Pedestal Table: Update

[drw]

It has been awhile since I posted anything regarding this built. As you can see, I am making progress. I have one pedestal completely wrapped in molding (the bullnose bit I was using chipped, a new one will arrive tomorrow and I can finish the second pedestal). All things considered, I am pleased with the results.

That said, I am having a problem (see second picture). The cross trees are mounted to the pedestal with a large mortise/tenon joint and then screwed from the backside of the cross trees into the tenon. I countersunk the screws and then plugged the holes using a thin film of titebond on the plugs. There are eight plugs and seven of then look like the plugs in the photo. What is causing this and more importantly what can I do to stop it? I can sand the stains away but with 30 minutes the stains reappear (this has been ongoing for two-weeks). I could probably drill out the pugs, but whatever is leaching has probably migrated into the cross trees.

Thank you for viewing

 

[Melinapex]

Donn,
The pedestal looks wonderful.... I love it! No idea what is causing your stain problem though, that is a strange one......

 

[Hmerkle]

Donn,
You need to figure out what it is, to be able to re mediate it...
Is it only three of the holes that are "leaching"?
If so, do you remember the pattern you drilled? (Could it be oil on the countersink / drill) just a guess...
My reasoning - two of the holes seem to be leaching heavily, the third, less and the fourth, not much at all...

If that is the case, I would mix up 50/50 Dawn dish washing solution and wash ONE hole with the plug removed - OH! the plug cutter - did it have oil in it and now it is on the plug and as soon as you glue it in the water is pushing the oil out?!

Anyway, back on track, I would then dry the hole with a hair dryer and see it that stopped the leaching... IF, IF, IF it is oil...

Just my suggestion - again, you need to figure out what it is, to be able to re mediate it...

 

[JimD]

The pedestals look Great!

I've done a lot of plugged screws but I've never seen anything like that. Hanks idea seem good to me. You might also try hitting the area with a coat of shellac - a good stain sealer.

 

[bowman]

Drill it out with a slightly larger Forstner bit, take care not to hit the screw heads, cut new plugs to fit. I'd try some different adhesives, such as CA or hide glue to keep the new plugs in place.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

That is really strange. I would try some experiments on some scrap wood from the project that shows the issue. I wonder if Hank is on the right track with the effect lessening as you made more holes.

 

[KenOfCary]

Definitely use Hide Glue for the plugs. That way a little heat and some water or steam will remove them anytime that is necessary.

 

[LocoWoodWork]

No idea concerning the staining. But the pedestal is looking great!!!

 

[Jeff]

I think that it's the glue TBIII which has a brownish color. TBII is yellow. I can't explain the leaching but if it's oil there must have been a ton of it on your drill bit (7 of 8 plugs show the leaching). Hide Glue would have worked but that's after the fact in this case.

What kind of wood are you using for the table and the dowels?

Won't this "blemish" be mostly hidden when a finish is applied and the table top is in place over the pedestals? So it's a cosmetic problem at the end of the day. A "what dunnit".

 

[drw]

Thank you all for your interest and input, I am really appreciative!! I think I discovered the problem (thank you Hank for making me think about a possible "oil" contaminate). When I was screwing the cross tree to the pedestal, the first screw had almost bottomed out when I realized that I had not used any lubricant on the screw, I carefully finished that screw and then used a lube on the remaining seven screws. That said, I have always used Johnson Paste Wax as my lube of choice; however, on this occasion I used a product recommended to me called Slideez (see pics). It worked like a charm...as I was driving the screws I noticed that the product liquified easily. However, while the label says "non-staining", that is in contradiction to my experience....I really think this product was at the root of the issue.

This morning I drilled out the old plugs with 1/2" forestner bit (initial holes were drilled with a 3/8" bit), cleaned the area around and in the holes with mineral spirits (this worked well in eliminating the stains), then re-plugged.

Take away lesson, if something works (Johnson's Wax) leave well-enough alone!

I really am appreciative of the advice, it helped salvage the project and returned me to a more peaceful state of mind! Providing constructive criticism and helpful advice/assistance is a hallmark of this organization.

 

[bowman]

thanks for the follow-up Donn, glad you found the suspect. Keep up the great work

 

[agrieco]

Donn- looks awesome!!! I especially like the dimensions of the features on the pedestal. Very nicely done!

 

[Jeff]

That looks much better. Did you run out of Johnson's paste wax? The Slideez label (pic 2, last sentence) is a bit misleading as is their product data sheet.

https://www.mohawk-finishing.com/mhk_cds/product_pds/m750-1205.pdf

Directions: Use without reduction. Apply as a lubricant for wood or metal. The all purpose wood and metal lubricant has many uses as the user has imagination. For home, office, auto shop, plant, farm, boat, camp, etc. Stops squeaks, lubricates, stops binding, stops sticking, repels water, non-flammable, non-staining, non-caking, retards rust.

 

[drw]

That looks much better. Did you run out of Johnson's paste wax? The Slideez label (pic 2, last sentence) is a bit misleading as is their product data sheet.

https://www.mohawk-finishing.com/mhk_cds/product_pds/m750-1205.pdf

Directions: Use without reduction. Apply as a lubricant for wood or metal. The all purpose wood and metal lubricant has many uses as the user has imagination. For home, office, auto shop, plant, farm, boat, camp, etc. Stops squeaks, lubricates, stops binding, stops sticking, repels water, non-flammable, non-staining, non-caking, retards rust.

Jeff, no, I still have some Johnson's Wax, but since I had the Slideez (which I had purchased at Klingspor after it was recommended as a lubricant for wooden drawer slides) I thought I would trust the label and use it...big mistake! That said, I am almost out of Johnson's Wax so I will be getting another can soon...the stuff lasts forever!

 

[Hmerkle]

REALLY glad you found the problem and it wasn't to difficult to mitigate.