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My 'rustic' driftwood shelf collapsed after I ignored the wood type
I was so proud of this shelf I made from a big piece of driftwood I found on a beach in Oregon. I just drilled right into it and mounted it, thinking the salt and sun had made it super strong. It held my plant pots for about two months. Then one morning, I heard a crack and the whole thing came down. My friend, who does woodworking, came over and picked up a piece. He said, 'This is cedar, and it was already punky and rotten in the middle. You can't just treat all found wood the same.' I felt so dumb. I had been grabbing any cool-looking wood for years without checking if it was sound. Now I test every piece with a screwdriver to see if it's soft inside before I build anything. What's your method for checking if found wood is strong enough to use?
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lopez.ivan3mo ago
You drilled right into it without checking? (I mean, I get the excitement, but wow.) My method is pretty basic, I just tap it with a hammer and listen for a dull thud instead of a solid knock. If it sounds hollow or soft, it's firewood, not shelf wood.
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the_vera1mo agoTop Commenter
Disagree a little, I find the dull thud test can fool you on old wood with moisture inside (ask me how I know). Half my "solid sounding" boards turned out to have hidden cracks I only found after cutting, basically just like @the_claire poking them with a key. Drilling first might feel overkill but it tells you the real story before you waste an afternoon.
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