Durability, Quality Checks and Finishing Standards
Durability is the difference between a sample and a product. This domain tests the checks you perform, the order you perform them in, and the standards you apply.
Checkpoints
- Dimensions: measure against the drawing, tolerance ±1–2 mm; check squareness with a try square and flatness on a level surface.
- Joints: hand pull and twist each joint, then load test - a shelf should hold about 2 kg for 24 hours without visible sag.
- Surface: run a cloth along every edge; any snag means more sanding. Check for drips, bare patches and colour variation.
- Function: does a planter leak, does a lid fit, does a lampshade clear the bulb by at least 50 mm?
- Safety: no sharp edges or splinters, no detachable small parts on items for small children (use a choke-test cylinder), non-toxic paint on food-contact items, stable base, no exposed wire or rust.
- Handle test: drop the packed item from about one metre onto cardboard.
Order matters
Check before finishing, then again after. A defect under three coats of varnish is a rework, not a repair.
Documentation
Use a written checklist for every piece and grade A (sale-ready), B (minor cosmetic flaw, sold as seconds) or C (rework). Record batch, date and inspector so a repeat order can be matched.
Worked example
A hanging lampshade: 60 mm bulb clearance, 180 g weight, hung for 48 hours with no sag or joint creep, edges sanded, inside painted. Reasoning: heat distortion and joint creep are the two real failure modes for a hanging shade, so those are what you test.
Traps
Inspecting only after painting; testing until something breaks and then starting over; ignoring humidity, sunlight and outdoor use; no written record, so a repeat order cannot be matched.