Still Twisted

My wife went away for a girls' week, and the kids who were still living at home were off at summer camp. With the house to myself, I decided building a table would be a fun way to spend the week.

It turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected.

The tabletop started bowing and twisting, so I took it apart and added several more layers of craft sticks. Then the bottom started twisting, so I reinforced that too. Eventually, both stayed straight.

The middle, however, had other ideas.

I fixed it once, but within a year it started twisting again. It's not a dramatic twist. You mostly notice it looking down from above, where the top and bottom don't quite line up. But I know it's there, and it still bugs me.

My son still uses it as a bedside table. Despite its ongoing disagreement with me about what constitutes straight, it's been in regular use since I made it, apart from the occasional repair.