Grain Pattern Correction
As a natural product, wood does not always behave as we’d like. At times, grain patterns on a choice piece of wood do not run in tidy vertical and horizontal directions. Get the cuts you want from the same piece of lumber without making another purchase! Just take the advice of carpenter Craig Ruegsegger of Wood Magazine.
Upon creating a TV stand, Ruegsegger encountered a problem. He found a board that was wide enough for the pieces he needed, with one exception. On one panel, the cathedral pattern was a bit more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, veering discordantly towards the right. Instead of buying a new board, Ruegsegger reconsidered his cut and joint pattern.
He began by cutting the board at an angle, following the rogue grain. He corrected the missing portion by making another angled cut on the board, this time in the same dimensions as the missing wedge needed to complete the TV stand panel.
Reugsegger maintained the color and grain pattern he wanted throughout the unit. The less-than-perfect panel was placed toward the back of the unit and to the casual viewer it is barely perceptible.
Source: WoodMagazine.com