use it to knock off all the bubbles after you've applied three or four coats of dried urethane. The finish will now feel smooth, although it will have a dull, uneven sheen. To make the surface beautiful, grab a random-orbit sander and a piece of fine or superfine 3M rubbing pad. Put the pad on the wood and the sander on the pad, then switch it on. The surface of the wood will grow progressively smoother and shinier as you do more power buffing. Stop buffing when you've achieved the level of sheen that pleases you. Work the pad by hand in areas that are too confined for the power sander. This system also works wonderfully to repair projects that have been ruined by dust settling on the surface of a wet finish.
10. Lengthening a Board You Cut Too Short
It's easy to trim boards too short. And when the wood you've messed up is precious, it's hard to toss it into the scrap pile. If your too-short board is wider than necessary, saw it diagonally from corner to corner, joint these edges, then glue the pieces back together again, pulled apart slightly from their former position. This procedure trades excess width for an increase in length. And if you do a good job, no one will ever notice. Just don't tell anyone.
If you rely only on your ability to get things right the first time, then you'll never reach your full potential, both as a woodworker and a human being. That's because none of us are perfect. At least not on the first shot, anyway. Honing your technical fix-up skills is the woodworking equivalent of learning to say you're sorry. It's the secret of getting great results, even if you're not quite great all the time.
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