David Wuller writes:

Well, what is behind the mystery door? Are you ready for a story of
mystery, intrigue and poor workmanship?

A client called to have a table repaired. When I got there they asked
if I could also look at a china cabinet whose door wouldn't open. It
had opened at one time, before the movers broke a leg off and had it
repaired. I took a look at it and, sure enough, it wouldn't open. It
looked to be hinge bound but that couldn't be as you would never be
able to screw the hinges on with the door closed in the first place. I
figured that maybe the hinges had seized somehow, as I could see no
movement in the hinge knuckles. I loaded it up and took it to the shop.

After several days of occasional oiling, the door would still only open
several inches, and that was only because the hinges had loosened from
the case from the clients playing around with it. Today I decided that
the back had to come off if I couldn't persuade the hinges with a small
pry bar. Squeezing my hand through the small opening, I got the bar
between the hinge leaves and... still no luck. Eventually I lifted the
door slightly with the bar (there is only a slight gap) and saw
something under it- a screw! Turning the piece on its back I took off
the "repaired" leg. It was screwed on with two 2 1/2" deck screws and
under it was a wad of what looks to be tootsie roll epoxy. The epoxy
had adhered only to the bottom of the case and was just a big lump- not
even flat. The color of the replacement leg was way off too. Anyway, it
turned out that one of the screws went through the bottom and a 1/4"
into the door bottom! The client could have done a better job herself.

Sorry I am going on a bit, I just figured this all out just a little while

ago and am still amazed and astounded that someone should have
passed this off as a repair and get paid for it too. It sure gives us a
bad name. I phoned the customer to ask if the repair was recent to

see if they had any recourse. I told them they should tell the moving
company to give the repairman a good chewing out and to pass my

bill for a proper repair to the moving company for reimbursement.

Enclosed are pictures of the offending leg with screws-I scraped the
epoxy level, another leg with one slotted screw and one deck screw

and a third leg with two phillips and one messed up square drive, I

think. Also in one of the pictures is a phillips screw holding the

bottom up - it isn't even countersunk.

Ranting and raving in Eatonville,WA
David W