Jim H.'s review

For The Stockton Mill

• Feb 13th 2013

I hate to write a bad review as Terry was wonderful to work with. Unfortunately, I feel the quality of book case I received compels me to do so. As I watched him build the case, I was quite happy (especially with the discussions of using dowels instead of glue).

However, as I watched the photos as the project was being completed, I started to think, "I'm sure it will look better; it must be a bad camera photo." Unfortunately, when the piece arrived, it looked worse:
* Portions of the book case were not even painted, leaving exposed wood
* The backing was not flush with the sides, leaving a whole exposed groove on each corner on the back side
* The paint finish was stark white Valspar (like you would use for an outdoor piece), not the off-white paint of a quality level to match the photos of antique pieces we have in the same room
* Screws were not filled in with putty, leaving open screw groove
* And oddest of all, the front molding was only glued on (after seeing a comment about how Terry doesn't just glue like others). The molding shifted and broke off in shipping (as it was only glued) leaving gaping unpainted holes.

You don't have to take my word for this. Just look at the full-size images Terry has uploaded himself.

When my wife got this, we looked at each other and said, "Gee, he really missed this." We had hoped to show this to other as a great experience on custom made. Now it is just plain embarrassing. Quite honestly, its finish is of lower quality than the items I made in shop class as a teen. It is too bad, as Terry was a pleasure to interact with. I just wish the finish product matched.