The day a client's 'simple' kitchen island turned into a walnut waterfall

They brought in a 10-foot slab of claro walnut with a wild grain pattern and asked for a waterfall edge on both sides. I spent three hours just laying out the cut lines to bookmatch the grain perfectly across the miter. Anyone have a go-to method for clamping those long miter joints without a giant vacuum bag?

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3 Comments

riley8606mo ago

Ever notice how the simplest requests always hide the most complicated jobs?

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the_joel6mo ago

Right? My boss asked for a "quick update" that took three days.

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miabennett4mo ago

Used to think waterfall edges were overhyped, now I get it after seeing how the grain wraps around like that. @the_joel nailed it - "quick" is always code for "this will eat your weekend." For clamping, I've had good luck with a plywood caul and a bunch of parallel clamps alternating top and bottom.

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