Copper Patina Gate II #5: Mistakes... Aaaaaaaaaaargh!

I hate mistakes. However, sometimes I like the challenge of fixing them. The idea I think is to not just cover them up, but if the fix cannot be hidden, make it appear to be part of the original design. Or as many a Lumberjock might say, make it into a design enhancement. So here’s my latest error. While cutting the outer arch the pivot board and pin moved causing an unsightly gash.

And here’s a close up.

So the idea came to me to make a dado, or rabbet, or groove, whatever you call it, and cut away the entire mess, then patch it.

I set up the dado blades and lengthened the fence so two points remained in contact throughout the cut. Actually, I pushed the piece through a couple of times with the blade lowered to make sure I had good control and the cut would be square.

I ended up with a nice channel to glue a cutoff. I glued it in place and trimmed it close to the arch with a jigsaw.

I then used a pattern bit to smooth the edge with the remaining arch, and viola! Oh yeah. Since I made this mistake i decided to make this the back side of the gate. Nobody will ever see it or give it any notice, but I will look at it everytime I get a chance. And the gods will smile.

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com