Tried woodworking as a side gig for passion. Built a chair. It collapsed under my cat.

I spent 8 weekends in my buddy's garage outside Portland making a chair. Followed every YouTube video perfect. The thing held my weight fine for like 3 days. Then my 12 pound tabby jumped on the seat and one leg just snapped off. Learned that my stable paycheck as a mechanic keeps me from starving. The chair is now kinda art in my living room. Anyone else have a dream project fail in a hilarious way?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery2907d ago

Funny you say that ivanbell because I used to think the same way. I spent years telling my buddy his cutting board cracked 'cause he didn't let the wood acclimate in his garage. But that chair leg? I actually saw the joint split after it broke and it looked fine, no gaps or glue boogers. My old mechanic brain always looked for the weak point first but now I'm starting to think sometimes wood just does what it wants, no matter how perfect your plans are. That weekend in Portland taught me that YouTube doesn't cover the weird stuff that can still go wrong.

ivanbell8d ago

Hold on a second there. Your cat didn't break that chair. The weak joint broke when the cat sat on it. A properly built chair should hold up fine under a 12 pound animal. You had a hidden defect in the leg joint from day one, probably from using a bad glue joint or not letting the wood dry enough before assembly. That chair was going to fail sooner or later no matter what sat on it.